Welcome to the Mask Week website!!!
Greetings From Beijing!
We Beijingers have the dubious honor of living in one of the most polluted cities in China. Needless to say, pollution is an issue here in China but we can't forget that it is also a global problem. After going though a couple days with dangerously high pollution indexes, a few of us have come up with an idea to increase awareness of this serious health issue.
The idea is a week long event starting 11/17/2007 (Yao, Yao, Yao, Qi/ Want Want Want Air) to 11/24/2007 called Mask Week.
The idea is simple.
1. Buy a mask. (The best one possible to protect you from air pollutants) Still, simple cloth masks, although not very effective can still raise awareness. You can buy them cheaply in local pharmacies, supermarkets and so on.
2. From the time you wake up on the 17th to the time you go to bed on the 24th wear a mask whenever you go outside. Just live your daily life but when you step out the door, wear a mask. (Yes we realize that indoor air pollution is more dangerous because it is concentrated but this is aiming at outdoor air pollution.)
And that's it.
But before we can carry this out, we need to spread the word as much as possible. The best way to do this is to tell to your friends, family, classmates, coworkers ...anybody anywhere about Mask Week. The last thing this should be is some kind of "laowai only" event. We want people from all walks of life to join.
Anything you can do to help is a step in the right direction. For example you are good at photoshopping, you can create fliers that catch people's eye to hand out or post in places like bar streets, universities and so on. If you can speak another language, go online to your favorite forums and blogs and post this message in that language. Just remember, this is NOT a protest. This isn't about being angry at whoever or whatever you feel is responsible for air pollution. It is about showing people that you care for your and their health and that air pollution is a serious problem.
If you decide to participate, please take some time and educate yourself about air pollution. Who knows? Maybe with a little more awareness we will all be able to breathe a little easier!
Mask Week 2007
Contact Email: [email protected]
Facebook members join the event "Mask Week" !
But How Will Wearing A Mask For A Week Stop Air Pollution?!!
When telling people about Mask Week, this is the most frequently asked question we've heard. The answer is simple. As stated above, Mask Week's goal is to promote dialogue about air pollution's dangers and its consequences.
For many people who have grown up with air pollution, having gray skies and smog is "just the way it is." Many say they are used to it and others simply say there is nothing that can be done. Meanwhile, babies are being born defective, cancer is rising, and people are dying prematurely because of at least in part from air pollution.
Mask Week is to get people moving. To stop people from accepting air pollution as the way things have to be. Talking to others is an important first step to change. And this is what Mask Week seeks to do. Get people talking about solutions so that more and more people can live happy and healthy lives.
