Healthy Lungs for Life #BreatheCleanAir has received a grant from Clean Air Fund

With thanks to a generous donation from the Clean Air Fund, Healthy Lungs for Life (HLfL) will focus on #BreatheCleanAir during the European Respiratory Society (ERS) Congress 2023 in Milan, Italy.

During Congress, and throughout September, we want to make as much noise as possible to ensure that the Italian government hears the concerns of local people and upholds WHO recommendations in policy making in order to ensure support for the EU’s Ambient Air Quality Directive (AAQD), which will be voted on next year. This will help to ensure that EU members are working to keep pollution levels low and will set a blueprint for other countries.

To raise awareness of the importance of clean air, we will be running:

• Healthy Lungs for Life, 8-9 September. We are running an event in Piazza XXV Aprile, in partnership with Forestami. We will be offering spirometry tests to the public and talking about the negative impacts on health of air pollution, as well as encouraging people to sign letters to the local and national government to support the AAQD.
• Press launch, Friday 8 September. We are holding a press launch for the opening of the public event with politicians and high-profile guests. This will ensure that our messages are heard throughout the Lombardy region and beyond.
• Coffee and clean air, 10, 11 & 12 September. Every morning between 10.30 – 11.30 we encourage all attending Congress to join us for a coffee break and better understand the issues around air pollution and what we can do about it. Through this we hope to create a network of clean air advocates across Europe and the world.
• Public engagement for clean air policy, Wednesday, 13 September. We are working with partners, including Clean Air Fund, C40 and others, to create a workshop at Congress. Engaging congress delegates, local healthcare professionals and local organisations, we will use this workshop to offer training on community and public engagement with a focus on clean air and empowering local people to continue to make a difference.

If you won’t be at the ERS Congress but would still like to support our work this year, follow this link to see if you or your organisation are eligible for one of our HLfL Clean Air grants. Alternatively, please write to your local politician to tell them how important the EU’s AAQD is and to ask them to support it.

You can also follow us on social media to keep up to date with new announcements on our clean air campaign.