Campaign For Clean Air
The Center for the Environment’s Campaign for Clean Air, launched in the fall of 2009,is designed to educate citizens in our community and region and empower them to take action to address the air quality issues we face.
The American Lung Association recently ranked Rowan County as the 13th worst county in the United States for ground-level ozone pollution. Metro Charlotte was ranked as the eighth worst metropolitan area in the nation. Six contiguous counties – Rowan, Cabarrus,Mecklenburg, Lincoln, Gaston, Union and part of Iredell -- persistently exceed EPA air quality standards. Consequently, they have been designated as non-attainment areas. We know this could mean a loss of significant federal funding for the maintenance and construction of our highways. It could also impact our ability to attract new industry.
The Campaign for Clean Air focuses on health issues related to poor air quality, alternative fuels and modes of transportation, planned growth and development, bike paths, greenways, sidewalks, preservation of green space and energy conservation.
Connecting the Dots for Cleaner Air
This is a good time to offer kudos on clean air efforts. We’re not plagued by the ozone days of summer, so we can take a moment to reflect on the good choices many are making on behalf of the region’s health. Many governments, businesses and individuals are now connecting the dots. They are realizing more and more that collective decisions and personal decisions can impact not only our air quality but also our citizens’ health and economic prosperity. (More)
Clean Air Conference Draws Participants from Across State
N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources Secretary William Ross summed up air quality and other environmental concerns March 22 with an analogy by scholar Jared Diamond:
It's a horse race. The horses are environmental salvation and environmental destruction. And the race is picking up speed. (More)
(View the brochure and speaker powerpoints.)Land-use Planning Vital for Healthy Piedmont
The North Carolina Piedmont is home to most of the state’s centers of population and economic development. The growth this region is experiencing brings with it the potential for economic prosperity, but it often comes at a cost to our quality of life in general and our air quality and health in particular.
Clearly, we can grow and still maintain a healthy environment in which to live, work, and breathe, but to do so we must be keenly aware of the impact we are having on our environment. Fortunately, what is good for our air quality is also good for building community, for improving our quality of life and for ensuring the health of our citizens. (More)
Report Ranks Rowan Air Quality Among the Worst
The American Lung Association announced Thursday that Rowan County’s air continues to be among the worst in the nation.
Lung Association officials said that Rowan County received a failing grade in its State of the Air: 2005 report. The report says the county’s air ranked 18th on the list of most ozone-polluted counties in the United States. The county jumped from 20th on the list a year ago. In 2003, it ranked 16th. (More)
Air Quality in Rowan: What are the Facts?
I think it's time to re-examine the facts about air quality in Rowan County and also to look at the progress we have made since the Clean Air Initiative began.
The Catawba College Center for the Environment and the rowan Sustainable Community Development Commission began efforts about a year ago to educate the public about air pollution and work toward cleaning up our air. (More)
Alternative Fuel Makes It Easier to be Green
B 20 sounds more like a vitamin booster shot than an alternative fuel.
But state and local officials, farmers and environmentalists believe the biodiesel blend will some day bring significant rewards to the economy, people's health, the environment and even homeland security. (More)