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Neighbors | Submitted.Members of Canfield’s Girl Scout Troop 80095 are raising a brightly colored flag to help their fellow Canfield Village Middle School students be aware of daily air quality conditions. Pictured are, from left, troop members Addison Hanousek, Anna Kerns, Emily Heino and Charley Masters.
Members of Canfield’s Girl Scout Troop 80095 are raising a brightly colored flag to help their fellow students be aware of daily air quality conditions. The troop has joined the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Air Quality Flag Program to help protect people’s health.
he flags are located in the cafeteria of Canfield Village Middle School, where seventh-grade troop members Addison Hanousek, Emily Heino, Anna Kerns and Charley Masters attend school, for the benefit of the students.
Each day, the troop checks the AirNow.gov website, and will change the flag based on the color of the Air Quality Index to show how polluted the air is expected to be. By comparing the colored flags to the Air Quality Index, everyone who sees the flags will know what actions to take to protect their health.
Green signals good air quality, yellow is moderate, orange means unhealthy for sensitive groups, like children and people with asthma, and red signals unhealthy air for everyone. A purple flag means the air quality is very unhealthy and sensitive groups should avoid all outdoor exertion while everyone else should limit outdoor exertion.
“Since we hung the flag on Jan. 25, we have had more than six yellow flag days, which means that air quality is still good, but may be a concern to those who have sensitive respiratory issues,” Hanousek said.
Local air quality can affect daily lives, and it can change from day to day, season to season, and can even vary depending on the time of day. The Air Quality Index provides information about the health effects of common air pollutants, and how to avoid those effects. The flags alert people to that particular day’s air quality, so they know when to modify their outdoor activities, like exercising for less time or moving exercise indoors when necessary.
“After exploring air quality while completing the Girl Scout ‘Breathe’ Journey, we thought it would be helpful for our friends to realize how good we have it here,” explained Masters. “And when it’s not good, to explore why.”
“We hope that our teachers and administrators can incorporate the flags into our daily routines and class work,” said Kerns.
“We developed a slide that shows on the television as you enter the school and hung a poster next to the flag to explain the program,” Heino added.
Getting up-to-date air quality information is possible by subscribing at www.enviroflash.info or downloading the AirNow app. Daily air quality forecasts can be sent to an email, cell phone or Twitter. This is especially helpful for those who are sensitive to the effects of air pollution, such as children, adults who are active outdoors, people with heart and lung disease and older adults.
For more information on the Air Quality Flag Program, visit EPA’s AirNow web site at www.airnow.gov/flag.