Cumberland County promotes tobacco-free out of doors environments

Cumberland County promotes tobacco-free out of doors environments

Published 3:35 pm Sunday, June 21, 2026

Cumberland County Parks and Recreation has dedicated to creating its parklands 100% tobacco- and vape-free by adopting a voluntary coverage encouraging residents and guests to chorus from utilizing tobacco and vape merchandise in its parks.

This dedication was initiated by Y Street, the Virginia Foundation for Healthy Youth’s (VFHY) statewide youth-led program. VFHY and Y Street members work by their marketing campaign, Share The Air, to make sure that Virginians have equitable entry to scrub, more healthy out of doors areas.

Park Director Samantha Pankey collaborated with Y Street High School college students to discover how adopting a voluntary coverage may improve the county’s parks and enhance the general expertise for residents. The county strives to create protected, wholesome and devoted areas the place residents may be lively, calm down and collect outdoor. 

For this motive, the Cumberland County Board of Supervisors voted throughout its May assembly to associate with Share The Air, becoming a member of different localities which have adopted voluntary tobacco-free out of doors insurance policies.

“We are so happy to partner with Share The Air and to be a part of the work they are doing to ensure healthy, smoke-free spaces for communities like ours,” Pankey mentioned.

The coverage is predicted to have a constructive affect, lowering tobacco and vape litter, decreasing residents’ publicity to secondhand smoke and vape aerosol and offering constructive position modeling for youth who use the county’s parks.

As a part of its partnership with Share The Air, Cumberland County Parks and Recreation will obtain free tobacco-free signage to encourage residents and guests to assist its efforts to keep up a clear, wholesome and protected atmosphere for all to get pleasure from.