Puff, puff... I'll pass

“The effects of secondhand smoke are bad for everyone and as a nursing major I have done studies on how harmful it is on the body,” says Tanisha Cranston, a 19-year-old member of DoSomething.org, the largest tech company exclusively for young people and social change. “Secondhand smoke is detrimental to the body and can cause harm to not only the smoker but the students that are around them and the environment we live in.”

Secondhand smoke causes cancer, which is why thousands of colleges have gone tobacco-free. Problem is, 3,273 campuses still allow tobacco, which means secondhand smoke is harming everyone on campus, including our beloved mascots.

That’s why 69,539 DoSomething members have joined #SaveTheMascots, a national campaign launched by DoSomething.org and CVS Health Foundation. College students around the country are posting #SaveTheMascots photos of themselves with their mascots and demanding their colleges pledge to ban tobacco.

Mascots need all the energy they can to keep the team and the fans pumped up. Not easy when secondhand smoke has them coughing up and down the court. Watch this video featuring Sari Arambulo, star of ABC’s A.P. Bio, who explains why we need to protect our beloved mascots from secondhand smoke.

Sign up for #SaveTheMascots to help create a tobacco-free generation, starting with your college. All you have to do is find a photo of your school’s mascot (bonus points if you’re in the photo!) or download our official #SaveTheMascots mascot.

Then go on Instagram, Twitter, or Facebook and tell your college (or a college near you) to pledge to go tobacco-free. Include your photo and fill in the blanks on the text below. Let’s Do This!

"#SaveTheMascots from the effects of secondhand smoke! @[YOUR COLLEGE], pledge to keep campus tobacco-free and apply for the American Cancer Society grant. [https://cvshealth.com/social-responsibility/be-the-first/tobacco-free-generation-campus-initiative]"