Friday, March 12, 2010

The Only Wise Burning is No Burning

THE ONLY WISE BURNING IS NO BURNING

The EPA begins a wood burning campaign this Friday to encourage people to "burn wise" by burning cleaner. They also promote EPA-certified wood burning appliances, which means more wood smoke.

At the same time, their promotion states that wood smoke is harmful to children and to human health, especially for kids and people with asthma or heart disease.

DON'T BE DUPED!
Wood burning is NEVER safe!

6 Reasons not to burn wood:
1.  Wood smoke is implicated in asthma attacks, heart attacks, cancer, sudden infant death syndrome and premature death in people of all ages.  (American Lung Association, EPA, MPCA websites).
2.  Wood smoke is a major source of fine particle pollution, the worst kind. (MPCA and EPA websites)
3.  Wood smoke carries fine particulates that can be drawn deep into the lungs, causing severe damage.
4. Wood smoke contains black carbon soot, which accelerates the melting of glaciers.
5. Wood smoke's black carbon soot contributes heavily to global warming and climate change!
6. Wood smoke violates the property rights of others to enjoy their property smoke-free.
 
The only answer is to contact your city councils, legislators and other decision-makers and demand that they ban wood burning in residential areas. Outdoor wood boilers (OWBs) are being banned in many cities nation-wide.  NO SMOKE IS GOOD SMOKE. If they have banned cigarette smoking in public areas, why are they forcing us to breathe wood smoke in our own home and property?
WOOD SMOKE IS MORE THAN A NUISANCE—it is a severe public health hazard!
We all need to work on this important issue and we need to do it now!
 
More wood burning only profits the wood burning industry. It tells us that money is more important than your health and that is why we need to raise our voices and our pens!

 
CONTACT:
Dave Ryan
Ryan.Dave@epa.gov
202-564-7827
202-564-4355
 
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 11, 2010 
 
Coming Soon: EPA's 48-Hour Burn Wise Video Contest
 
Help protect your community from wood smoke pollution
 
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is sponsoring a video contest for professional and amateur filmmakers on Burn Wise, the agency's campaign to help citizens reduce pollution from their fireplaces and other wood-burning appliances. With the theme "Learn Before You Burn," the winning 30- or 60-second videos will promote responsible wood-burning techniques that can help citizens save money while making the air healthier to breathe. 
 
Wood smoke is made up of a mixture of gases and fine particle pollution that isn't healthy to breathe iidoors or out – especially for children, older adults and people with heart disease, asthma or other lung diseases. 
 
Each video must cover three basic steps: what to burn (only dry seasoned wood), how to burn it (maintain a small, hot fire) and what to burn it in (an EPA-approved wood-burning appliance that you have maintained each year). For the safety of the filmmakers, no real flames may be used in the videos.
 
Anyone can enter (children under 18 must get parental permission). Winners will receive cash awards, and their videos will be provided to television stations as public service announcements. Prizes are as follows: first place, $2,500; second place, $1,000; third place, $500 and viewers' choice, a $250 U.S. Savings Bond.
 
Here's how the contest will work: Some information is available to help filmmakers get started right now on the contest Web site.  Then, at noon EST Friday, April 9, EPA will reveal three mystery criteria that must be included in the videos on the contest Web site. Final videos must be uploaded to EPA's YouTube channel within 48 hours -- by noon EST Sunday, April 11. Viewers will vote on their favorite video via YouTube.
 
Informational video and more on how to participate in the contest:  http://www.epa.gov/burnwise/contest.html
 
For updates on the contest, follow us on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/epaburnwise
 
R068 
 
 

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