The Air Quality Flag Program uses brightly colored flags based on the U.S. EPA’s Air Quality Index (AQI) to notify people and their communities about outdoor air quality conditions. Organizations raise a flag each day that corresponds to their local air quality forecast.
Sponsored by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Air Quality Flag Program provides tools and resources to educate communities about poor air quality and what can be done about it. The goal of the program is to educate the community about air quality and its impacts on human health, and to encourage specific actions organizations and communities can take on days with poor air quality.
Participating organizations can include schools, community centers, or any organization that provides education or community outreach, has a method of hanging flags visible to a large group of people/local residents, serves children or the elderly, and is committed to educating their community about air quality and its impacts on health.
What do participants get out of the program?
- Learn the basics of air quality, including what makes up air pollution, why the air feels dirtier on some days, what are smog, ozone and particulates.
- Help people in your community who suffer from asthma to reduce their symptoms and have more asthma-free days, which could mean fewer acute asthma attacks, fewer missed days of school for kids, and even fewer hospitalizations due to asthma.
- Learn how climate change affects air quality and asthma, and what you can do about it.
- Promote your organization as a community resource for environmental and health education.
Find out more about this program by reading this website.