Clearing the Air in 2010: Year in Review

• Clean Air Carolina hosted a roundtable discussion on February 17 focusing on the challenges and opportunities facing the United States and the international community with regard to the rapidly warming Arctic climate.

• The event was organized in partnership with the Clean Air-Cool

Planet and the Royal Norwegian Embassy in Washington, DC.

• His Excellency Wegger Strommen, Ambassador of Norway to the United States, moderated the discussion which included presen-tations by Dr. Walt Meier, research scientist at the National Snow and Ice Data Center at the University of Colorado in Boulder and Dr. Ellen Douglas, assistant professor of hydrology in the Environ-mental, Earth and Ocean Sciences Department at the University of Massachusetts in Boston.

CAC Hosts Norwegian Ambassador

L-R: Dr. Walt Meier, Dr. Ellen Douglas, Norwegian Ambas-sador Wegger Strommen, Charlotte Mayor Anthony Foxx,

and CAC Director June Blotnick

NC Clean Diesel Campaign Gains Support

• CAC recruited 10 North Carolina mayors to sign-on to the US Conference of Mayors’ resolution supporting diesel clean up measures as a near-term climate mitigation strategy. New organizations joined the NC Clean Diesel Campaign for a total of 34 including Appalachian Voices, NC Pediatric Society and Sustainable Sandhills.

• CAC Executive Director June Blotnick, and NC Clean Diesel Campaign Program Direc-

tor Phil Rossi visited Capitol Hill to meet with Congressional leaders and staff from the offices of Representatives Price, Kissell, Miller, Myrick, McIntyre, Shuler, Watt and Butterfield.

Clean Air Carolina Kicks Off No Idle Campaign

• CAC teamed up with Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools and Piedmont Natural Gas to encourage parents to “take the pledge” to turn off their engines and not idle unnecessarily during ozone season, especially on school property.

• A press conference was held at Idlewild Elementary to kick off the “No Idle” cam-

paign where students handed out “Turn Off Your Engine” information cards to parents in the school’s long carpool line.

Getting to Code Green

Daisy Dunlap is a senior citizen living in the 10th

smoggiest city in the U.S. Seniors are especially

sensitive to air pollution.

• The American Lung Association ranked Charlotte the 10th smoggiest city in the country and gave our region an “F” for air quality in it’s 2010 State of the Air report.

• During this year’s Ozone Season (April-October) the Charlotte area experienced 16 Code

Orange unhealthy air days and one Code Red day classified as very unhealthy. • On Lung Health Day, CAC organized a Clean Air Call-in Day asking Governor Perdue to

urge the NC Department of Environment and Natural Resources to stand behind the EPA’s decision to strengthen the ozone standard for cleaner air in North Carolina.

Medical Advocates Take a Stand for Healthy Air

5K Run for Clean Air a Winning Success

CAC Speaks at EPA Hearing on Coal Ash Waste

• CAC Executive Director, June Blotnick, provided testimony at the EPA- sponsored hearing in September and stressed the importance of protecting air quality from dry coal ash waste stored in landfills and the need for strong federal oversight of coal ash waste storage.

• Dr. Stephen Keener, Medical Director of Mecklenburg County Health

Department represented CAC’s Medical Advocates for Healthy Air and noted that ”strict regulation of ash is an absolute no-brainer”.

• Clean Air Carolina held its first annual 5K Run for Clean Air at McAlpine Creek Park in Charlotte where over 275 women, men and children came out to run or walk in support of cleaner air.

• Jennifer Roberts, Chair of the Mecklenburg County Board of Commissioners,

served as the Honorary Chair of the 5K Run. Commissioner Roberts ran in the race and spoke to the crowd before and afterwards about the air quality challenges we face as a community and emphasized the importance of each person being part of the solution.

• Educational signs along the 5K trail prompted runners and walkers to consider

their personal impact on Charlotte’s air quality.

2010 Clean Air Music Fest Hits the Right Note

• Clean Air Carolina held its first Clean Air Music Fest this fall in the Historic South End of Charlotte with performing artists Two Quarts Low, Blue Tulip and the Caldwell Memorial Gospel Choir.

• Nearly 100 people came out to support clean air and donated $2,500 to

support our educational and advocacy programs. • Special thanks to Shook Kelley for offering free venue space, to the musi-

cians who donated their time and talents, to the vendors who donated food and beverages and to all volunteers who helped make the event a success.

• Dr. Larry Raymond, Chair of Medical Advocates for Healthy Air and Director of Occu-pational and Environmental Medicine at Carolinas Medical Center, led a Grand Rounds presentation with CAC Director June Blotnick for faculty at Levine Children’s Hospital. Their presentation focused on the state of air quality in the Charlotte region and the health impacts on children.

• At the urging of CAC, the Mecklenburg County Medical Society re-established its

Public Health Committee to focus on air quality issues. • Medical professionals from around the state signed on to two letters to state officials

urging the use of “clean construction” practices to reduce diesel pollution and empha-sizing the need for a strong new ozone standard to protect public health.