I remember the moment I became part of The Clean Air Campaign. My then 6-year-old daughter had a terrible cough one night and began struggling to breathe.
She was having a severe asthma attack.
Though we live just a few miles from Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, there is no longer drive on Earth than to the hospital when your child cannot breathe. She is okay now, but the impression is lasting.
I learned everything I could about asthma. For example:
- Asthma is the #1 reason kids are admitted into emergency rooms.
- Almost 1 in 10 children in the U.S. have asthma—that’s 7 million children who cannot breathe.
- Asthma accounts for 10.6 million doctor visits a year
Most importantly, I learned that poor air quality can trigger asthma. There are two kinds of pollutants that can trigger respiratory problems, 1) ground level ozone and 2) particle pollution (soot). And the primary cause of all this airborne junk? Cars.
I drove to work that summer as all the facts swirled in my head. I sat in traffic and realized I was in an SUV— ALL BY MYSELF! Everything leaving my exhaust pipe was floating around waiting for my daughter and all the other people with asthma to breathe it in. That’s when I became part of The Clean Air Campaign. I now drive a hybrid, telework, carpool, ride transit, do whatever I can to keep a car off the road.
Just like a former smoker can be pretty fervent when talking to smokers, I confess I can be preachy about not spewing more stuff in the air than we have to. I know it’s not easy to get around in Atlanta without driving alone sometimes. I just ask you to think about it more. Can you ride with a co-worker to the meeting instead of taking separate cars? Can you take MARTA to the game? How about riding with your spouse or a neighbor to work? The Clean Air Campaign can even help you find a carpool partner.
Just give it a try. Change the way you drive and maybe fewer kids will have to take that long ride to the ER.
Rudy Fernandez is the owner/creative director at Radio Outhouse. Rudy and his colleagues have worked with The Clean Air Campaign for 8 years and have produced several memorable radio spots and other advertising projects for less traffic and cleaner air that are heard/seen around the region, some of which have won national recognition.
It's incredible to think that Earth Day turns 40 today. But as we blow out the candles, it's certain that Earth Day is far from being "over the hill." The movement toward environmental sustainability is celebrated every day in Georgia by employers, commuters and schools to the tune of 800 tons of pollution kept out of the air we breathe.
In some ways, Earth Day transcends many of the important days on our calendars:
It's like New Year's Day, when we resolve to make changes that make us better stewards of the place we call home.
Earth Day is like the Super Bowl, when champions are crowned for their accomplishments.
Telemanager of the Quarter Connie Hickey, Director of Information Services at ADP (L), with Clean Air Campaign Alternative Work Arrangement Specialist Erin Clark (R).
It's like President's Week, too, with an eye toward the big decisions and the key figures that make history.
It can even bear similarities to Tax Day, when fiscal responsibility is top of mind.
It's like a wedding anniversary, commemorating the start of something special and the journey toward something extraordinary.
Another way to look at it is like Labor Day, in that we've still got a lot of work to do to achieve our shared goals.
Earth Day can also resemble Halloween sometimes, when we discover the scary facts about neglecting our home state.
And it's also like Thanksgiving, when we get together and express our gratitude for all that has been done in Georgia by 1,600 employers, tens of thousands of Georgia commuters, hundreds of schools and dozens of partners to improve our quality of life.
Earth Day is every day. And when more Georgia employers, commuters and schools choose to think in these terms, the place we call home is made better … for us to enjoy today and for future generations to enjoy tomorrow.
The Clean Air Campaign and Governor Perdue got together last Thursday for the signing of a special proclamation to go with Georgia’s Air Quality Awareness Week, which takes place the week of April 26 to 30. BAIR, the Better Air Bear, made a guest appearance.
From left to right: Kevin Green, Ronny Just, BAIR, Maris Green, Governor Perdue, Mia Green, Renay Blumenthal, Hannah Bowles, Mike Bradley, Marlin Gottschalk
Even though smog season does not officially begin until May 1, Athens, GA and Columbus, GA already experienced Code Orange smog days this past Friday when ground-level ozone pollution reached unhealthy levels. Get prepared for smog season by signing up for Smog Alerts.
Much has changed since that first Earth Day in 1970 when Senator Nelson led the first Earth Day demonstration. That first Earth Day led to the formation of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The EPA and laws and regulations that came in the following years made business accountable for polluting, harming human health and the environment, by handing businesses the bill. Businesses now had to comply to avoid huge fines and penalties.
As we mark Earth Day of 2010, the shift to sustainability in business is based on a different premise. Thought leaders and innovators in business today are taking the route of responsible capitalism, becoming accountable not to government, not to shareholders, but to the larger community of stakeholders in the business or corporation. The consumer pull or demand for responsibility is leading the charge. It is no accident that branding and PR are at the forefront. On a national level, Conferences like Sustainable Brands are more popular than ever with almost every major US corporations attending. Locally, companies like Coke, Cox, Interface and others are making huge efforts for their sustainability initiatives to be seen and heard.
Recognizing the importance of telling your green story and leading by example, the Green Chamber of the South gives companies the opportunity to do this regularly. On April 14 we will hold a seminar on Social Media and how to leverage it in the context of sustainability and green business, and in May we will hold a seminar on finding and telling your green story, all that in addition to our regular Green Wednesdays networking lunches, programs with local chambers TAG and many more. Please check our website for more details.
Ofra Tessler is president and co-founder of The Green Chamber of the South, serving green businesses throughout the Southeast. The Chamber connects green businesses, clean technology companies and corporations with sustainability programs to share best practices learn and grow. It offers businesses exposure, networking opportunities, projects, workshops and seminars. The Green Chamber of the South provides sustainable businesses in the Southeast with a strong organization, guidance, and ample opportunities for collaboration and growth. For more information: www.greencs.org or info@greencs.org
Earth Day is observed on April 22, 2010.
There’s a lot going on right now in the world of mass transit, and sadly, it’s looking bleak. In metro Atlanta, C-TRAN’s service ended last week, which affected 8,500 commuters, many of whom depend on public transportation. More cuts are looming for MARTA when the calendar clicks over to the new fiscal year on July 1, 2010. However, we’re not alone. Mass transit agencies across the country are facing budget crises. According to the American Public Transportation Association, eight out of 10 bus and subway agencies are raising fares and cutting service or considering those actions. The timing couldn’t be worse with smog season just weeks away.
Unfortunately, there’s no quick fix for these issues. But there is an influential group out there that needs to find its voice. When more employers in the region show state and local government how important mass transit is for their commuting employees, then perhaps transit won’t continue to be one of the first items on the chopping block when’s there’s a budget shortfall.
What do you think about the local service cuts? Tell us your ideas for how we all can work together to save mass transit in the Atlanta region.
There's no doubt that where we choose to live, work and play all contribute to our individual perceptions of quality of life. Land use influences our mobility and dictates how we spend our time and money, among other things. And in a growing region like ours, there has never been a more important time to get smart about managing growth.
Urban planning is one discipline that seeks to improve the way the built environment and the natural environment work together. But much of the resulting work from urban planning - zoning ordinances, building codes, buffer areas and the like - has not yet reached the conscious (or the conscience) of the general public.
How do we get more people to care and take ownership of the issues our region faces with respect to sprawl, traffic congestion, pollution and consumption of natural resources? Sing about it.
Melanie Hammet, metro ATL resident since 1985, combined her talents as a local artist and elected official serving the City of Pine Lake to merge ordinance and art. Her new album, "Edifice Complex and Other Urban Plans," debuts April 10, exploring land use concepts and delivering thought-provoking observations to which we can all relate. One particular song of interest to The Clean Air Campaign about traffic features cameo appearances by a trio of vehicles.
We caught up with Melanie to find out more about "Edifice Complex:"
Q: What changes have you observed over time with respect to land use, mobility, expansion?
A: The biggest change has been in my self-education. Thanks to the Atlanta Regional Commission, Southface, the Livable Communities Coalition - to shortlist a few - there are great resources for learning about land use, and land misuse.
Q: What made you choose to make Pine Lake your home?
A: I was attracted to Pine Lake because the tree-land-house-car-people ratios seemed reasonable and sane. I was attracted to taking a leadership role in the City to help maintain those ratios.
Q: What motivated you to create "Edifice Complex?"
A: I was part of a volunteer effort to guide the re-writing of our zoning code. We’d hired an urban planner through Dekalb County and we had lots and lots of public input.
During this two-year period, I saw the challenge of translating zoning language and city planning into real, high-impact conversations. The results of bad land design are profoundly personal and the code that creates it is exactly that: code.
Q: How was the album put together?
A: In 2008 I applied for an artist residency at Seaside, a planned community in Florida. Although Seaside is a model development for land-use practices, my application was to the arts branch of their Institute. It just so happened that my project was to compose songs that reflected land-use/urban planning concepts. I was accepted into the program and had a month to focus on reading - James Howard Kunstler; Allan Jacobs; Jane Jacobs - walking all over the streets and pathways of Seaside and the surrounding areas; and writing the music that became “Edifice Complex.”
Q: What challenges do you see in getting individuals to take action on these issues?
A: As a community leader, I feel the challenge is to find direct, actionable tasks with direct, achievable results and then to enlist individuals in participating and feeling successful. Otherwise the issues are too large and too defeating.
Q: What motivated you to explore and write "Car Tune?"
A: I never realized how pampered the automobile was in our planning culture until we started dissecting zoning code. It’s almost comical. We make sure the sightlines of our streets and signs are good for "The Vehicle," that we have lots and lots of pavement for "The Vehicle," on and on it goes! It’s so obvious we don’t even notice the extent of it.
Q: How did you create the sounds for "Car Tune?"
A: I decided that my car wasn’t going to sit idly by while I was in the studio laboring over recording the song. Ben Holst (the engineer), and I dragged microphones into the driveway and put my Ford, his Chevy, and a nearby Toyota to work. "Car Tune’s" instrumentation is provided entirely by the trio.
Q: What do you see as the biggest opportunities for improved mobility in the region?
A: Geez, that’s the million-dollar question! Here’s my thought: when I lived in Manhattan, I spent a long Saturday walking from the northernmost tip of the island to the southernmost. I did it because I COULD do it. Can you imagine the Atlanta equivalent? The biggest opportunity is to make walking sexy. In our culture, driving is sexy. If we could flip that relationship, people would clamor for sidewalks and human-size cool stuff to look at and trees that shaded the paths.
Release Party
"Edifice Complex" will have its concert at The Clubhouse in Pine Lake, an eclectic community near Stone Mountain, on April 10th at 8pm. Tickets, directions, and info are at http://edificecomplex.net/
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