The book, funded by tax dollars, is a collaborative effort among ADEQ’s Office of Children’s Environmental Health, Maricopa County Air Quality Department and Phoenix Center for the Arts.
ADEQ says the book is being released at this time because the Phoenix metropolitan area typically has its highest levels annually of smoke from woodburning fireplaces, stoves and chimineas during the holiday season. As a result of the high smoke levels, repeated high pollution advisories and health watches are issued this time of the year by ADEQ and “No-Burn Days” by Maricopa County Air Quality Department.
ADEQ Director Henry Darwin said, “This is of foremost importance this time of the year because of the historical problems with Particulate Matter-2.5 during the holiday season.”
Prior to announcing the coloring book offering, the ADEQ announced that during the ADEQ’s “25 years of existence, the amount of pollution in the skies of metropolitan Phoenix has been greatly reduced. Carbon monoxide levels have fallen 83 percent, dust has declined 40 percent and ozone 6 percent despite the population of the Valley almost doubling, the number of vehicles increasing 177 percent and the number of vehicle miles driven increasing 89 percent on Valley roads since 1987.”
Coloring books are fast becoming the rage for politicians and special interests groups as well. Progressive Congressman Raul Grijalva used coloring books this past election cycle to ingratiate himself with youngsters. Young children are most likely unable to discern propaganda from fact and coloring books are an effective method to sell new ideas and people to impressionable children.
The coloring book can be downloaded at http://cleanairmakemore.com/?attachment_id=2221