by Joel Porter North Carolina’s air got a little cleaner this week. Thanks to Clean Air Carolina’s advocacy, CPI Roxboro in Person County and CPI Southport in Brunswick County will cease operations after years of emissions violations. These two power plants burned waste (tires, train ties, etc.) and coal to generate energy, then turned around...

As the Charlotte region grows, its air quality is under threat: Particle pollution from vehicles, ground-level ozone, pollution from coal and natural gas power plants, and more all contribute to an invisible yet serious challenge. Clean Air Carolina executive director June Blotnick went on the Future Charlotte podcast last month to talk with Ely Portillo...

When the city of Charlotte released its Strategic Energy Action Plan (SEAP) in 2018, one of its stated goals was to power 100% of the city’s vehicle fleets and buildings with zero-carbon sources by 2030. Ever since the publication of SEAP, Clean Air Carolina and our partners in the Charlotte Mecklenburg Climate Leaders have been working...

  by Chad Carwein Universities regularly undergo construction to address the needs of the community and improve the education and training they provide. Every day, individuals from all walks of life visit university campuses. It may be for their own education, to attend a campus event, or to go to work. When people walk by...

MAHA’s support helps protect health of Fairfield Harbour community by Rachel McIntosh-Kastrinsky “We couldn’t have accomplished this without [MAHA’s] invaluable insight, help, and support,” said Cindy Pellegrini. In the summer of 2018, Medical Advocates for Healthy Air (MAHA) received a request for help from Cindy Pellegrini, a resident of Fairfield Harbour. The small community, located...

by Calvin Cupini Equipped with air quality sensors, Charlotte’s Historic West End is trying to reverse decades of environmental injustice. During the separate-and-unequal era of Jim Crow segregation, African American neighborhoods all over the country faced racially targeted land-use decisions. These policies pushed communities into areas with fewer resources that were often at greater risk...

by Jessica Jones “We are a community of learners, who through relationships are building awareness of environmental, racial, social, and economic inequities. This knowledge inspires us to serve with our communities to advocate, to heal, and to ‘lift as we climb.'” I have the privilege of exploring science with the most passionate, curious group of...

by Calvin Cupini Communities in Charlotte’s Historic West End frequently live in close proximity to major sources of harmful air pollution. For the past several years Clean Air Carolina has been partnering with community residents to tackle this environmental justice challenge, working together to monitor local air quality, convene stakeholders, write reports, and hold meetings...

by Andrew Whelan For something that impacts us every second of every day, air quality can seem very intangible compared to other day-to-day concerns. “Most people don’t even think about air pollution,” explains Thomas Hillis. “It can be easy to just forget about, because it’s often invisible.” As the Air Awareness Coordinator for Forsyth County,...

by Mary Ellis Stevens A lot has changed since my first climate strike in the freezing rain back in February — I’ve swapped my beanie for sunglasses and a trucker hat and replaced my down sleeping bag with a bottle of sunscreen. Friday’s security shift at the Government Center has finally stopped eyeing me curiously,...