Don't Let Our Air Go Up In Smoke 2013-14 Winter No Burn Season Campaign

About the Program

Category: Civic Education and Public Information (Best in Category)

Year: 2014

Ah, the winter holidays. As the days shorten and families gather, this is the time Maricopa County valley residents are most likely to linger around their fireplaces, chimineas and other woodburning devices. Unfortunately, the ambient air quality pays the price for this cultural tradition. When the number of woodburning fires soar, so do the levels of unhealthy PM2.5 (smoke) in the air. Residual effects from woodburning are more harmful to those with compromised lung functionality, the elderly and children. To address this issue, the Maricopa County Air Quality Department (MCAQD), the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ), and more than 74 business, industry, health, and government stakeholders collaborated on a substantial campaign during the 2013-14 winter season, focused on increasing awareness and changing behavior. “Don’t Let Our Air Go Up In Smoke” officially launched with a news conference on December 12, 2013. Outreach components included advertising, billboards, flyers, freeway signs, mobile app alerts, newsletters, op-ed articles, presentations, and radio and television PSAs. The campaign concluded on January 31, 2014 with noteworthy success: air quality improved from the previous year, there were no air quality violations for PM2.5, and the region stayed in attainment with national health-based air quality standards.