Clean Air Day is a celebration of environmentally friendly activities that promote clean air and good health across Canada. It is a great opportunity to make environmentally friendly lifestyle choices for you, your family and your community. Clean Air Day is held on the first Wednesday in June. 

Clean Air Day, which is part of Environment Week, started some years ago in several Canadian municipalities as a day of grassroots initiatives. It has blossomed into a national campaign, embracing both national and local events that celebrate clean air and promote awareness of climate change issues. 

Transit Windsor participates in Clean Air Day alongside the Canadian Urban Transit Association (CUTA) and a number of other government, business and health organizations to encourage Canadians to consider sustainable transportation as their contribution to a healthier environment.

You Can Make A Difference: Why Changes May Improve Your Health

With the proper services and incentives in place, people can change their behaviour.  The goal of Clean Air Day is to urge Canadians to get out of their single-occupant vehicles and walk, bike or ride, as the first step in a commitment to use sustainable transporation and ensure an improved quality of life.

2/3 of Canadians are not physically active enough for optimal health benefits.

Physical inactivity is a serious public health concern.  It increases risk of chronic disease, disability and premature death.  By opting for active and sustainable transporation, we reap the health benefits and alleviate associated health care costs.

In many cases, one action will reduce both air pollutants and GHG emissions.  Some actions can even save you money!  Actions taken now and continued over the long-term can make a difference.

• 75 percent of Canadians feel that air pollution is affecting their health.
  
  
• 1 in 5 Canadians have some form of respiratory problem.
  
  
• Up to 16,000 Canadians die each year because of high pollution levels and poor air quality.
  
  
• The number of children hospitalized for asthmas increased by 23 percent from 1980 to 1990.
  
  
• 64,000 emergency room visits are made in Ontario each year due to the effects of smog.
  
  
• More Canadians die prematurely because of air pollution than in motor vehicle crashes.
  
  
• Canada's public transit systems have an outstanding safety record. In fact, the risk of fatality for a car passenger is 20 times higher than that for a transit passenger making the same trip.
  
  
• Transit offers concerned parents a safe solution at a time when motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for young Canadians.

Related Documents
Canadian Urban Transit Association (CUTA) - What is Clean Air Day