Clean Air: Managing Contaminants in Indoor Spaces and Mitigating Impacts of Air Pollution
Overview
The Pittsburgh region, and its residents, have long battled against the memorable 1868 characterization of Pittsburgh as “hell with the lid taken off.” Indeed, the region’s air quality has improved since that time. Yet the region is still challenged, 150 years later, to reduce the negative health impacts of air pollution. In a study released Wednesday, February 21, 2018, the American Council for an Energy Efficient Economy, in conjunction with Physicians for Social Responsibility, characterized the Pittsburgh region as having some of the worst outdoor air in the nation. This assessment is consistent with other findings. Pittsburgh was ranked #8 worst for year-round particle pollution and #17 worst for short-term particle pollution by the American Lung Association in 2017.
Efforts are underway by several organizations to tackle the air pollution problem in the Pittsburgh region. Participants joined the Sustainable Pittsburgh Challenge team for this workshop to explore the current state of the region’s air quality, and learned how their organizations could contribute to regional efforts to study, characterize and reduce the health impacts of air pollution. Cleaner air means healthier residents, a more productive workforce, and cost savings.
Workshop participants learned how to gain access to free air quality monitoring tools, and heard how others have reduced air contaminants in indoor spaces using a variety of interventions.
Date
Thursday, March 15, 2018
Time
8:30 - 9:00 am: Breakfast & Networking
9:00 am - 11:30 am: Program
Location
112 Sherman Street, Millvale, PA 15209
Cost
$15.00 for Sustainable Pittsburgh Challenge Participants
$25.00 for Sustainable Pittsburgh Member/ Challenge Non-Participant
$35.00 for Sustainable Pittsburgh Non-Member/ Challenge Non-Participant
Agenda
8:30 am – 9:00 am Registration, Networking, and Breakfast
Breakfast provided by QuickHatch Coffee and Food
9:00 am – 9:10 am Welcome and Opening Remarks
Autumn Secrest, Sustainable Business Programs Manager, Sustainable Pittsburgh
9:10 am – 9:30 am Welcome to Millvale: A Certified Platinum Sustainable PA Community
Zaheen Hussain, Millvale Sustainability Coordinator and Director of Sustainability at New Sun Rising
9:30 am – 10:15 am State of the Region’s Air Quality: Overview and Update
Rachel Filippini, Executive Director, Group Against Smog and Pollution (GASP)
10:15 am – 11:00 am Understanding Indoor Air Quality, and Impacts from Outdoor Contaminants
Linda Wigington, Team Leader, Reducing Outdoor Contaminants in Indoor Spaces (ROCIS)
11:00 am – 11:15 am Case Study: Indoor Air Quality Interventions
Chris Guignon, Designer and Project Manager, evolveEA
11:15 am - 11:25 am Whole Group Discussion and Q&A Session
11:25 am – 11:30 am Closing Remarks, Program End
Autumn Secrest, Sustainable Business Programs Manager, Sustainable Pittsburgh
SP Challenge Actions
Participants in this workshop gained sufficient information to complete the following actions in the 2018 Sustainable Pittsburgh Challenge:
A1: Join a ROCIS cohort and attend all meetings (5 points)
A2: Monitor indoor particulate matter in your home or office with ROCIS (20 points)
A3: Monitor radon in your home or office with ROCIS (20 points)
A4: Monitor carbon dioxide in your home or office with ROCIS (20 points)
A5: Monitor carbon monoxide in your home or office with ROCIS (20 points)
A6: Interpret data from your monitoring period (5 to 10 points)
A7: Write an air quality intervention and improvement plan (10 points)
A8: Conduct a post-intervention air quality assessment (5 to 20 points)
A9: Sign up for action day forecasts (1 to 10 points)
A10: Implement the Air Quality Flagging program at your organization (3 points)
A11: Write a policy to take action on air quality action days (4 to 5 points)
A12: Present your monitoring data (2 points)
A21: Build a box fan filter to mitigate the impact of high-particulate matter activities (5 points)
A29: Advocate for better air quality in your neighborhood (3 points)
Earn Air Quality Ribbons
Earn a white ribbon: Complete actions A1-A5, then earn 10 points from any combination of actions A12 – A33 (instrumental actions). Each ribbon is worth 25 bonus points.
Earn a red ribbon: Complete actions A6-A8, then earn 20 points from any combination of actions A12 – A33 (instrumental actions). Each ribbon is worth 25 bonus points.
Earn a blue ribbon: Complete actions A9-A11, then earn 30 points from any combination of actions A12 – A33 (instrumental actions). Each ribbon is worth 25 bonus points.