Making My Outdoor Event Smoke-Free

Published in January 2015 Revised September 2017 A guide for event planners, organiZers, and volunteers makING my outdoor event smoke-free     MAKING my outdoor event smoke-free A Guide for Event Planners, Organizers, and Volunteers As you plan your outdoor community event, there are many things to think about. This guide is designed to help you with your planning, and to help make your outdoor community event smoke-free. Smoking is the number one cause of preventable disease and premature death. Research shows that there is no safe level of exposure to tobacco smoke, even outside1. In the last decade, there has been a considerable effort to ban smoking indoors such as, restaurants, community centres, and other public spaces. Most New Brunswickers know that the reason we have banned smoking in public indoor spaces is that second-hand smoke isn’t good for them. In more recent years, we have also learned that breathing second-hand smoke in outdoor spaces is equally unhealthy – there is actually no safe level of second-hand smoke. Contrary to popular belief, the wind doesn’t simply blow tobacco smoke away. There is new research being published that shows outdoor tobacco smoke can be as harmful as indoor second-hand smoke. 2,3,4 On July 1, 2015, the New Brunswick Smoke-Free Places Act expanded the areas in which smoking is not permitted to include many outdoor settings. It also prohibited vaping electronic cigarettes and the use of waterpipes in these same areas. Furthermore, as of September 15, 2017, peace officers and inspectors are able to issue tickets to individuals who smoke in public places where smoking is banned. To obtain more information or to report a violation, you can call 1-866-234-4234. Outdoor events provide a wonderful opportunity for community activity and engagement. Most New Brunswickers don’t want to breathe in second-hand tobacco smoke. Creating a smoke-free outdoor event protects people, especially children, from exposure to dangerous tobacco smoke. Smoking is the number one cause of preventable disease and premature death. Research shows that there is no safe level of exposure to tobacco smoke, even outside. 2 NBATC.CA 3 NBATC.CA Why Smoke-Free Events Are Important Smoking is not a normal healthy behaviour and reinforcing that is important  for children and youth. 2 LOREM.COM/MAGAZINE Protect children and adults from second-hand smoke.  Tobacco smoke contains over 4,000 chemicals, including at least 70 known chemicals that cause, initiate or promote cancer. Many of these are also contained in second-hand smoke. Second-hand smoke also causes other disease such as heart disease, emphysema and asthma.   Outdoor events attract people of all ages, including young adults and children. Keeping public areas smoke-free reduces smoking uptake by young people. The importance of “role modelling” healthy behaviours for children, including keeping them away from tobacco smoke, is well-documented. Smoking is not a normal healthy behaviour and reinforcing that is important for children and youth.  New Brunswickers who are trying to quit or have recently quit smoking need supportive environments.  There are few things more damaging to someone’s efforts to quit smoking than to go out to a community event and be surrounded by tobacco smoke!   Keep your event clean!  Cigarette butts are the number one most common source of litter in the world. Keeping your events smoke-free means less litter to pick up, and a cleaner environment in our beautiful natural spaces.   Protect children, wildlife and the environment.  When swallowed by young children, birds, fish and other small animals, cigarette butts can be deadly. Carelessly discarded cigarette butts can also be the cause of fires which may destroy our beautiful grassy and wooded parks, bike paths and hiking trails. Many Jurisdictions Have Realised How Important It Is to Keep Outdoor Spaces Smoke-Free. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consetetur sadipscing elitr, sed diam nonumy eirmod tempor invidunt ut labore et dolore magna aliquyam erat, sed diam voluptua. At vero eos et accusam et justo duo dolores et ea rebum. Stet clita kasd gubergren, no sea takimata sanctus est Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet.Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consetetur sadipscing elitr, sed diam nonumy eirmod tempor invidunt ut labore et dolore magna aliquyam erat, sed diam voluptua. At vero eos et accusam et justo duo dolores et ea rebum. Stet clita kasd gubergren, no sea takimata sanctus est Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet. 5 NBATC.CA Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consetetur sadipscing elitr, sed diam nonumy eirmod tempor invidunt ut labore et dolore magna aliquyam erat, sed diam voluptua. At vero eos et accusam et justo duo dolores et ea rebum. Stet clita kasd gubergren, no sea takimata sanctus est Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet.Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consetetur sadipscing elitr, sed diam nonumy eirmod tempor invidunt ut labore et dolore magna aliquyam erat, sed diam voluptua. At vero eos et accusam et justo duo dolores et ea rebum. Stet clita kasd gubergren, no sea takimata sanctus est Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet. There is a growing trend across the county towards smoke-free outdoor spaces. Many towns and cities in New Brunswick such as St. Stephen, Sussex, Dieppe, Moncton, Quispamsis, Bathurst and Hampton have taken action by developing policies to protect their citizens from outdoor tobacco smoke. Support is building across New Brunswick for smoke-free outdoor events. Many of the recent outdoor community events such as the provincial in motion Parks and Trails Day have been smoke-free. In addition, as of July 1, 2015, the Smoke-Free Places Act bans smoking in many public outdoor settings. At a minimum your event must comply with the smoke-free spaces designated under the Smoke-Free Places Act. These include: On patios where food and/or alcohol is served and within 3m from the patio boundary 9m from doorways, windows and air intakes of buildings that are for public use In outdoor playgrounds and within 20m of their perimeters Examples include outdoor: slides, swings, climbing structures, splash pads, wading pools, sand boxes On outdoor sports and recreational areas and within 20m of their perimeters Examples include outdoor: tennis courts, baseball fields, soccer fields, swimming pools, beaches, skateboard parks, skating rinks, etc., and their spectator stands On a public walking trail and within 9m of the trail In provincial parks (except in designated smoking areas and on an occupied campsite) On the grounds of regional health authorities (hospitals, health clinics, etc.) The Smoke-Free Places Act can be found at: http://laws.gnb.ca/en/ShowTdm/cs/2011-c.222/ Ensure people at your event know that it is smoke-free. Be sure to promote your event as “Smoke-Free” so the public is aware. This may include a sentence or logo on your promotional signs and posters, or even a short clip in media coverage of your event. If you are promoting your event via a website and/or social media, be sure to indicate that your event is smoke-free. You can use Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and other forms of social media to talk about your event and let people know in advance that it will be smoke-free. Tips and tools for social media can be found on the NBATC website (www.nbatc.ca). For example: “Our event is smoke-free to protect children and the environment.” “This event is a smoke-free event.” “Smoking is permitted only in designated areas.” “Breathe easy – (event name) is smoke-free.” “(Event name) is proud to be smoke-free.” “This is a smoke-free zone.” *Since September 15, 2017, New Brunswick peace officers and inspectors are able to issue tickets to individuals who smoke in public places where smoking is banned. If your event takes place in an area covered under the Smoke-Free Places Act, you can obtain more information and report violations by calling 1-866-234-4234. You do not need to have “policing”. * Most smoke-free events are self-enforced and self-policed and do not require law enforcement or security. Encourage your volunteers, employees, and the public that if they see someone smoking they should inform them that the event is smoke-free and point them to where smoking is permitted.  Give your volunteers advice on how to deal with the issue. While this can be difficult for those who haven’t done it, most people are very receptive to this message. It’s as simple as saying: “Hi there. Thanks for coming today.  I wanted to let you know that this event is smoke-free.” “We are trying to promote clean air and healthy habits for the children present.” "Please don’t smoke while in XX area.” · “Should you feel that you need to smoke, please go to XX area.” “Thank you for your cooperation!”   Don’t over think your approach while at the event. Promoting the smoke-free nature of the event from the outset so your attendees are aware, and educating volunteers and staff on how to approach the issue, usually takes care of the issue entirely. Talk to your team. Decide that you will host a smoke-free event well before the event happens, so it simply becomes a part of your communications and not an afterthought. Make sure your volunteers are on board with the idea, and talk about whether or not you’d like to designate a smoking area away from the main event.   Ensure your attendees know ahead of time. Participants must know in advance that your event is smoke free – your promotional material, invitations and event correspondence should include smoke-free messages, signs and/or branding.   Post signs at the event. As with many things, your budget will dictate the type of signage used. You can post large signs or simply hand out postcard-type flyers to participants when they arrive. Click here to download sample signage templates.   Ensure you know the rules. Provincially, the minimum requirements for smoke-free outdoor spaces are those listed in the Smoke-Free Places Act; some municipalities do have additional smoke-free policies. Private land owners are also allowed to designate their property as smoke-free. Remember, smoke-free policies are usually self-enforcing – most people will respect the smoke-free status and comply. You don’t need a rule book to reinforce this idea! The Smoke-Free Places Act sets the minimum requirement that must be followed. If you decide to create a designated smoking area, promote the event as smoke-free in promotional materials, but remember to promote the existence of a smoking area during the event. Designated Smoking Areas should: Have excellent signage demarking the area. Be clearly designated on event maps. Have butt deposit containers. Be promoted at places where people tend to smoke: restrooms, behind seating, etc. Comply with the law for smoking indoors! No more than 70% of the area should have a roof. Be restricted to those 19 years and older. Designated Smoking Areas should not: Be near a children’s play or activity area (>20 metres). (Promotes health). Be near food outlets (>20 metres). (Reduces visibility of the smoking area.) Include seating. (Prevents smokers from missing the event!) Be seen by children. (Reduces the “role-modelling” effect on kids.) Be near access routes, like walkways, air conditioning ducts, doorways, etc. 6 NBATC.CA Promoting the smoke-free nature of the event from the outset so your attendees are aware, and educating volunteers and staff on how to approach the issue, usually takes care of the issue entirely. 2 LOREM.COM/MAGAZINE How Do I Make My Event Smoke-Free? Let us help!  Visit the New Brunswick Anti-Tobacco Coalition website (www.nbatc.ca) for sample community-wide policies, event specific policies, relevant signage, fact-sheets and pre-written social media messaging that you can use for your smoke-free event.   You’ll also find some inspirational success stories to motivate you  and your team! Communicating the Smoke-Free Nature of Your Event   7 NBATC.CA Creating a Designated Smoking Area 8 NBATC.CA Ready to act and make your event smoke-free,  but need a bit more inspiration? Click here for testimonials and success stories from New Brunswickers about organizing, promoting and holding their very own smoke-free events. My Smoke-free Event Photos: Healthy Eating and Physical Activity Coalition in motion Parks & Trails Day 2014. "No-Smoking" logo design by Diane Laughter. The NBATC has been granted permission to use  this logo and to share it with you so that you may use this logo to promote and educate  the public about your smoke-free event. 10 NBATC.CA 1. Office on Smoking and Health (US). The Health Consequences of Involuntary Exposure to Tobacco Smoke: A Report of the Surgeon General. Atlanta, GA. Centres for Disease Control and prevention (US); 2006: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK44324/ 2. Hwang, J., & Lee, K. (2014). Determination of outdoor tobacco smoke exposure by distance from a smoking source. Nicotine and Tobacco Research, 16(4), 478-484. 3. Sureda, X., Fernandez, E., & Lopez, M.J. (2013). Second-hand tobacco smoke exposure in open and semi open settings: A systematic review. Environmental Health Perspectives, 121(7), 766-773. 4. Klepeis, N.E., Ott, W.R., & Switzer, P. (2007). Real-time measurements of outdoor tobacco smoke particles. Journal of the Air and Waste Management Association, 57(5), 522-534. Thank you for making your outdoor event smoke-free! Your attendees, people trying to quit smoking, and our children thank you. We’d like to hear from you. To give us tips or feedback on this guide, or for more information,  visit us at www.nbatc.ca. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consetetur sadipscing elitr, sed diam nonumy eirmod tempor invidunt ut labore et dolore magna aliquyam erat, sed diam voluptua. At vero eos et accusam et justo duo dolores et ea rebum. Stet clita kasd gubergren, no sea takimata sanctus est Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet.Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consetetur sadipscing elitr, sed diam nonumy eirmod tempor invidunt ut labore et dolore magna aliquyam erat, sed diam voluptua. At vero eos et accusam et justo duo dolores et ea rebum. Stet clita kasd gubergren, no sea takimata sanctus est Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet. References Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consetetur sadipscing elitr, sed diam nonumy eirmod tempor invidunt ut labore et dolore magna aliquyam erat, sed diam voluptua. At vero eos et accusam et justo duo dolores et ea rebum. Stet clita kasd gubergren, no sea takimata sanctus est Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet.Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consetetur sadipscing elitr, sed diam nonumy eirmod tempor invidunt ut labore et dolore magna aliquyam erat, sed diam voluptua. At vero eos et accusam et justo duo dolores et ea rebum. Stet clita kasd gubergren, no sea takimata sanctus est Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet.