International Noise Awareness Day

The purpose of the Noise Center of the League for the Hard of Hearing is to promote hearing conservation and noise awareness through education, advocacy and out reach.

• Getting Started
• What Schools Can Do
• What Communities Can Do
• Sample Press Release
• Letter to the Mayor
• Anti-Noise Poster Contest Guidelines
• Recipe for A Quiet Diet
• Through the years: Past participating Organizations
• Weekly Reader Fun Quiz

Sample Press Release

NEWS RELEASE

Contact:   Amy K. Boyle, Director, Public Education, 917-305-7809
 
Hear for the Future
Communities Urged to "Protect Their Hearing, Protect Their Health" on
International Noise Awareness Day, Wednesday, April 16, 2008

"It is time to address the threat that noise poses to hearing, health, learning and behavior," says Amy Boyle, Director of Public Education at the League for the Hard of Hearing. This year the League is once again spearheading a special effort to inform the public of the necessity of creating a quiet home, school and recreational environment.

Continuous exposure to noise above 85 decibels can be harmful to hearing and documented research has found noise does not have to be that loud to lead to physiological changes in blood pressure, sleep, digestion and other stress-related disorders. Studies exist documenting the harmful effects of noise on children's learning and behavior. "It is time" Boyle says, "that we take responsibility to quiet our surroundings and create a healthy environment for us and our children."

Among the many activities planned during International Noise Awareness Day, Wednesday, April 16th, 2008 sponsored by the League for the Hard of Hearing, the public will be asked to observe the Quiet Diet - one minute of quiet, regardless of their location, from 2:15 P.M. to 2:16 P.M.

Other activities planned include:

Free Hearing Screenings - Private audiologists and speech and hearing clinics will help to celebrate International Noise Awareness Day by providing free hearing screenings to the public.

Dissemination of Hearing Protection - Hearing protection will be distributed on International Noise Awareness Day at hearing screenings, town meetings, and various places of business and college campuses.

Town meetings to "Sound Off on Noise" - Town meetings will be scheduled in various communities on International Noise Awareness Day to provide a forum for community residents to voice their concerns about noise. Local police departments, representatives from the Department of Environmental Protection and local politicians will be invited to attend these meetings.

Publicity - Participants in International Noise Awareness Day will hold press conferences in their local areas. Press releases and public service announcements on television and radio stations will involve the media and help to promote the important message that noise hurts.

City/State Proclamations - Mayoral and Gubernatorial Proclamations in celebration of International Noise Awareness Day will be obtained.

Community Outreach - Develop Your Own Anti-Noise Group and speak out about the harmful effects of noise in your community. Analyze (or develop) your local noise code and follow the Noise Center's steps in handling a noise complaint.

Additional information on International Noise Awareness Day and how you can participate is available at the Noise Center website at www.lhh.org/noise or by contacting Amy Boyle via email at aboyle@lhh.org.

# # #

LEAGUE FOR THE HARD OF HEARING
50 Broadway, 6th Floor
New York, NY 10004