You CAN do so much more!

To reiterate, CAN is a network which educates and mobilizes individuals, groups and organizations about the health impacts of air pollution in order to drive change at the highest levels.

CAN, which came into existence at the end of July 2009, is off to an excellent start, but we need your help to amplify and leverage our efforts. Here are things that you can do:

• CAN has moved from our old Facebook group to a new Facebook page with richer information and more dynamic content. If you are a member of the old Facebook group, please move to our new page, www.facebook.com/cleanairnetwork. If you are not yet a member, please sign up now!

• To date, we have signed up a few thousand people, but we continue to need your help to forward the petition http://hongkongcan.org/eng/join-can/ to your family and friends. Moreover, please consider downloading and printing the petition so you can circulate it at the office or even carry it in your purse or briefcase. Each hard copy petition contains spaces for 20 names. Many enthusiastic Friends have already offered to circulate it at their offices and clinics. If you want to learn more about CAN and help spread CAN’s message, we invite you to download the full CAN Kit, which includes a description of our mission, founders, and the basic facts of Hong Kong air pollution.

• CAN believes students are one of the indispensable building blocks of a grassroots movement. Thus, we strongly encourage student participation. Please invite us to your child’s school to speak to the headmaster, sustainability officer and/or students. We have just uploaded a new section on the website entitled “Student Participation”, which allows schools and students to read about our CAS program and internship program. Similarly, we have added a  “Volunteer at CAN!” section to the website. We welcome help from everyone, of course!

• Don’t forget that you have the chance to speak up in LegCo, either in person or by making a written submission. The special meeting of the Environmental Affairs Panel will take place at 2:30pm on Tuesday, October 6^th in the Chamber of the Legislative Council Building. This session is open to the public. Please register with the Clerk to the Panel on Environmental Affairs Legislative Council Secretariat by Friday, 18th September. You can find all details on our here.

• The Government is now preparing to revise the Air Quality Objectives (AQOs) after more than 20 years. Your role is crucial during the public consultation going on now. CAN has launched its full response and has posted the Government’s official questionnaire online, for your easy submission. We encourage you to complete and submit the questionnaire before 30 November. Don’t be concerned that you don’t know enough about the issues! We have posted “model answers” to the Government’s 9 questions, in order to familiarize and bring you up to speed on the issues very quickly.

CAN’s perspective

Christine Loh, the chairman of CAN, writes a weekly editorial about air pollution for the SCMP on Thursdays. The most recent editorial is about the political and economic difficulties of phasing out old buses, a measure which is indispensable to cleaning up roadside emissions, and how to overcome them. All these editorials are archived here.

Stayed tuned to Clean Air Network, www.hongkongcan.org

80 DAYS LEFT BEFORE THE END OF THE CONSULTATION PERIOD