2023 represented my first full year as the Executive Director of CleanAIRE NC, and as I reflect on the past year, I marvel at what the organization has accomplished. It was a year of learning, partnership, collaboration, and, most importantly, engagement with the communities we serve.
The realm of climate change, environmental justice, and advocacy demands patience, coordination and strategic execution to create and measure the difference we make. In 2023, we rose to the challenge with strong performance, making strides in all five program areas.
We actively contributed to Governor Cooper’s Environmental Justice Executive Order initiative, first by working with the Governor’s office to facilitate community input, and then through the appointment of our very own Community Science Program Manager to the Governor’s EJ advisory commission. This direct involvement ensures that the voices of the communities we serve are heard and their needs are met.
Nearly 200 participants joined our annual NC BREATHE conference, where we advocated for community inclusion in policymaking and emphasized the importance of lived experiences in understanding the interconnectedness of health, climate impact, and equity. We also continued our partnerships with Atrium Healthcare and Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, providing educational programming to help both medical residents and school nurses understand, recognize, and treat the impacts of climate change and air pollution.
CleanAIRE NC expanded our reach through partnerships across the state and nation, providing access to capacity building, funding, and mission development opportunities, leveraging Justice40 resources to do more with communities to drive clean energy and green development. Collaborations with organizations like Sol Nation, Greenlining the Block, WERA, the City of Charlotte Sustainability, the Rural Beacon Initiative, EJCAN, and many others broadened our horizons and strengthened our capabilities.
As we enter 2024, our commitment to environmental justice and community empowerment remains unwavering. We are excited to translate possibilities into tangible impacts, leaving a lasting mark on the communities and organizations we work and partner with. We invite you to continue this journey with us, knowing that your support fuels our fight for a cleaner, healthier North Carolina for all.
Following a year of meetings with Governor Cooper’s office and rallying North Carolina communities to weigh in on the environmental justice issues that matter to them, together our advocacy helped secure a new Executive Order that will prioritize environmental justice in North Carolina policymaking.
We mobilized hundreds of North Carolinians to voice their support for stronger air quality and climate standards, including calls for more robust limits on climate pollution from fossil fuel power plants across the United States.
Sediment in the air is harder to see, so we often overlook the impacts it is having on our daily lives. We are so thankful to work with CleanAIRE NC to monitor our air quality in southeast Durham County! This helps people in our community with asthma, COPD, and other medical conditions tremendously.
Preserve Rural Durham
Our AirKeeper network keeps on growing, with 20 new volunteer air monitor hosts joining us to measure their community air quality in Durham, Northampton, Mecklenburg, Sampson, and Alamance Counties.
We provided resources and training to hundreds of doctors, school nurses, and other health professionals to help them integrate environmental health into their patient care and lead calls for clean air and climate solutions.
CleanAIRE NC has been a leading voice for air quality, climate change awareness, and a tireless advocate for the people of North Carolina for healthcare and environmental justice. They educate the public and push policies that address the quality of life for all North Carolinians.
Mayor, Charlotte NC
Each year, CleanAIRE NC honors individuals, organizations, and partners who have shown extraordinary commitment to combating climate change and air pollution in North Carolina. Congratulations to our 2023 Blue Sky Award Winners!
Community Leader Award
Sherri
White-Williamson
Outstanding Service Award
Kwame
Alexander
Alan Burns Legacy Award
Yancey
Fouché
Community Partner Award
Ray
Addison
Volunteer of the Year Award
Ron
Ross
With Duke Energy planning to raise electricity bills to support their outdated fossil fuel investments, CleanAIRE NC and our partners organized a rally and press conference urging state regulators to oppose inequitable rate hikes that would disproportionately impact low-income households.
Our eighth annual NC BREATHE conference drew a diverse group of health professionals, students, and community advocates to share strategies for climate justice and healthier communities.
CleanAIRE NC has helped me greatly in understanding of how daily pollutants can affect my son’s asthma. I rely on the air monitor they provided to track his flare ups in relation to daily changes in the weather and environment.
Pottstown Heritage Group
We’re holding industrial-scale livestock farms (also known as CAFOs) accountable for their damage to North Carolina’s air, water, and communities. This year we organized calls to strengthen limits on CAFO pollution, while amplifying community voices through documentary screenings of The Smell of Money in Davidson, Asheville, and Winston-Salem.
CleanAIRE NC was accepted into the U.S. State Department’s Young Leaders of the Americas Initiative, partnering with Bolivian entrepreneur Daniela Rossana of Yo Planto un Arbolito to develop a strategic engagement plan to foster outreach to North Carolina’s Latinx communities. This partnership will lay the groundwork for future collaborations with environmental leaders and organizations in Bolivia and beyond.
Sol Nation’s partnership with CleanAIRE NC has been invaluable because of our collaborative sharing of resources and ideas! Both organizations have a desire to impact our communities in a positive way and we are better able to do that by combining our strengths. Together, we will shape the narrative of environmental and climate justice in Charlotte and beyond.”
Sol Nation
We are deeply grateful for the generosity of all our donors. Your unwavering support fueled our fight for cleaner air, a more stable climate, and a just and equitable future for all North Carolinians. As we look back on everything we accomplished this past year, we know we couldn’t have done it without your belief in our mission. Thank you for being a part of this movement.
When people are equipped with the right knowledge and tools, they’re empowered to take action and chart a better future. To that end, our programming teaches our members about climate change and air quality, engages them in data collection, and empowers them to take action in the community and political sphere.
Community Science volunteers track and help interpret local air quality data, captured by low-cost air monitoring devices. All across the state, scientists and change-makers can use the data we collect to improve the quality of the air we breathe.
As advocates, we organize and take action for policy solutions that lead to better health for our communities. We provide the training and tools to help our members hold polluters accountable and push for stronger climate and clean air protections.
No community should suffer more environmental burdens because of their race or socioeconomic status. Our environmental justice efforts target the root causes of the damage, identify its disparate impacts, and chart paths to restoration.
Doctors, nurses, and health professionals are among the most trusted messengers on the health impacts of air pollution and climate change. The CleanAIRE NC Health program leverages these trusted voices to advocate for a healthier, more resilient future.
We’re equipping North Carolinians with the knowledge, tools, and resources they need to protect their health and advance clean air and climate solutions.
*unaudited
Executive Director
Deputy Director
Philanthropy & Marketing Director
Partnership Manager
Advocacy Manager
Health Manager
Sr. Marketing Manager
Office Manager
Environmental Justice Manager
Community Science Manager
Communications Manager
Chair
Vice President, Commercial Construction | RJ Leeper Construction
Vice Chair
Senior Financial Business Analyst | Bank of America
Secretary
Founder | RESET Integrative Health Coaching
Executive Vice President & Chief Human Resources Officer | Foundation For The Carolinas
Civic Leader
Financial Capabilities Manager | Self-Help Credit Union
Operational Risk Consultant | Wells Fargo
Civic Science Fellow
Sigma Xi
Physical Scientist | U.S. EPA
Associate Professor | Wake Forest
