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Fairfax County Promotes Tobacco-Free Outdoor Environments

Fairfax County, VA. Fairfax County Park Authority is committed to promoting 100% tobacco-free outdoor environments by partnering with Share The Air, a campaign by the Virginia Foundation for Healthy Youth (VFHY), and Y Street, its largest youth-led movement. Share The Air aims to establish 100% tobacco-free parklands across the Commonwealth by assisting local parks and recreation departments with implementing voluntary, comprehensive tobacco-free and e-cigarette-free outdoor policies.

In 2014, Fairfax County Park Authority designated Tobacco-Free Play Zones for its athletic fields, playgrounds, and skate parks to encourage visitors to refrain from using tobacco and vape products. This proactive policy not only reduces tobacco and vape litter but also minimizes residents’ exposure to secondhand smoke and vape aerosol. It also sets a positive example for youth who visit the county’s parks and outdoor recreational areas.

Fairfax County Park Authority engaged with Y Street High School members to explore how a partnership can enhance its parks and outdoor recreational areas to provide an even better outdoor experience. Fairfax County Park Authority strives to create dedicated spaces that allow residents to be active, relax, and gather outdoors. For this reason, they expressed their support for the campaign, becoming Share The Air’s 25th partner and joining the growing list of localities with voluntary tobacco-free and e-cigarette-free outdoor policies. 

“Promoting healthy lifestyles and maintaining a healthy environment are key components to the central mission of the Fairfax County Park Authority,” said Executive Director Jai Cole. “In joining the Share the Air initiative, we are proud to continue our work to encourage healthy behaviors, smoke-free spaces and reduce tobacco-product litter at each of our 422 parks countywide.”

As part of its partnership with Share The Air, Fairfax County Park Authority will receive free tobacco-free signage to post to remind park visitors of the policy.

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About the Virginia Foundation for Healthy Youth (VFHY)

Established in 1999 by the Virginia General Assembly, the Virginia Foundation for Healthy Youth empowers Virginia’s youth to make healthy choices by reducing and preventing youth tobacco and nicotine use, substance use, and childhood obesity. VFHY takes a comprehensive approach to prevention work that includes reaching about 50,000 children each year through classroom-based prevention programs in public schools, after-school programs, community centers, day cares, and prevention programs across the state. VFHY’s award-winning marketing campaigns deliver prevention messaging to more than 500,000 children annually. In addition, VFHY’s research program provides scientific insight on methods to effectively reduce tobacco use. Since 2002, VFHY has funded 40 large research projects at universities throughout Virginia. For more information, visit www.vfhy.org.

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