Okanagan College
SustainOC Newsletter
August 2026 · Issue

Smoke Season,
Clear Choices.

Five practical ways to protect your lungs, your energy bill, and the valley as the smoke settles in.

Air qualityHeat & coolingWildfire-readyBack to campusZero waste
Bands of smoke haze layered over dark ridges above Okanagan Lake
AQHI peak
7
High risk
Air Quality Alert

This haze is climate change, arriving.

Smoke from fires in the Fraser Canyon and across the Interior has pushed air quality warnings over Kelowna, Penticton, Vernon, and Salmon Arm, all four of our campus communities. Longer, hotter, drier fire seasons are exactly what a warming climate produces, and this is what one looks like from the valley floor.

Okanagan air quality, recent peakHigh risk
Peaked at AQHI 7 of 10+, orange warning, Central Okanagan · 23 July 2026
3M+ ha
burned across Canada so far in 2026, already past the 10-year average for this date.
2×
Climate change more than doubled the odds of Canada's record 2023 fire weather.
Check today's AQHI →
Illustration of rising smoke haze and an air quality index climbing into the high-risk range
Level 5
Okanagan drought rating
16%
Of normal snowpack, May
29°C
Avg August high, Kelowna

From the Sustainability Office

August in the Okanagan used to mean lake days and late sunsets. This year it also means checking the air before you step outside. Smoke from fires burning elsewhere in British Columbia has settled over Kelowna, Penticton, Vernon, and Salmon Arm, and a valley already carrying the province's highest drought rating is heading into its driest weeks.

It is worth naming plainly why this keeps happening. Hotter summers, earlier snowmelt, and deeper drought dry the forests out sooner and keep them burning longer, and researchers have shown that human-caused warming more than doubled the likelihood of the extreme fire weather behind Canada's record 2023 season. The smoke over the valley is not an unlucky summer. It is the climate we are building, showing up at our windows.

That is also why the small things matter. Cutting energy, water, and waste is how a college of four campuses does its share. With the fall term about to start, there is no better moment to set the habit. Here are five practical actions for August.

The Okanagan College Sustainability Team

5 Actions for August

What we can do, right now, across all four campuses.

1

Breathe Easier on Smoky Days

Wildfire smoke carries fine particles that reach deep into the lungs. A little planning lets you keep moving through a smoky week without paying for it later.

  • →Check the AQHI before workouts, commutes, or field work.
  • →Wear a well-fitted N95 outdoors when warnings are posted.
  • →Keep one room filtered as a clean-air space at home.
  • →Shift study or exercise indoors when AQHI hits 7.
Local Tip

BC reports AQHI using an adjusted formula, AQHI-Plus, because the standard index under-reported health risk during smoke. Kelowna, Vernon, and the South Okanagan all have reporting stations.

2

Cool Down Without Opening Up

Heat and smoke together break the usual advice: the open window that cools a room also fills it with particulate. Cool the space, keep the air clean, and skip the load on the grid.

  • →Close windows and blinds before the afternoon peak.
  • →Run fans on recirculated indoor air, not open windows.
  • →Set cooling to 25°C rather than chasing lower numbers.
  • →Report stuck windows or failed AC to Facilities promptly.
Local Tip

Kelowna averages about 29°C in August and regularly runs well past that. On smoke-free nights, flushing cool air through after 9 p.m. can cut the next day's cooling load noticeably.

3

Don't Start the Next One

Roughly four in ten BC wildfires are human-caused. In a Level 5 drought, with grass cured and fuels bone dry, the margin for a careless spark is gone.

  • →Check the current fire ban before any flame or spark.
  • →Keep vehicles and trailers off dry grass entirely.
  • →Clear needles and debris within 1.5 metres of walls.
  • →Report smoke or open flame immediately to *5555.
Local Tip

Okanagan snowpack sat at 16 per cent of normal in mid-May 2026, and the basin holds the province's only Level 5 drought rating, the top of BC's six-point scale.

4

Start the Term Waste-Free

Late August is when supplies get bought, residences get filled, and habits get set for eight months. Set them well once and the whole year runs lighter.

  • →Reuse last year's binders, tabs, and lab coats.
  • →Pack a reusable bottle, mug, and cutlery on day one.
  • →Buy used textbooks or borrow through the library.
  • →Learn your building's sort stations in week one.
Local Tip

Move-in week produces the year's biggest single waste spike on campus. Kelowna, Penticton, Vernon, and Salmon Arm all have sort stations. A minute spent finding yours pays off for months.

5

Sort Out September's Commute

The trip you choose in the first week is usually the trip you keep. Sorting it now means less tailpipe pollution added to air that is already working hard.

  • →Set up your U-Pass or transit pass before classes start.
  • →Find a carpool match on the GoOC app this week.
  • →Trial your bike route once before the term begins.
  • →Keep a smoky-day backup plan for the days it matters.
Local Tip

Download GoOC to find carpools and active-travel options to campus and around the valley. On high-AQHI days, a shared car ride beats a long ride or walk outdoors.

AUGUST CHALLENGE

One Action This Month: Build Your Clean-Air Kit

Smoke arrives fast and leaves slowly. Getting ready takes one afternoon, and it is much easier to do now than during the next warning. Pledge to have all four in place before September.

  • →Get a well-fitted N95 and keep one in your bag
  • →Set up one filtered room at home as a clean-air space
  • →Add the AQHI to your phone so checking takes two seconds
  • →Agree a smoky-day plan with your household or your team
Take the pledge →

Local & BC Sustainability Updates

Hazy orange sky over layered hills during a wildfire smoke event

Smoke Warnings Blanket the BC Interior

Air quality warnings covered the Central, North, and South Okanagan in late July, with the Central Okanagan briefly at high risk. Outdoor events, including BC Summer Games sessions, were cancelled.

Read more →
Bar chart illustration showing wildfire activity rising year over year

Why the Fires Keep Getting Worse

The Canadian Climate Institute sets out the research plainly: warming is lengthening fire seasons, drying fuels, and even extending the overnight hours in which fires keep burning.

Read the fact sheet →
Illustration of a low lake shoreline with exposed reeds under a summer sun

Okanagan Carries BC's Highest Drought Rating

The basin was rated Level 5, the top of the province's scale, after years of low precipitation and a snowpack at 16 per cent of normal. Restrictions differ by municipality, so check yours.

Check restrictions →

For more up-to-date news, upcoming events, and sustainability initiatives, please visit:

www.okanagancollege.ca/sustainability
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Vaibhav Patel (Energy Specialist)

vpatel@okanagan.bc.ca

Campus Planning & Facilities Management,
Okanagan College | Kelowna Campus

Rob St. Onge (Sustainability Manager)

rstonge@okanagan.bc.ca

Campus Planning & Facilities Management,
Okanagan College | Kelowna Campus

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Okanagan College SustainOC Newsletter · August 2026