Clean Air Action

Several cities, including the MACC area, have organized Clean Air Action Day programs in which citizens, businesses, local, State and Federal governments, and health and environmental organizations are asked to take voluntary actions to help reduce ozone and particulate forming emissions on Clean Air Action Days. This program, historically referred to as the Ozone Action! Program, focused only on ground-level ozone, the main ingredient in smog that can cause damage to your lungs, and is a significant health problem in many Midwest cities during the summer months. The Clean Air Action Program has been expanded to include particulate matter and is now in operation year-round as unsafe levels of particulate matter can occur at any time during the year.

A Clean Air Action Day will be called when weather forecasters have predicted that conditions will be conducive to the formation of ozone or particulate matter.On a Clean Air Action Day, West Michigan residents will be asked to take certain voluntary actions to protect their health and reduce emissions. These voluntary actions may include limiting physical activity, carpooling, taking mass transit, and delaying lawn mowing (summer only).

The MACC has a traveling Clean Air Action display and many other informational outreach materials. Contact us to host the Clean Air Action display and receive free outreach materials at your place of business or to learn more about Clean Air Action Days. Enviro Flash is a service that automatically delivers air quality forecasts directly to the public. It provides information so people can adjust their daily activities when poor air conditions are expected. Michigan Enviroflash  Improving air quality in West Michigan is important. The MACC is a member of The West Michigan Clean Air Coalition (WMCAC). Formed in 1995, the WMCAC is a partnership of businesses, academic institutions, government agencies, industry, and non-profit organizations in Kent, Ottawa, Muskegon, and Kalamazoo counties working together to achieve cleaner air in the region through the education and promotion of voluntary emission reduction activities. The coalition works to educate the public and to promote voluntary emission reduction activities. Individuals and companies can help the coalition by making clean air choices on Clean Air Action Days. The coalition tries to limit the health and environmental damage that excessive ground level ozone can cause, by encouraging organizations and the general public to alter their lawn maintenance activities, refueling habits, and travel methods.

West Michigan residents can stay informed about air quality year round by calling the West Michigan Clean Air Action hotline at 1-800-656-0663, signing on to Enviroflash as described above, or by visiting www.deqmiair.org.