Did you remember to breathe today?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There is no choice in breathing, so it goes without saying that the quality of our air must be pure, healthy, and free to all. However, due to the nature of air, there is no controlling it on an individual level. We can\u2019t choose to breathe in \u201cgood\u201d air and go without the \u201cbad\u201d air. It\u2019s all just air<\/em>. And it\u2019s a commodity that\u2019s controlled through sweeping legislation, global alliances, and collective impact.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Think back to the past few years. How many days or weeks in a row did you receive an air quality alert on your phone? Did you take heed and limit your time outdoors during poor air quality events? Maybe you had<\/em> to be outside so you wore a mask to mitigate some of the long-term health risks. Or maybe you didn\u2019t care at all and threw caution to the wind. It\u2019s just a little hazy out\u2026 so what?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n In the United States of America, we are fortunate enough to benefit from the Clean Air Act for the past 55 years. \u201cIn many ways, air pollution in the United States is a good news story,\u201d says Tracey Holloway, Nelson Institute professor and leader of the Holloway Group. \u201cWe have the rules in place, the sources are getting cleaner, and people are getting healthier.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n