“70% of the people want 70% of the same thing,” according to my podcast guest for this month. Everyone, regardless of their politics, wants to breathe clean air and live in a stable climate. It is often gratifying to be working with people in your own community. If we sit and wait for federal action to address climate change and clean up the air, we may miss a great deal of opportunities in our own backyard.
Today’s episode focuses on what we can do locally with an expert on how states play a key role in clean air and climate action. I hope you find concrete steps you can take in your own backyard for a better world.
Dr. Anthony Gerber is a pulmonary and critical care medicine physician at National Jewish Health where he conducts research on lung disease. He is also a professor of medicine at the University of Colorado and National Jewish and has served on the Colorado Air Quality Control Commission. He joined me on the podcast episode this month to review how air quality standards are actually enforced at the local level. He shares how communities can come together, often despite political differences, to clean up the air. I found our conversation refreshing in this time of very divisive politics.
Remember that the closer you get to where you live, the closer the decision makers likely are to you. Maybe you personally know your county commissioner. Maybe you go to the same church or school as members of your city council. It’s likely much easier to get time with your local state legislator than it is with the one sent to the nation’s Capitol. So what can you do?
- Look up who represents you at your city, county and state level.
- Look up the State of the Air report from the American Lung Association to find out how your city or county scores in terms of pollution. It helps to have information when you go to local decision makers.
- Find out how air is regulated in your state and what the most local unit to you is. Reach out to find out what they are doing to reduce pollution and greenhouse gases and find out how you can lend your voice to advocate for this and potentially push for even more action if the air quality where you live is unhealthy
- Find out if your state adheres to the California vehicle standards- if it doesn’t, push your legislators to join. Tell them how you want to stimulate the economy by everyone saving money on fuel and how you want to breathe cleaner air
- Every time someone declares for office, whether city, council or local government to represent you, reach out. Ask them what local action they envision to clean up the air and reduce greenhouse gases
- Find out how building codes are made in your city or county- ask what they are doing to make them more efficient while not increasing the cost of housing. Volunteer with weatherization efforts
- Gas Powered Lawn equipment are a hyper local source of noise and pollution – learn more at the “Yards on Fire” podcast episode and post for what you can do
- Everyone hates sitting in traffic- find out how transportation policy is made where you are and push for options to decrease emissions, whether by getting more people out of cars and onto bikes, feet or public transportation, etc
- Share this podcast episode with anyone interested in what they can do locally for healthy air and climate change.
- Finally, consider a donation to the American Lung Association, which works locally for clean air and climate action.
TLDR= Don't Light Things on Fire and Breathe them into your Lungs
Overpass Photo by Ed 259 on Unsplash
Smokestack Photo by Documerica on Unsplash
