Did you know
that the average adult breathes about 25,000 times a day? Did
you know that you can survive five weeks without food and five
days without water but can only survive five minutes without
clean air?
The month of May has been designated as "Clean Air Month" to
raise public awareness about the importance of air quality in
our daily lives. Congress passed the Clean Air Act in 1970, the
year in which the Environmental Protection Agency was
established to monitor and protect the air, water, and other
natural resources vital to our quality of life. Organizations on
state and local levels have since been created to work with the
federal agencies to conserve the environment.
The Florida Department of Environmental Protection's (DEP)
Division of Air Resources Management is one of the leading
agencies conserving our state's unique natural resources. The
division's mission is "to protect, conserve and restore the air
resources of the state with the primary goal of protecting human
health." Bruce Offord, Supervisor of Mobile Sources Ambient Air
Quality at the DEP, Southeast District, works locally to uphold
that mission, and points out, "We're fortunate to live in
Florida where the air meets all the national air quality
standards, yet, we take this for granted." However, through
lectures and informational displays, he and his colleagues try
to remind us of our good fortune in living in such a clean and
beautiful area.
During the month of May, the Main Library will host an
informational display provided by the Florida DEP. You are
invited to stop by and pick up educational brochures to learn
more about this precious resource, as well as to discover "10
Things You Can Do to Keep Florida's Air Clean." There will be
fun activity booklets for kids, too.
