The Pima County Department of Environmental Quality is issuing an air quality advisory due to the potential for elevated levels of particulate matter this afternoon and tonight.

The dry conditions and winds are causing higher than normal levels of airborne particulate matter today and wind gusts are predicted to be as high as 34 miles per hour tonight and 47 m.p.h. tomorrow afternoon.

Particulate matter is made up of tiny specks of soot, dust, and aerosols that are suspended in the air we breathe.

Individuals with heart disease and respiratory sensitivities may wish to reduce exposure to outside air this afternoon and tonight. And if you need to go outside, it is suggested you reduce your level of exertion to decrease the amount of particulates you breathe into your lungs.

This advisory will be in effect as long as current weather conditions continue.

PDEQ monitors air pollution in our region at 18 air quality monitoring sites. Up-to-the-hour air pollution levels are available online at the PDEQ website www.airinfonow.org or by calling the PDEQ hotline at (520) 882-4AIR.

Pima County, Ariz. (April 12, 2012) Celebrate Earth Day every day, but especially with us at the 18th Annual Tucson Earth Day Festival and Parade Saturday, April 21, 2012. The theme of the 2012 Festival is “It’s In Your Hands.”

This free family-friendly event is from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Reid Park, off Country Club Road north of 22nd Street.

The Parade starts at 10 a.m.  The festival includes live music and food and beverages  for sale.

Fun and engaging exhibits will provide information and hands-on activities, with take-away messages about how to preserve our wonderful world. You’ll learn about water conservation, air quality, household hazardous waste, energy conservation, sustainability, wildlife, nature preserves, solar energy, clean fuels and more. Also, consider adopting or fostering a pet at the pet rescue area.

 Handmade clothing and crafts from all-natural or recycled materials, locally harvested honey, and other eco-friendly products will be available for purchase.

 Be a spectator or join the Parade. Schools, bands, families, community and youth groups, mascots, businesses and agencies will be marching to share friendly messages about eco issues. Floats must be non-motorized or alternate-fueled and can be made from recycled materials for a greater eco example. Interested in joining in-? Contact tucsonearthday@yahoo.com.

 Learn about Alternate-Fuel Vehicles. Curious about saving money on fuel and reducing greenhouse gases?  Vehicles powered by clean fuels such as biodiesel, compressed natural gas, electricity, ethanol, propane and even waste vegetable oil may be on display.

 Model solar race car/solar house competition. This contest is open to middle-school students and will show off their design and construction skills. Kits for this competition are available from the Society of Women Engineers at www.swetucson.org/solar.

For more information, go to www.tucsonearthday.org,  call (520) 206-8814 or e-mail tucsonearthday@yahoo.com. Also, find us on Facebook at Tucson Earth Day Festival.

Pima County, Ariz. (April 2, 2012) – The 2011-12 winter air-pollution season – October through March – has ended uneventfully, according to the Pima County Department of Environmental Quality, which monitors air quality.

Several air-quality advisories were issued over the winter by PDEQ to warn sensitive individuals of potential particulate problems on windy days. But there were no official unhealthy days recorded this winter for any of the six air pollutants that PDEQ monitors.

However, the approaching hot, stagnant days that will occur during the warmer months favor the formation of a pollutant called “ground-level ozone.”  This human-caused pollutant is different from the ozone layer that occurs naturally in the atmosphere above us and protects us from the sun.

Ground-level ozone can cause short-term health effects including chest pain, coughing, and nose and throat irritation. It is also linked to increased symptoms for those with respiratory disease such as asthma, bronchitis and emphysema.

Up-to-the-hour air pollution information is available on PDEQ’s website at www.AirInfoNow.org or by calling (520) 882-4AIR.  The Air Info Now website also creates real-time “ozone maps” to show where ozone is forming over our community.

Residents can sign up to receive emails to let them know when air pollution levels are forecasted to cause health concerns for sensitive individuals. Contact PDEQ at (520) 243-7446 for more information or sign up on the PDEQ website.

Since motor-vehicle use causes most of the air pollution in Pima County, a special effort is beingmade to remind everyone to maintain their vehicles; check and properly inflate their tires monthly; avoid extended engine idling at locations such as schools and drive-through lanes and try to carpool, bike, ride Sun Tran or walk at least one day a week.

Pima County, Ariz. (March 20, 2012) Celebrate Earth Day at the 18th Annual Tucson Earth Day Festival and Parade Saturday, April 21, 2012. The theme of the 2012 Festival is “It’s in Your Hands.”

The event is from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Reid Park, off Country Club Road north of 22nd Street. The Parade starts at 10 a.m.

Exhibitors and parade entrants are being sought. The registration deadline for both is March 30.

Non-profit organizations, private businesses, government agencies, clubs, families, youth groups and community groups may register to take part in the event and the parade.

Exhibits should provide information on environmental products or issues such as water conservation, water quality, air quality, household hazardous waste, sustainability or other “eco” topics. Exhibitors should provide engaging, hands-on activities for all, with take-away information about how to preserve our wonderful world.

Parade entrants should share friendly messages about eco issues. They can reflect the parade theme “It’s in Your Hands.” Environmentally themed floats must be human-powered or use alternate fuel.

If your auto, bike or motorcycle runs on clean fuels such as biodiesel, compressed natural gas, electricity, ethanol, propane and even waste vegetable oil, show it off and provide information on alternate fuels at an exhibit at the park.

Middle school students will show off their design and construction skills in a competition for the best solar model vehicle. Kits for this competition are available from the Society of Women Engineers at www.swetucson.org/solar.

For more on the event, go to www.tucsonearthday.org, call (520) 206-8814 or e-mail tucsonearthday@yahoo.com. Also, Tucson Earth Day Festival is on Facebook.

Pima County, Ariz. – The Pima County Department of Environmental Quality issued an air quality advisory for particulate-matter air pollution on Wednesday.

Dry conditions and gusty winds are causing elevated levels of airborne particulate matter. Particulate matter is made up of tiny specks of soot, dust, vehicle emissions and aerosols suspended in the air.

The advisory is for a 24-hour period.

Individuals with heart disease and respiratory sensitivities may wish to reduce their exposure to outside air Wednesday afternoon and night, DEQ advises.If you go outside, it is suggested you reduce your level of exertion to decrease the amount of particulates you breathe into your lungs.

 PDEQ monitors air pollution in our region at 18 different air quality monitoring sites. Up-to-the-hour air pollution levels are available online at the PDEQ website www.AirInfoNow.org or by calling the PDEQ hotline at (520) 882-4AIR.

Pima County, Ariz. (Mar. 5, 2012) -  A new Pima County web site provides you with the tools to design “Net-Zero” energy homes, apartments, offices and retail buildings that won’t use more energy than they create.

The information can also be used to remodel a structure to save energy costs.

The website, http://www.pima.gov/netzero, has a residential section and a commercial section for apartments, retail and offices with calculators based on the City of Tucson/Pima County Net-Zero Energy Standard.

“We are pleased to have another terrific tool for helping the community reduce energy use. Energy bills are a significant portion of the cost of running a business or owning a home,” said Leslie Ethen, Director of the City of Tucson’s Office of Conservation and Sustainable Development.  “Resources like this and the City’s Green Business Certification program are ways in which we can help businesses and homeowners reduce these costs.”

Working with a few basic facts about the design of the building, such as the shape of the roof, the orientation of the building and number of stories, the website can calculate the building’s “energy budget.”

The website provides a “recipe card,” or set of energy efficiency building elements, to be incorporated in the design.

The website also has a calculator to determine the financial performance of the building.

The site is useful to homeowners, commercial builders and commercial property owners, who can use the information for new construction or for renovation of existing structures, to reduce energy costs.

Net-Zero homes and apartments can save residents money every month, said Rich Franz-Under, Pima County’s Green Building Program Manager.  A typical home owner can save between $40 and $80 a month because of significantly lower utility bills, he said.

Pima County and the City of Tucson are the first governmental jurisdictions in the nation to develop a building standard to achieve Net-Zero energy.

The City of Tucson’s Office of Conservation and Sustainable Development (OCSD) provided the funding for the project through an Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant from the U.S. Department of Energy.

Pima County Development Services, Building Safety and Sustainability made up the principal research group on the web project, with assistance from the University of Arizona College of Architecture and Landscape Architecture and Tucson Water.

Pima County led the development of a regional green-building rating system for homes in 2008. Using that knowledge, the County worked with its collaborators to develop the Net-Zero energy code.

Pima County, Ariz. (Feb. 27, 2012) – The Pima County Department of Environmental Quality issued an air quality advisory Monday for particulate matter pollution. The advisory is in effect for 24 hours.

Dry conditions and wind gusts forecast at up to 45 miles per hour will likely cause high levels of airborne particulate matter. Particulate matter is made up of the tiny specks of soot, dust, and aerosols that are suspended in the air we breathe.

Individuals with heart disease and respiratory sensitivities may wish to reduce their exposure to outside air Monday afternoon and night. If  you go outside, it is suggested you reduce your level of exertion to decrease the amount of particulates you breathe into your lungs.

PDEQ monitors air pollution in the region at 18 different air quality monitoring sites. Up-to-the-hour air pollution levels are available online at the PDEQ website www.AirInfoNow.org or by calling the PDEQ hotline at (520) 882-4AIR.

Pima County, Ariz. (Jan. 31, 2012) – Pima County’s Office of Emergency Management and Homeland Security and the Pima County Local Emergency Planning Committee are offering a free, one-day training opportunity for business and industry, fire departments and local government workers to learn how to protect the community from hazardous materials regulated by government.

The 2012 Business Educational Seminar is set for Wednesday, Feb. 29, 2012, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Desert Diamond Casino, 7350 S. Nogales Highway.

The goal of the seminar is to create an understanding of how to create and maintain a safe environment for employees and the community in regard to the transport, storage, use and disposal of hazardous materials.

The seminar also will help these entities prepare, using best practices, for the unintended or accidental release of hazardous materials.

Cost of the seminar is free, paid by a grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration.

Presenters invited to the training include the U.S. Department of Transportation Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Industrial Commission of Arizona, City of Tucson Fire Department Hazardous Materials Team, Pima County Regional Hazardous Materials Team, Rural Metro Fire Department Hazardous Materials Team and the Pima County Department of Environmental Quality.

To register, go to: www.pima.gov/lepc/Training.shtml and click on Business Education Seminar.

Pima County, Ariz. (Jan.11, 2012) – Landfills and transfer stations operated by the Pima County Department of Environmental Quality Solid Waste Division will be closed on Monday, January 16, for the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday.

All will reopen on Tuesday, January 17.

The closure includes landfills in Sahuarita and Ajo, the Tangerine Landfill and the Catalina and Ryan Field Transfer Stations.

The Solid Waste Administrative office on Ina Road also will be closed on Monday.

For more on the closures please call (520) 243-7400 or go to www.deq.pima.gov.

Pima County, Ariz. (Dec.29, 2011) – Landfills and transfer stations operated by the Pima County Department of Environmental Quality Solid Waste Division will be closed from December 31 through January 2 for the New Year’s holiday weekend.

The closures include landfills in Sahuarita and Ajo, and the Tangerine Landfill, and the Catalina and Ryan Field Transfer Stations in the Tucson area.

The county’s Solid Waste Administrative office on Ina Road also will be closed.

For more on the closures call (520) 243-7400 in Tucson or go to www.deq.pima.gov.