Home   News   Article

Highland Council doing its bit to tackle air pollution on Clean Air Day Scotland today


By Ian Duncan

Easier access to your trusted, local news. Subscribe to a digital package and support local news publishing.



Click here to sign up to our free newsletters!
Pupils from Crown Primary with their Environment Protection Scotland colouring books with which they are learning about Clean Air Day.
Pupils from Crown Primary with their Environment Protection Scotland colouring books with which they are learning about Clean Air Day.

Today, which is Clean Air Day Scotland, will see schools, hospitals, workplaces and communities across the Highlands run events to inspire people to take simple steps to protect their own and their families’ health from air pollution.

Highland Council is pledging to work to reduce air pollution and show how much it cares about building a clean air future for our children.

The council is supporting Clean Air Day through engaging educational activities in a number of schools, across the area, where youngsters learn about the importance of clean air and what they can do to help.

As we return to our normal lives it is important to take this opportunity to create a healthy environment for our children where they can learn and play safely – this is a once in a lifetime chance for change.

The council's story of improving air quality includes a number of initiatives including:

Green Impact has actions which encourage council staff to swap car journeys for active transport;

Expansion of electric car charging points encourages a move away from petrol and diesel vehicles;

Encouraging active transport by developing cycling and walking routes around Highland.

Air pollution affects your health from your first breath to your last, as the damage to our health can start when we’re a baby and carry on through into old age.

But poor air quality is not a fact of life – the air pollution crisis is solvable and there are simple steps we can all take to help our family avoid toxic air and cut down on the pollution we emit – it's good for us and good for the planet too.

Councillor Trish Robertson, the chairwoman of the council’s Climate Change Committee, said: “We are proud to be supporting Clean Air Day, which promotes action on air pollution and for people to speak out to show how much we care about building a clean air future for our children.

“Schools across the country are learning about the health benefits of cycling, walking and the benefits this has on air quality, in our towns and rural areas. We’ve got an opportunity after lockdown, which saw dramatic reductions in car use, to build a healthier, less polluting Highland.”

The Scottish Government is finalising its new Cleaner Air for Scotland strategy, which will be published later this year. It aims to build on the strengths of the original strategy, published in 2015, and make Scotland’s air quality the best in Europe.

• Click here to find out more about Clean Air Day Scotland.


Do you want to respond to this article? If so, click here to submit your thoughts and they may be published in print.



This site uses cookies. By continuing to browse the site you are agreeing to our use of cookies - Learn More