For some people, February is a month to show your loved ones how much they mean to you. Whether you have a Valentine or not, we would like to encourage you to love your lungs this month – and every month!

Did you know that November is Lung Cancer Awareness Month? In California this year, an estimated 17,000 people will be diagnosed with lung cancer and nearly 10,000 will die from the devastating disease, according to the American Cancer Society.

Most of us know by now that it is not safe to breathe wildfire smoke, or any form of air pollution, especially for those who are more vulnerable like children, those who are pregnant, the elderly, and those with certain lung or heart diseases, or diabetes (American Lung Association and CDC.gov).

October in California presents us with an interesting opportunity to re-visit our individual and collective efforts to make a difference in the air we all breathe. For decades, BREATHE has advocated for small changes to help us achieve our goal of improved air quality for healthy lungs.

As the fiscal year came to a close on June 30th, so did the 5-year Sacramento Taking Action against Nicotine Dependence (STAND) project. Under this project, funded by the California Tobacco Control Program, Breathe successfully helped the Los Rios District Community Colleges adopt, implement and maintain their smoke-, tobacco-, and vape-free campus policy.

Breathe California’s 100-year history has been filled with great achievements realized because of our incredible staff members, our volunteers, and our funders. ‘Clean air and healthy lungs’ is more than a tagline at Breathe, it is our mission.

April 22nd marked the 50th anniversary of Earth Day. This year, we were not be able to celebrate in large gatherings, but we can still represent the Earth while practicing safe social distancing protocols. We can still focus on reflection everyday, and remember why we need to make the Earth a priority.