Community-Based Air Quality Improvement

Overview

“Red Alert” days have become an unfortunate, but frequent reality for Salt Lake Valley residents.

Governor Jon M. Huntsman, Jr., Salt Lake County Mayor Peter Corroon and Salt Lake City Mayor Ralph Becker have co-convened this community-based effort to mobilize community members – businesses, organizations and individuals – to take personal action toward improving the air quality in the Salt Lake Valley.

The primary focus of this collaborative effort will be to develop projects with the long-term goal of reducing fine particle emissions and ground level ozone. The projects will supplement City, County, regional and State air quality improvement activities already underway. The project focus is on action, not developing or changing policy.

The initial Partners Team includes key opinion leaders to identify and prioritize potential community-based projects with the greatest air quality improvement potential. One prioritized project will be implemented at a time. Each community-based project will have its own Partners Team, which will draw from the initial group and other partners as needed to get the work done.

The recent anti-idling campaign at schools is an example of a collaborative community-based project that encourages individuals to take one simple action (“turn the key, be idle free”), which has a direct impact on reducing air pollution when taken by many individuals.

First Project - Clear the Air Challenge

The Clear The Air Challenge was held in Utah from June 1 – July 10, 2009. Utah Governor Huntsman, Salt Lake City Mayor Becker and Salt Lake County Mayor Corroon challenged all who drive in the Salt Lake Valley to Drive Less and Drive Smarter. The 6-week competition featured 3,500 drivers working together to save over 1 million miles and reduce 1.7 million pounds of emissions. The program encouraged participants to find alternatives to driving single-occupant vehicles whenever possible. Public transportation, carpooling, and active transportation methods (such as walking and biking) all contributed to fewer cars on the road, and less pollution in the air. For those who could not avoid driving, the focus was on “trip chaining,” a way of organizing your trip and combining stops in order to reach all destinations with the least amount of driving and mileage possible.

The challenge was sponsored by a number of local companies and organizations. Individuals and teams, many from local businesses, all competed to eliminate trips and reduce miles driven. All trip and mileage data was logged on the Challenge website, where you can also find the cumulative results, the weekly winners and the grand prize winners and outstanding teams. These results have implications beyond reducing air pollution – by saving miles and eliminating car trips, the participants also saved energy by not using 45,482 gallons of gasoline and saved over $500,000 in total vehicle costs.

Even though the official challenge is over, we all still need to reduce our vehicle emissions by eliminating trips and saving miles to enhance our air quality. The number of Red and Yellow Air Quality Index days along the Wasatch Front is still too high. By continuing to walk or bike whenever possible, using public transportation, or grouping all of your errands into one trip, you can help improve the quality of the air we breathe. If you have to drive to a store, stop and think whether there is anything else you will need later on, so that you can eliminate a second trip. If you go to a local park or business, could you have walked there? There are many other options and ideas available on how to reduce your vehicle use and the associated air emissions. Find one that fits your lifestyle best, and commit to making a change. The Challenge website is still “live”, if you want to keep track of your trips and mileage.

Next Steps

Individual partners are carrying on the message and momentum of the Clear The Air Challenge.

Governor Herbert and four mayors proclaimed the week of September 21-27, 2009 to be Idle Free Awareness Week. During that week, over 80 schools participated in the second Turn the Key, Be Idle Free event.

Governor Herbert and four mayors will be proclaiming November 2009 to be Alternative Fuel Vehicle Awareness Month.

The SLC School District, TravelWise and SLC Office of Sustainability are partnering to create a pilot curriculum (as part of the state core curriculum) around sustainability and Drive Less themes. The curriculum is being tested at Morningside Elementary, and will expand to other schools in the SLC District, then hopefully go statewide.

Several partners are working on a red alert action plan project, identifying additional strategies to encourage people to Drive Less on “red alert” days.

There are ongoing conversations with EPA and other potential funders to make the Clear The Air Challenge an annual or bi-annual (spring and winter) event. We also have plans to expand the Challenge to schools (Clear The Air School Challenge) and to other Utah municipalities.