On Wednesday, Tree Planting Event on Cypress Avenue To Mark Clean Air Day in Pasadena

The Pasadena Audubon Society and My Zero Waste Store are spearheading a tree-planting activity on Wednesday, which is California Clean Air Day.

A couple of dozen volunteers are needed to assist with the planting, backfilling the site and constructing the tree well at 10 a.m. for the tree-planting event, according to Cheryl Auger, who represents BAN SUP (Ban Single-Use Plastics).

The two organizations recently received a $1,000 grant to plant native trees in Pasadena. This money was to be used to buy and plant eleven 15-gallon Redbud trees and four 15-gallon oak trees along Cypress Avenue near Orange Grove Blvd in District 3.

These native California trees are all low-water users and support biodiversity. When they mature, the native trees will help cleanse the air for the neighborhood near the 210 freeway, which has some of the worst air quality in Pasadena, the organizations said.

Cheryl Auger, who represents BAN SUP (Ban Single-Use Plastics), said the tree-planting activity will help provide trees that are natural pollution filters.

“Any particulates in the air are getting filtered by the canopy of trees. Trees mitigate the impacts of global warming,” Auger said. 

The trees are expected to enrich the tree cover, support regrowth of the native insect and bird populations, and reduce the temperature in that community.

An additional $300 was donated by an individual in District 3. The remaining funds will help purchase additional trees for the New Horizon School in Pasadena, near the Cypress Avenue planting activity.

“New Horizons is a school right by the freeway; they’re improving some of the worst air quality in Pasadena and for young kids, improving air quality means improving their health. Also, by giving them shade with the tree canopy on both campuses, it’s also making a healthier environment for kids to play in and be outside in.”

Auger also helps the community raise awareness about the plastic crisis, which she said contributes to about one percent of greenhouse gasses.

“By reducing their plastic consumption, people reduce the negative impact on our air quality,” Auger said. “My Zero Waste Store has saved 3.1 million pieces of plastic from being made or becoming a pollutant as of June 30th. We forever continue to communicate the impacts of plastic on our air quality.”

As an advocate for clean air and climate change mitigation, My Zero Waste Store in Pasadena encourages customers to live a more zero-waste lifestyle by eliminating packaging and encouraging the use of containers from home to fill and refill with bulk whole foods.

Altadena Councilmember Dorothy Wong said Altadena is celebrating California Clean Air Day on Wednesday by encouraging residents to walk, bike, or use public transit, instead of driving that day. 

October 5 also happens to be National Walk-to-School Day — which, officially, won’t be conducted district-wide by Pasadena Unified until Oct. 12 this year.

“Highlighting Clean Air Day on Wednesday, we are going to be starting with Walking Wednesday featuring Altadena Elementary School and Eliot Arts Middle School, which are both Pasadena Unified School District schools,” Wong said. “And we’ll do a Walking Wednesday walk to school. So that will be really awesome.”

Clean Air Day in Altadena starts with a meeting at 7:30 a.m. at Marengo Ave. After that, participants will walk or bike along Calaveras Street to Lake Avenue.

“It’s really exciting because the school’s involved, the community is involved and also our California Highway Patrol will be working with us hosting a pedestrian safety assembly at Elliott School,” Wong added.

After the walk and bike, Altadena participants will go around to encourage people to shop local and walk or bike to the Altadena Farmers Market.

In the afternoon, some parents will be at the Altadena Community Garden to hold a workshop that will teach children biking skills.

The Altadena Walking Club, of which Wong is a member, plans to hold Walking Wednesday through the whole month of October.

Pasadena Transit and  Dial-A-Ride will join Metro and will offer free rides on all buses and trains Wednesday for the fifth annual California Clean Air Day.

In addition to riding buses and trains free of charge, people can also access Metro’s Bike Share program through free 1-Ride fares using the promo code 100522.

The Pasadena Department of Transportation, in partnership with Day One and Pasadena Complete Streets Coalition, is also organizing guided walks, walking tours and other community events celebrating Walktober.

Over 20 walking events are being planned for the month, which will allow participants the chance to meet new friends, explore local artworks, learn more about the history of Pasadena, or enjoy nature up close.

For more information, visit www.godayone.org/walktober2022.