Why isn't anybody doing anything about this?
How can I get involved?
The good news is that there are plenty of local groups fighting to increase awareness, fund research, and push government and industries to tighten their regulations. The groups highlighted below are certainly not the only ones in Pittsburgh, but they are all very active and approach the problem in different ways.
The Allegheny Front is a local group known for its popular public radio program covering environmental issues in Southwestern Pennsylvania. On their website, they also provide original content that includes interviews, stories, and political commentary. The Allegheny Front was started in 1991.
Click here to listen to a recent broadcast that examines where our new governor-elect Tom Wolf stands on environmental issues, as well as other topics.
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GASP or Group Against Smog and Pollution is a non-profit environmental citizens' group that has been operating in the Pittsburgh area since 1969. GASP uses education, advocacy, public meetings, media strategies, and even litigation to inform the public and enforce and strengthen regulations. GASP has many volunteer opportunities and several cool initiatives (see below) aimed at getting citizens involved:
- Athletes United for Healthy Air: Did you know that the risks of exercising in polluted air might actually outweigh the benefits? GASP's Athletes for Cleaner Air group promotes the idea that all athletes have the right to exercise in healthy air. They sponsor educational events and outdoor activities such as the Clean Air Dash 5K.
- Bicycle Air Monitoring Program: GASP is providing bicyclists with special monitors to collect air pollution readings around our city, in an effort to identify polluted hotspots. Click here for more information or to sign up!
- Below is a screenshot showing information collected by bicycle monitors already. The map could use some additional explanation in my opinion, but even here you can see that downtown Pittsburgh has a lot of particulate matter in the air, as evidenced by the red dots. Link to the live map here.
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| Source: GASP |
- Smoke Readers are volunteers trained to spot and measure emissions from local plants; they also learn to file reports when they see a violation. These efforts have led to fines against companies. Want to get trained and get involved? Start here. And see the Smoke Readers in action below in this WTAE story!
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Marcellus Protest is another environmental group focused on Western Pennsylvania. This group formed in 2010 to protest local Marcellus gas drilling, which is also known as hydraulic fracturing or "fracking." Fracking is associated with air and water pollution, and dangerous health effects. Marcellus Protest organizes rallies, engages in advocacy and fundraising, and promotes stories to the media to call attention to negative health and environmental effects associated with this industry. Take a look at their informative monthly newsletter here or register to volunteer here.
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| Source: Marcellus Protect Facebook page, featuring a 2013 protest in Downtown Pittsburgh |
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The Breathe Project is a local initiative launched by The Heinz Endowments in 2011. This group includes citizens, industry, government, and medical research stakeholders on a mission to improve air quality and health in our region. According to their website, working with "Breathe Project Coalition Partners" has yielded positive results for our community, as evidenced by the graphic below showing a 16.5 ton decrease in emissions reduction. Though I do not see any volunteer opportunities, they do provide tips on how you can lessen your personal environmental impact. The organization's Facebook page is more active than the website. I'm looking forward to hearing more from the Breathe Project!
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| Source: The Breathe Project |
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Here are some other groups that are active in our region. Some are local and others are national groups with local chapters:
Want to be added to the list? Send a comment!
Next Up
Reading about GASP's "Athletes United for Healthy Air" project made me gasp! Aside from walking my dogs and gardening, I don't get much outdoor exercise. But I was shocked to read that exercising in bad air is so risky. Next up in the Pittsburgh Smog Blog, I'll use a video to show you how exactly toxins from air pollution get into our bodies and what happens after they do.
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