by Stephanie Cleland In February, Medical Advocates for Healthy Air (MAHA) attended and tabled at the 41st Annual Minority Health Conference in Chapel Hill. The inspiring keynotes and interesting side sessions emphasized how much work is still needed to achieve health equity. Discussions with attendees about the work of Clean Air Carolina and MAHA shone a...

by Dr. Aaron Levy Climate change and air pollution affect everyone. But children, the elderly, and those with chronic illnesses like asthma are most vulnerable to the negative consequences. We often can’t see the impact air quality has on children’s health, making it challenging to explain. As a pediatrician, I seek to make the issue...

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 Julia Krauchanka, Bill Schlesinger, and H. Kim Lyerly Every person breathes thousands of gallons of air each day, making air the greatest potential source of toxic exposure known to humankind. Occupational exposure to air contaminated with the toxics found in coal or radioactive dust can lead to recognized health conditions such a black lung...

  by Mary Stauble October 31 isn’t just Halloween. It also marks the official end of ozone season in North Carolina (March 1 – October 31). Ozone is a colorless gas that occurs naturally in the Earth’s stratosphere, where it helps protect us from harmful ultraviolet rays. Down at ground level, however, ozone is a...

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 Rachel McIntosh-Kastrinsky The fifth annual NC BREATHE Conference was held on April 11, 2019 at Cape Fear Community College in Wilmington, North Carolina. This year’s conference focused on environmental justice challenges in North Carolina, the birthplace of the environmental justice movement. Sponsored by Clean Air Carolina, Medical Advocates for Healthy Air, Fred and Alice...

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,...