Altadena Students Take to the Streets To Raise Awareness of California Clean Air Day, Oct. 2

Walk & Roll to School Day (File photos – walkbiketoschool.org)

This week Altadena residents will see hundreds of students walking to school to raise awareness of California Clean Air Day, which coincides with National Walk to School Day.

By News Desk

This week hundreds of students from schools across Altadena will take steps to remind the community of the health and environmental benefits of travel propelled solely (pun intended) by the power of their feet.

Students from nine schools will walk from several hubs, including: Loma Alta Park, Farnsworth Park, Seventh Day Adventist Center, and the Altadena Main Library. They will gather with classmates at the hub closest to their school and walk a predetermined route. California Highway Patrol will be on hand to direct traffic as needed.

Altadena Town Council Members Dorothy Wong, Kim Yu, Milissa Marona, Isis Moulden, ViEyvette Stewart-Gordon, and Nic Arnzen, along with Savannah Moore and Anish Saraiya from Supervisor Kathryn Barger’s office, will attend. Representatives from AltadenaWILD, South Coast AQMD (Air Quality Management District), and the L.A. County Department of Public Works will distribute materials about the importance of clean air at the Main Library hub.

Many students made Clean Air Day signs and chalk art at the Altadena Libraries in preparation for the walk.

Dorothy Wong, Town Council rep for Census Tract 4603.01 which encompasses Loma Alta Park, said:

We’re thrilled at our community’s continued interest in California Clean Air-Walk to School Day. Last year’s walk was a lot of fun. The kids were excited and smiling. And with nine schools participating, it’s clear our residents want to walk to school, and the more we walk, the less we drive, which is better for everyone. Active transportation also helps us build stronger connections with our neighbors.”

Walk to School Day events raise awareness of the need to create safer routes for walking and bicycling and emphasize the importance of issues such as increasing physical activity among children, pedestrian safety, traffic congestion and concern for the environment. The events build connections between families, schools and the broader community.

The walk was organized by the Altadena Town Council Traffic Safety & Mobility Committee, AltadenaWILD, Plant Material, and the Altadena Library District in collaboration with the Clean Air Coalition. Residents and retailers in Altadena are invited to participate by taking the Clean Air Day Pledge.