The Clean Air Council is very active in promoting air quality control. This report analyzes some of their unique ways in addressing the problem of air pollution and its effects on people and the environment. The approaches include education, collaborations, and advocating for lifestyle, industrial, and governmental change in relation to the air people breathe.
Where do the authors work, and what are their areas of expertise? Note any other publications by the authors with relevance to the 6Cities project.
The authors are part of the Clean Air Council NGO for air quality in the Philadelphia region.
What are the main findings or arguments presented in the article or report?
The Plan spoke of Clean Air Council goals and ways to meet the goals.
Interesting objectives on the subject of:
Air Quality
"Collect and maintain a database of sources of air pollution in the Region: stationary, mobile, and area."
"Research and develop a program to address the impact on air quality from nanotechnology."
"Promote permitting and sitting systems for pollution sources that take into account their neighborhoods’ existing environmental burdens."
Global Warming
"Advocate for farming and forestry programs (urban and suburban) that promote the safe sequestration of greenhouse gases."
"Work with policymakers at the local level to develop and make public action plans for how their community will address the expected effects from global climate change."
Green job creation via government funding
Energy
Education on energy efficiency, intensify building codes to call for energy efficient practices, promote smart-grid technology
"Improve state and national Alternative Energy Portfolio Standards."
Transportation
"Oppose policies and laws that favor the car over public transit and non-motorized transportation options."
"Advocate for local, state, and federal policies that promote walking and bicycling."
"Keep track of all significant regional data concerning mobile sources and make this information available to the public.
"Advocate for urban core revitalization to attract people to live in high density, walkable, and bike-friendly communities."
"Work with different goods movement sectors to limit their impact on air quality."
Rails
Waste and Recycling
"Promote reuse through extension of product life, donation and sustainable design"
"Advocate for policies to require manufacturers to use recycled and recyclable materials in their products."
"Work with companies to promote the use of environment tally safe materials and promote manufacturer responsibility for end-of-life products."
Prevent toxins from entering the waste stream
Public Health
"Reduce rates of childhood asthma due to air pollution."
Through decreasing diesel/indoor air pollution exposure, and education of parents and policy makers to specifically focus on "the unique effect pollution has on children."
"Create partnerships with builders, architects, and unions to ensure improved indoor air quality in the buildings."
Also governance
Second hand smoke
"Organize a coalition of doctors, universities, business groups, public health advocacy groups, and environmental groups to document and assess regional health impact from exposure to air pollution."
Organization Goals (to grow the NGO)
Be one of the most effective environmental organizations operating in the Mid-Atlantic Region and be recognized as such.
Stay active, upgrade technology.
Increase the visibility and awareness of the Council across the Mid-Atlantic Region.
Increase membership, "partnerships", stay involved in governance
Ensure that the Council has adequate, stable and diverse funding.
Achieve an adequate revenue stream, with no more than 50% coming from any one source.
Describe at least three ways that the argument is supported.
There isn't really an argument in this piece, it is a list of goals for the Council. The goals are supported by the listed objectives. The objectives substantiate the organizations intentions and viewpoint on management of air pollution in cities and communities.
What three (or more) quotes capture the message of the article or report?
"The Council works through a broad array of related sustainability and public health initiatives, using public education, community action, government oversight, and enforcement of environmental laws."
"Each year Clean Air Council staff, with assistance from the Board, will be responsible for developing specific action plans for meeting the Objectives as set out under the “Goals and Objectives” section of the Strategic Plan."
"At the end of five years from the adoption of this Strategic Plan and every five years thereafter, the staff and Board will prepare a report evaluating the extent to which the Council met its five-year Goal targets and outcomes. Approximately three years into a five-year cycle, the staff and Board will prepare an interim report evaluating the organization’s progress towards meeting its five-year Goal targets and outcomes. The follow through will ensure the long term health and effectiveness of the Council."
What were the methods, tools and/or data used to produce the claims or arguments made in the article or report?
Plan was funded by a grant from the William Penn Foundation, through the Institute for Conservation Leadership’s Organizational and Leadership Effectiveness Program
CAA formed a Plan Team, consisting of Board and staff members.
Team analyzed and bench marked its progress/quality through consultations with stakeholders, Board members, and staff members.
Board and staff member evaluations (previous and current): Asked "for their assessment of the Council on a variety of issues, including vision and planning, programs, fundraising, staff, Board, media, volunteers, and diversity"
Stakeholder organizations and people: "asked where they thought the Council was most effective, what its particular niche was in the environmental movement, who the Council ought to be working with, and what challenges lay ahead for the organization" and more.
Used the data to establish a 'retreat' for formation of a basis for the Strategic Plan
"the substantive focus should remain on air quality"
"the geographic scope should be expanded to encompass the Mid-Atlantic Region, starting with expanded activities in Delaware and New Jersey.
Established a plan "to provide guidance and direction for the Council"
First ever plan for future work.
How (if at all) are health disparities or other equity issues addressed in the article or report?
In the public health region, the plan spoke of addressing problems with health disparities in communities. An interesting way of approaching the problem was by proposing new permitting rules that required evaluation of the current environmental health standing of the community in which industry would grow.
Where has this article or report been referenced or discussed? (In some journals, you can see this in a sidebar.)
This question doesn't apply to this type of report.
Can you learn anything from the article or report’s bibliography that tells us something about how the article or report was produced?
There is no bibliography.
What three points, details or references from the text did you follow up on to advance your understanding of how air pollution science has been produced and used in governance and education in different settings?
Was not able to find anything about the evaluation of the progress in meeting this plan.
Holds programs for organization growth and development
Looked for recent accomplishments of the Clean Air Council. Couldn't find anything I haven't seen.
Does the article provide information or perspective on any of the thematics already identified as important for the 6Cities project? (Could fall under one of these points. Will get back to this before starting next week's assignment and update the Google doc with all new points)
The tools, methods and findings of air pollution research travel broadly, forming an international community that may be consolidating into an “epistemic community” (Hass 1990).
Open data initiatives are enabling air pollution research and action.
A notable group of environmental health researchers and advocates now argue for making air pollution knowledge more actionable by tightening its resolution, leveraging diverse data types (potentially including citizen science) and new capacity in data analytics.
Across sites, there is growing recognition of a need to improve understanding of air pollution, health impacts, and mitigation opportunities at the neighborhood level.
There continues to be considerable distance between air quality sciences and health sciences, and between government agencies responsible for environment, health, transportation, education, and other elements of the air pollution calculus. Stakeholders often refer to the problem as one of “stove-pipes” and “research silos.”
Air pollution has been at the center of increasing NGO activities in many contexts, with NGOs playing increasingly significant roles in governance (Francesch-Huidobro 2007; Mai and Francesch-Huidobro 2014).
There have been important developments in capacity to share air quality information.
Full citation and abstract?
Clean Air Council, "Strategic Plan 2010," Accessed October 20, http://www.cleanair.org/sites/default/files/CAC%20Strategic%20Plan%202010_0.pdf.
The Clean Air Council is very active in promoting air quality control. This report analyzes some of their unique ways in addressing the problem of air pollution and its effects on people and the environment. The approaches include education, collaborations, and advocating for lifestyle, industrial, and governmental change in relation to the air people breathe.
Where do the authors work, and what are their areas of expertise? Note any other publications by the authors with relevance to the 6Cities project.
- The authors are part of the Clean Air Council NGO for air quality in the Philadelphia region.
What are the main findings or arguments presented in the article or report?- The Plan spoke of Clean Air Council goals and ways to meet the goals.
- Interesting objectives on the subject of:
- Air Quality
- "Collect and maintain a database of sources of air pollution in the Region: stationary, mobile, and area."
- "Research and develop a program to address the impact on air quality from nanotechnology."
- "Promote permitting and sitting systems for pollution sources that take into account their neighborhoods’ existing environmental burdens."
- Global Warming
- "Advocate for farming and forestry programs (urban and suburban) that promote the safe sequestration of greenhouse gases."
- "Work with policymakers at the local level to develop and make public action plans for how their community will address the expected effects from global climate change."
- Green job creation via government funding
- Energy
- Education on energy efficiency, intensify building codes to call for energy efficient practices, promote smart-grid technology
- "Improve state and national Alternative Energy Portfolio Standards."
- Transportation
- "Oppose policies and laws that favor the car over public transit and non-motorized transportation options."
- "Advocate for local, state, and federal policies that promote walking and bicycling."
- "Keep track of all significant regional data concerning mobile sources and make this information available to the public.
- "Advocate for urban core revitalization to attract people to live in high density, walkable, and bike-friendly communities."
- "Work with different goods movement sectors to limit their impact on air quality."
- Rails
- Waste and Recycling
- "Promote reuse through extension of product life, donation and sustainable design"
- "Advocate for policies to require manufacturers to use recycled and recyclable materials in their products."
- "Work with companies to promote the use of environment tally safe materials and promote manufacturer responsibility for end-of-life products."
- Prevent toxins from entering the waste stream
- Public Health
- "Reduce rates of childhood asthma due to air pollution."
- Through decreasing diesel/indoor air pollution exposure, and education of parents and policy makers to specifically focus on "the unique effect pollution has on children."
- "Create partnerships with builders, architects, and unions to ensure improved indoor air quality in the buildings."
- Also governance
- Second hand smoke
- "Organize a coalition of doctors, universities, business groups, public health advocacy groups, and environmental groups to document and assess regional health impact from exposure to air pollution."
- Organization Goals (to grow the NGO)
- Be one of the most effective environmental organizations operating in the Mid-Atlantic Region and be recognized as such.
- Stay active, upgrade technology.
- Increase the visibility and awareness of the Council across the Mid-Atlantic Region.
- Increase membership, "partnerships", stay involved in governance
- Ensure that the Council has adequate, stable and diverse funding.
- Achieve an adequate revenue stream, with no more than 50% coming from any one source.
Describe at least three ways that the argument is supported.- There isn't really an argument in this piece, it is a list of goals for the Council. The goals are supported by the listed objectives. The objectives substantiate the organizations intentions and viewpoint on management of air pollution in cities and communities.
What three (or more) quotes capture the message of the article or report?- "The Council works through a broad array of related sustainability and public health initiatives, using public education, community action, government oversight, and enforcement of environmental laws."
- "Each year Clean Air Council staff, with assistance from the Board, will be responsible for developing specific action plans for meeting the Objectives as set out under the “Goals and Objectives” section of the Strategic Plan."
- "At the end of five years from the adoption of this Strategic Plan and every five years thereafter, the staff and Board will prepare a report evaluating the extent to which the Council met its five-year Goal targets and outcomes. Approximately three years into a five-year cycle, the staff and Board will prepare an interim report evaluating the organization’s progress towards meeting its five-year Goal targets and outcomes. The follow through will ensure the long term health and effectiveness of the Council."
What were the methods, tools and/or data used to produce the claims or arguments made in the article or report?- Plan was funded by a grant from the William Penn Foundation, through the Institute for Conservation Leadership’s Organizational and Leadership Effectiveness Program
- CAA formed a Plan Team, consisting of Board and staff members.
- Team analyzed and bench marked its progress/quality through consultations with stakeholders, Board members, and staff members.
- Board and staff member evaluations (previous and current): Asked "for their assessment of the Council on a variety of issues, including vision and planning, programs, fundraising, staff, Board, media, volunteers, and diversity"
- Stakeholder organizations and people: "asked where they thought the Council was most effective, what its particular niche was in the environmental movement, who the Council ought to be working with, and what challenges lay ahead for the organization" and more.
- Used the data to establish a 'retreat' for formation of a basis for the Strategic Plan
- "the substantive focus should remain on air quality"
- "the geographic scope should be expanded to encompass the Mid-Atlantic Region, starting with expanded activities in Delaware and New Jersey.
- Established a plan "to provide guidance and direction for the Council"
- First ever plan for future work.
How (if at all) are health disparities or other equity issues addressed in the article or report?- In the public health region, the plan spoke of addressing problems with health disparities in communities. An interesting way of approaching the problem was by proposing new permitting rules that required evaluation of the current environmental health standing of the community in which industry would grow.
Where has this article or report been referenced or discussed? (In some journals, you can see this in a sidebar.)- This question doesn't apply to this type of report.
Can you learn anything from the article or report’s bibliography that tells us something about how the article or report was produced?- There is no bibliography.
What three points, details or references from the text did you follow up on to advance your understanding of how air pollution science has been produced and used in governance and education in different settings?Does the article provide information or perspective on any of the thematics already identified as important for the 6Cities project?
(Could fall under one of these points. Will get back to this before starting next week's assignment and update the Google doc with all new points)