Published on
7 June 2023
It's easy being green as borough plans for Clean Air Day
Residents and businesses can do their part to reduce air pollution by picking up some environmentally friendly habits on Clean Air Day
Residents and businesses in Wokingham Borough can do their part to reduce air pollution by picking up some environmentally friendly habits on Clean Air Day.
The event next Thursday (June 15), which is the UK's biggest air pollution campaign, encourages people to make simple changes to reduce the serious health effects caused by vehicle and other emissions.
It's themed this year around the effect that air pollution has on mental health, although it also has significant physical effects and causes up to 36,000 deaths a year nationally.
The council is supporting this initiative locally with a range of fun activities that everyone can enjoy.
Rewards for leaving the car at home
Anyone who'd like to get more daily steps can take part in the long-running My Journey Wokingham challenge, hosted on the free BetterPoints smartphone app, which will be offering special Clean Air Day rewards.
This automatically logs all walks, as well as runs, bike rides and trips on public transport, and converts them into points which can be exchanged for gift vouchers or charity donations.
The council also supports Love to Ride, a cycling initiative that challenges participants to climb the local leaderboard and earn prizes by racking up the miles, either by themselves or with colleagues.
It's aimed at all ability levels and even very short rides count, so it's worth joining for saddle-seasoned enthusiasts or total beginners alike.
A post shared by Wokingham Borough Council (@wokinghamboroughcouncil)
Bike to the future as habits change
This year's Love to Ride Bike Month challenge, which took place throughout May, saw 371 riders including 32 newcomers ride a total of 53,091 miles across almost 4,000 trips.
As well as racking up the equivalent of about 15 journeys between London and New York, they beat last year's total of just over 50,000 miles - setting a borough record for the second year running.
Meanwhile, the council is also supporting the upcoming Wokingham Bikeathon this Sunday (11 June) a popular annual event run by local volunteers.
Its My Journey Wokingham team is awarding biodegradable medals to children who take part and will offer advice on walking, cycling and travelling by public transport in the area.
Make that healthy change today
Cllr Paul Fishwick, executive member for active travel, transport and highways, said: "We're working to improve local air quality all year round, but Clean Air Day is a valuable opportunity for everyone to consider doing their bit.
"Air pollution causes all kinds of health problems and is particularly damaging for children, whose lungs are still developing, so we owe it to them to do all we can.”
Cllr Ian Shenton, executive member for environment, sport and leisure, added: "The benefits of changing your lifestyle aren't just long-term - by getting out more and enjoying more activity, you'll feel the difference in your daily life straight away.
"We've come up with lots of really fun and easy ways to get involved, so why not give them a try?"
Were you at @WokyBikeathon yesterday? ? Check out our highlights video!
We filmed our @MJWokingham team ? giving rides on their smoothie bike while @SprocketsClub led a fun children's obstacle course.@ThamesVP ?♂️ and local cadets were also on hand to mark bikes. pic.twitter.com/1bQsGlDYVH
— Wokingham Borough Council (@WokinghamBC) June 12, 2023
Encouraging and enabling the next generation
The My Journey team are encouraging every primary school to take part in a Clean Air Day poster competition, with prizes for the winning school, alongside their year-round efforts to encourage more walking, cycling and scooting.
The council also hopes to provide more sustainable travel routes and other amenities, as outlined in its recent Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan, and is doing all it can to secure funding from the Government and other sources.
It also supports initiatives like installing electric vehicle chargers and encouraging more people to use the buses, which it hopes to improve through its Bus Service Improvement Plan. It recently secured just over £400,000 in Government funding for these improvements and is now discussing the next steps with local operators.
