Community Organizer

If you are a community organizer, health or environmental group leader concerned about air pollution in your community, we believe you will find these pages of this website helpful.

  • Air quality data from Google/Aclima; analysis by Apte et al / EDF. Colors on the map do not correlate to colors on the Air Quality Index.
    Air quality data from Google/Aclima; analysis by Apte et al / EDF. Colors on the map do not correlate to colors on the Air Quality Index.

    Community Action

    Researchers from EDF and the University of Texas at Austin took our data to the West Oakland Environmental Indicators Project (WOEIP), a community-based organization with recognized leadership in local air pollution issues, to learn more about potential sources of poor air quality.

    Read More

Watch: How Traffic Pollution Drives Health Disparities in West Oakland, California

Communities of color are disproportionately burdened by air pollution’s health impacts. Working with the West Oakland Environmental Indicators Project, EDF’s research is helping shed light on the connection between air pollution from diesel trucks and the impacts on local residents’ health. Case in point: research shows that Bay Area neighborhoods with higher percentages of people of color experience, on average, double the rate of pollution-related childhood asthma compared to predominantly white neighborhoods.

The video was produced by EDF and our partner, the West Oakland Environmental Indicators Project. Read more about the Health Impact Assessment from West Oakland here.

  • “My son motivates me to fight for clean air. He has extreme allergy issues made worse by the poor air quality that we have in Las Vegas. The American Lung Association’s State of the Air Report recently ranked Las Vegas #9 in the entire country for ground level ozone pollution. Last year they ranked us #13. We are not improving, and I do not want us to end up being #1 on that list in the next few years. Our city and our community deserve better.”

    Cinthia Zermeño MooreCinthia Zermeño MooreNevada Field Organizer, Moms Clean Air Force; Leads the Ecomadres program

  • Health Impacts of Air Pollution

    Children, the elderly, and people with existing diseases are even more vulnerable and susceptible to harm from breathing unhealthy air. And low-income communities and communities of color often experience higher exposure to air pollution and bear a greater burden of the health and economic impacts.

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  • Truck, close-up, low angle view

    Solutions

    Imagine a world where everyone on earth can breathe healthy air. Today, nine of 10 people in the world breathe unhealthy air, according to the World Health Organization.Together, we can act together to stop air pollution and simultaneously help reduce the impacts of climate change it.

    Learn More

Community Education

Many communities use behavior change education campaigns to build awareness of air pollution problems, and the collective need for everyone doing their share for cleaner air.

 

At home: Avoid driving a single occupant vehicle. Walk, ride a bike or take public transit. If you need a car, choose an electric vehicle. Avoid wood burning stoves and don’t burn wood, yard trimmings or rubbish. For gas and diesel vehicles, avoid idling, and quick acceleration or cold engine starts. Drive less by combining trips for errands or carpooling with others. Refuel your vehicle in afternoons or evenings, and, don’t “top off” your tank by adding more gas after an automatic cut-off. Spilling gasoline creates harmful emissions. Keep your vehicle engine tuned up and properly maintained, and tires properly inflated. Conserve energy by adjusting your thermostat and using energy efficient appliances. Use paints and cleaners with less or zero volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Switch lawn mowing equipment to electric or human-powered mowers. Conserve water around the house, especially reducing lawn irrigation.

These tips are primarily meant for people who live in developed countries, but everyone in the world can reduce air pollution with less burning of fossil fuels like petroleum, coal and natural gas.

At work: Encourage your employer to switch fleets to electric cars, trucks, boats and buses. Ask your employer to continue teleworking from home, even after the pandemic. Reduce airline travel through video conferencing. Implement comprehensive energy efficiency programs in the workplace. Replace heating systems in buildings which burn residual fuel oil with cleaner alternatives. Only use certified energy efficient computer equipment. Install energy efficient lighting, appliances and irrigation systems. Encourage waste prevention, materials reuse, and recycling. Buy recycled content products. Power down electronic devices and lighting when not in use.

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Community Organizer Environmental Justice Health