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Addressing Health and Equity

through Community Science Monitoring

Daisha Wall, Community Science Manager

August 29, 2024

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Our Mission

We advocate for the health of all North Carolinians by pursuing equitable and collaborative solutions that address climate change and air pollution.

Our Vision

Where a stable climate and clean air create healthier lives for all.

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CleanAIRE NC

Programs & Initiatives

Health Program
Policy Program
Environmental Justice Program
Education Program
Community Science Program

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Community Science

CleanAIRE NC’s Community Science Program partners with individuals and organizations to increase the amount of scientific data on local air pollution levels and makes it available to residents, researchers, and state officials to advance air quality and public health goals.

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Community Science Program

Helps Make the Invisible Visible
Fills in Data Gaps
Promotes Data Justice
Supports Advocacy Efforts to Protect Health

NC PM 2.5 Regulated Monitors scattered across the state

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Mecklenburg County Commission Approves EPA Monitor in Historic West End as a result of Citizen Science Monitoring

Air Pollution is a Leading Cause of Death

Leading Causes of Death in North Carolina
Rank	Cause	Deaths, 2020
1	Heart Disease	20,373
2	Cancer	19,996
3	Covid-19	161.7 (crude death rate per 100,000)
4	Accidents	7,379
5	Stroke	5,720

Source: Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, 2020, 2021

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Mecklenburg County Commission Approves EPA Monitor in Historic West End as a result of Citizen Science Monitoring

Air Pollution Exposure: Demographic Sources & Exposure

Modified from a figure in the peer-reviewed study: “Inequity in consumption of goods and services adds to racial–ethnic disparities in air pollution exposure” https://www.pnas.org/content/116/13/6001.full

BIPOC populations in USA are exposed to more pollution than they are responsible for emitting.

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Birth of the Movement:

Warren County, North Carolina

1982: NC announced a plan to move PCB contaminated soil to predominantly black county
Wave of protests ensued, resulting in arrest of faith leaders and U.S. Congressman

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United Church of Christ Report, 1987

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How did we get here?

Communities of color are routinely targeted to host facilities that have negative environmental impacts: Industrial facilities, landfills, CAFOs, etc.
Stemmed from racist practices such as redlining and segregation that have shaped the experiences of minorities in this country.
Redlining: practice of cities blocking off entire neighborhoods of color for loans, investment, and development.
Banned under Fair Housing Act of 1968, but legacy persists.

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Historic West End Challenges

Social Determinants of Health

2012-2016 Public Health Priority Areas

Historical Place Based Social Exclusion

1935 Redlining Disinvestment Map Crescent

Continued Economic Segregation

2020 Poverty

Sources: 2017-18 Mecklenburg County Health Assessment, 2018 Mecklenburg State of the County Health Report (SCOTCH)

Historic West End Challenges

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Understanding & Addressing Challenges Through Community Monitoring

2017: Community monitoring efforts begin
Measured levels of PM 2.5
Connections between social determinants of health and exposure to air pollution

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Mecklenburg County Commission Approves EPA Monitor in Historic West End as a result of Citizen Science Monitoring

Mecklenburg County Commission Approves EPA Monitor in Historic West End as a result of Community Science Monitoring

Friendship Missionary Baptist Church, EPA Federal PM 2.5 Air Monitor

Ron Ross (L), Calvin Cupini (R)

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HWE Monitoring Network

16 PurpleAir monitors in

6 HWE neighborhoods

AQI

PM2.5

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Green Infrastructure + Strategic Tree Plantings

Wells Fargo ATM Clean Air Garden
Charlotte 2022 Placemaking Grant: HWE Green District Green Pillars
Tree Adoption with TreesCharlotte
Monitoring in highly polluted neighborhoods
Greening bus shelter

Projects & Outcomes

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Electric Vehicle Expansion

PoleVolt & PurpleAir Monitor
EV Ride and Drive Event to educate residents about electric vehicle infrastructure and expansion
Deployment of other EV charging sites: Beatties Ford Rd Corridor

Projects & Outcomes

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Education & Advocacy

Virtual Clean Air Advocacy Trainings
Virtual Healthy Air Education Series
100+ Historic West End residents participated!

Projects & Outcomes

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AirKeeper Engagement

Technology Advancement

Community Science Corner- Cluster Networks

Community Level

Emissions Reporting

Report Backs

AirKeeper Dashboard

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https://cleanairenc.org/emissions-reporting/

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AirKeeper Report Backs

Seeks to provide communities with data on their exposure. We can then use a broad range of approaches to using this PurpleAir data in order to advocate for environmental justice at the local and regional level.

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Coming 2025

AirKeeper Dashboard

Tailored to meet the unique needs and concerns of those most affected by air quality issues

Goal: provide communities with real-time data, visualization tools, and insights that are critical for effective advocacy and informed decision-making.

Canadian wildfires, July 18, 2023

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EPA Enhanced Air Quality Monitoring Grant (500k)

Sampson County

Measuring pm 2.5, speciated VOCs, and H₂S emitted from swine and poultry CAFOs, Sampson County Landfill, and Enviva Sampson wood pellet facility.

Partnering with Environmental Justice Community Action Network (EJCAN) to provide clean air education, mapping training, and advocacy training for community members

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EPA EJ Collaborative Problem Solving Grant (500k)

North Mecklenburg

Huntington Green, Pottstown, Smithville, and West Davidson

Connecting air quality data with health data on disparities for advocacy around including EJ parameters in the Mecklenburg County 2027 Community Health Assessment

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Moving Forward

Fill data gaps in understanding through effective data collection and data access

Facilitate stakeholder collaboration by co-developing project outcomes

Cultivate an active community of AirKeepers

Educate community members, K-12 students, and young adults about air quality and protecting public health

Sustain and grow successful statewide community science projects from the AirKeepers Academy & AirKeepers Dashboard

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THANK YOU!

https://cleanairenc.org/

Daisha Wall

Community Science Manager

daisha@cleanairenc.org