Take some small steps to make your community smoke-free.

Prepare:

• Find out what tobacco-free laws and policies exist in your community and its businesses.
• Discover where your community leaders stand on tobacco-free issues.
• Invite others to join you.

Act:

• Educate your community on the value of tobacco-free communities. Speak at local meetings, chamber of commerce events, church functions, etc.
• Send a letter to your local newspaper editor.
• Work with schools or community groups to lead anti-tobacco activities among young people. See warriorsagainsttobacco.com for ideas and current events.
• Approach leaders of local rodeos, sports parks and fairs to see if they’d consider going smoke-free. What would it take for them to go smoke free?
• Speak with city councils, county commissioners and other city government officials about supporting tobacco-free communities.
• Create a petition for smoke-free parks and gather as many signatures as you can.

Follow Up:

• Persevere. New ideas take time to circulate through the community.
• Continually invite different people to join any anti-tobacco activities that exist.
• Write to your local newspapers often. Cultivate good working relationships with them so they can keep in touch with you and your progress.
• Remember that every little victory matters. If one person quits smoking or breathes less secondhand smoke as a result of your actions, then you’ve succeeded.

In Your Area