It’s the Pittsburgh-region’s most exciting giving event of the year. Your gift to GASP today, and today only, will be added to by the Pittsburgh Foundation. Pretty simple, right? Read more and please donate today at www.pittsburghgives.org. Donations will help us continue our fight against air pollution and for better air quality. Thank you! #airpollution #airquality #DayofGiving #ThePittsburghFoundation

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Sept. 16, 2013 Contacts: Rachel Filippini, Executive Director Group Against Smog and Pollution 412.924.0604 or (c) 724-972-9885 rachel@gasp-pgh.org Robert Levin, President Levin Furniture 724.872.2050 ext. 239 rlevin@levinfurniture.com Levin Furniture Donates Free Registration for Students in Pittsburgh’s First-Ever Clean Air Dash and Festival PITTSBURGH, PA – Thanks to a generous donation from Levin Furniture, 65 young people (18 years of age and younger) will run free of charge in Pittsburgh’s inaugural Clean Air Dash and Festival, on Saturday, October 19. This USA Track & Field-certified 5K course is flat and fast, suitable for all ages and skill levels. Runners will enjoy a scenic, fun race through one of the city’s most-loved greenways—theThree Rivers Heritage Trail in South Side Riverfront Park, followed by a free, family-friendly festival celebrating the region’s progress toward better air quality. Group Against Smog and Pollution (GASP) is hosting this event with support of the Breathe Project and many community sponsors. To learn more about the Clean Air Dash and Festival and to sign-up visit: http://gasp-pgh.org/projects/au/5k/. To take advantage of the free student sponsorships contact Sam Thomas at sam@gasp-pgh.org or 412-924-0604. “Levin Furniture has a passion for sustainability and commitment to the local community, and we are thrilled to be part of this fun and festive day,” said Robert Levin, President of Levin Furniture. “We’re also pleased to support the great efforts being made across the Pittsburgh region to raise awareness of the importance of clean, healthy air among young people and their families.” “We are excited to be able to engage more participants in the Clean Air Dash and bring them to our race thanks to the generosity of Levin Furniture,” said Rachel Filippini, GASP Executive Director. “This inaugural event is a celebration of sustainable and healthy communities, clean air, and improvements in the region’s overall environmental health.” The Clean Air Dash and Festival is the perfect opportunity to let your child or student participate in a fun, physically active competition, while they learn how important clean air is for their own health and the well being of their community. Young people are especially sensitive to the health impacts of air pollution because their lungs are still developing and they breathe a proportionately greater volume of air than adults. They also spend more time engaged in vigorous activity outdoors. In addition to the 5K, there will also be a one-mile Fun Run/Walk. Attendees can also scale the Venture Outdoors climbing wall, practice football skills with a Pittsburgh Passion player, calm their souls with some yoga, learn about a variety of environmental issues, and enjoy some tasty treats from food trucks. The Clean Air Dash and Festival is an educational and fundraising event that supports GASP’s Athletes United for Healthy Air campaign. The campaign aims to educate athletes of all kinds about our regional air quality issues, ways they can minimize their exposure to air pollution while exercising and playing sports, and how to become champions for cleaner air. # # # The Group Against Smog and Pollution, Inc. (GASP) is Pittsburgh-based non-profit citizens group working for a healthy, sustainable environment. Founded in 1969, GASP serves as a watchdog, educator, litigator, and policy-maker on many environmental issues with a focus on air quality in Southwestern Pennsylvania. For more information, visit http://www.gasp-pgh.org. Levin Furniture is a three-generation, family owned and operated furniture and mattress retailer with 23 stores in Southwestern Pennsylvania and Northeastern Ohio. Levin’s, founded in 1920, has a long history as a socially responsible member of the communities in which they operate. The company supports many groups and causes including the Free Care Fund at Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, the American Red Cross, and the Make-A-Wish Foundation. For more information, visit http://www.LevinFurniture.com. #airpollution #airquality #RachelFilippini #ThreeRiversHeritageTrail

Editor’s Note: The below is a guest post by PennFuture. This post is one in a month-long series speaking to 15 of PennFuture’s significant victories. It was 15 years ago this September that we began our work to protect the environment and champion a clean energy economy. Mercury is a proven neurotoxin. It can damage the developing brains and nervous systems of babies (including those in utero), children, and adults. Some may foolishly deny the reality of climate change, but no one denies that mercury can poison us. Pennsylvania’s mercury emissions are very high. So, where does it all come from? Largely from the smokestacks of our coal-fired power plants. Nearly a decade ago, in 2004, PennFuture decided to right this wrong. Facing an uphill battle, we nevertheless filed a petition with the Pennsylvania Environmental Quality Board to enact regulations on power plants. Through a long process that involved many of our supporters, we managed to get the state to issue the regulation. Alas, that regulation was challenged by power plant owners, and the Commonwealth Court declared the mercury rule unconstitutional in 2009. Fortunately, the federal government jumped in and proposed a federal standard to limit mercury from power plants across the nation. PennFuture worked hard to generate public support for this standard. It became law in 2011, yet we still weren’t able to let our guard down. Relying on an arcane provision of Congress called the Congressional Review Act, the polluters’ friends on Capitol Hill attempted to overturn the mercury standard. Again, PennFuture rallied the troops to plead that Senators Casey and Toomey vote to protect our kids instead of polluters. (Senator Casey voted to protect public health. Senator Toomey? No. Why not, Senator Toomey?) Fortunately, this tale has a happy ending. In June 2012, common sense prevailed and the mercury standard remains as federal law. Even so, we remain vigilant. We at PennFuture have been thrilled to be a part of this public health victory. And we couldn’t have done it with you, so thank YOU! PennFuture will celebrate 15 years of environmental victories on September 25. Please consider joining us! Read the original from PennFuture’s blog here. #EnvironmentalQualityBoard #PennFuture #neortoxins #Mercury #CongressionalReviewAct

The people at Sustainable Pittsburgh seem nice. They’re friendly, smiley, and always have their arms outstretched to give you a handshake. But behind their gleaming facades hide a dangerous motive–they are secretly trying to make everyone sustainability experts. I know this, because GASP has joined their Green Workplace Challenge (GWC), a “friendly” competition that pits like-sized organizations against each other in a battle-to-the-greenest. By performing sustainability actions, organizations receive points (and save a lot of energy and money in the process). Most points wins, Yogi Berra style. And the only way to achieve victory in the triple-bottom-lined arena is to know…everything. From water meter sub-metering, to carbon offsets, to software tools that help you track your office’s energy usage, we are studying the fine-grained details that fill in the shadows or make the highlights gleam on the canvas of sustainability. Oh sure, there are plenty of simple Challenge tasks that are quick, simple, and will save your workplace money immediately. But we want to win, darn it. Our office has a lot to love, like some rooms with great natural lighting, indoor bike parking, and a fresh, airy, white-and-blue decor theme. This tin ceiling tops the front room and always drops jaws: However, the same room has a not-so-desirable feature as well that also drops jaws. That feature is our hideous plastic-bubbly-window-things. Behold: They’re thin, they’re dim, and they’re grody. In fact, state government won’t allow us to use that room due to its high grodiness levels. And since we’ve commissioned a new mosaic sign for the front of the building that will go near these windows, we know we must replace them pronto. Otherwise our beautiful new sign will just be shoe shine on grandpap’s old house slippers. This fruit isn’t low-hanging–it dropped from the tree last year and has been rotting ever since. In our GWC-spurred study, we have learned about double- and triple-paned argon-filled glass, glass block with glass pane inside, Energy Star ratings, R-factors and U-values, and on and on. Lots of learning, but how to make sense of everything? Enter AJ Stones, Master Green Remodeler and longtime friend of GASP. After a brief walkthrough of our workspace, we discussed redoing these windows with energy efficient glass pane or glass block, and mulled over much, much more. If our budget allows, you’ll see more improvements as the Green Workplace Challenge progresses. To get an idea of what green renovators can do for your home or business, take a look at a recent case study done by AJ and others with Diagnostic Energy Auditors, Western Pennsylvania, on a Park Place Victorian beauty of a home that needed a fresh look treatment of its energy systems. And let us know if you’ve done any energy upgrades recently that you’d like us to feature. You might even inspire us to figure out how to squeeze a few more GWC points out of our place! #AJStones #GreenWorkplaceChallenge #MasterGreenRemodeler #SustainablePittsburgh

GASP’s legal team regularly comments on draft air permits and files appeals when necessary to reduce harmful emissions from natural gas compressor stations. Our recent work on two compressor stations in Southwestern Pennsylvania has helped limit air pollution from these sources and ensure that regulators are correctly applying air quality regulations. Pa. DEP aggregates natural gas compressor station with nearby well pad In response to comments submitted by GASP, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) recently aggregated a natural gas compressor station with a nearby well site for purposes of air permitting. The Jupiter Compressor Station is located in Greene County and operated by EQT Gathering, LLC. In April, GASP submitted comments on this station’s draft operating permit. Our comments pointed Last October, DEP issued a guidance document explaining its policy on how these single source determinations should be made for the oil and natural gas industries. In practice, DEP has applied this policy in an overly restrictive manner that is inconsistent with the definition of a “source” under the federal Clean Air Act. DEP’s policy states that sources located within 1/4 mile of each other are presumed to be “adjacent” to each other; sources located at a greater distance may be considered adjacent on a case-by-case basis. In practice, however, DEP has tended to ignore any sources located beyond 1/4 mile, even though U.S. EPA has clearly stated that there should be no bright-line rule concerning how far apart sources can be located and still be considered adjacent to each other. In this case, the Jupiter station and the Pyles Well Pad are located within 1/4 mile of each other; as such, under DEP’s policy, these air pollution sources are presumed to be adjacent to each other. Jupiter is operated by EQT Gathering, LLC, and the Pyles Well Pad is operated by EQT Production; these are both wholly-owned subsidiaries of EQT Corporation, and thus Jupiter and the Pyles Well Pad are considered to be under common control. These facilities also share the same two digits of their SIC codes. GASP pointed out that all three aggregation requirements were met here, and DEP agreed. As a result, emissions from the Pyles Well Pad were considered in the Jupiter station’s operating permit. This station is the first example we have seen where DEP has aggregated a compressor station with a nearby well site in response to public comments. GASP has argued many times in comments and in litigation that similar air pollution sources should be aggregated, but DEP has not agreed with those arguments in the past. Although the decision in this instance did not result in any significant changes to Jupiter’s permit, it provides a useful example of a case where DEP has correctly aggregated these sources. GASP appeal of Kriebel Compressor Station results in emission reductions In response to an appeal filed by GASP, the Allegheny County Health Department’s (ACHD) Air Quality Program and Kriebel Minerals, Inc. agreed to reduce nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions from the Rostraver Rt. 51 Compressor Station by 87%. Kriebel Minerals’ Rostraver Rt. 51 facility is located in Forward Township, Allegheny County. It compresses and dehydrates natural gas received from nearby conventional wells. GASP appealed the permit, arguing that greater engine emissions reductions were technically and economically feasible, and required as a matter of law. Ultimately, Kriebel Minerals and ACHD agreed. Kriebel will install a more effective engine exhaust catalyst, and maximum allowable NOx emissions from the engine will be reduced from 5.12 tons per year to 0.66 tons per year. While engines like the one operating at the Kriebel facility are relatively small, emissions from this type of source are worth the attention because there are so many small stationary engines in operation, and add-on controls to reduce their emissions are incredibly cost-effective. Better controlling this category of sources has the potential to greatly improve air quality at minimal cost, and would be a wise approach for air pollution control agencies to consider as they work to meet revised National Ambient Air Quality Standards for NO2 and ozone. #airpollution #emissions #AlleghenyCountyHealthDepartment #DEP #MarcellusShale #ACHD #airquality

In July of 2012 GASP appealed a Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) air quality permit for the installation and operation of two 10,000 horsepower natural-gas fired compressor turbines at the National Fuel Gas Supply Corporation’s (NFG) Buffalo Compressor Station in Buffalo Township, Washington County. We are pleased to report that, after lengthy negotiations, GASP, NFG, and DEP were able to reach a settlement agreement resolving the issues raised in our appeal. On June 28th the appeal came to a formal close when GASP withdrew its appeal and the Pennsylvania Environmental Hearing Board closed the case docket. The primary issue in the Buffalo appeal related to the method DEP and NFG relied on to calculate greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from the facility. GASP identified several errors in these calculations that resulted in a roughly 10% underestimation of facility GHG emissions. Properly calculated, the new equipment would have caused the Buffalo facility’s potential GHG emissions to exceed 100,000 tons per year (TPY), triggering the more stringent “major source” air pollution requirements of the Clean Air Act. The settlement agreement includes limits on fuel consumption at the Buffalo facility, along with reporting and record keeping requirements sufficient to ensure compliance with these limits. As a result of these fuel restrictions, the facility’s GHG emissions will remain below threshold as a major source or air pollution. As a co-benefit, these fuel limits will also reduce the facility’s potential emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx) by roughly 9 TPY, volatile organic compounds (VOCs) by roughly 7 TPY, carbon monoxide by roughly 4 TPY, and formaldehyde by roughly 1.5 TPY. But the significance of this agreement is not limited to the Buffalo facility itself. GASP discovered many of the same calculation errors during our review of another permit around the same time as Buffalo. If we hadn’t brought these errors to the attention of DEP, we believe they would have continued to crop up in future DEP air quality permits for turbines and engines. These correct emissions calculations, provide a more accurate picture of the climate impact of facilities like the Buffalo Station—particularly important when weighing the merits of natural gas as a bridge fuel. The corrected GHG calculations will also result in additional facilities either being subject to more stringent major source permitting requirements or committing to additional emissions reductions to avoid major source status. Read the agreement here. #BuffaloCompressorStation #airpermits #CleanAirAct #DEP #airquality

Summer temperatures are here, and here to stay for a few more hot, sultry months. Running air conditioning uses a lot of electricity, which means a lot of coal and gas is being burned. Pittsburgh’s Cool Roofs initiative is fighting back the heat, the air pollution, and the high utility bills, by painting the roofs of some city-owned buildings with a white, reflective coating. GASP is helping paint Friday, June 14, and we still need volunteers! Come early, from 8:30 to 12:30, to paint the primer and first coat. Or join us to finish the job from 3:30 to 5. We’ll be painting the roof of a fire station at 7024 Lemington Avenue, Pittsburgh, 15206. Learn all you need to about the day from this guide. RSVP with Jamin by email or call at (412) 924-0604. A car pool and a bike pool is available as well. #airconditioning #PittsburghCoolRoofsInitiative

On Friday, May 24th, GASP and the Environmental Charter School (ECS) raised a green air quality flag, launching the first EPA School Flag Program in Southwest Pennsylvania. The program makes air quality conditions visible to children, one of the groups affected most by poor air quality. Children are more susceptible to air pollution than adults due to their developing lungs, large lung-to-body weight ratio, and high level of exercise. Earlier that morning, the weather forecast called for chilly temperatures and rain. I kept my fingers crossed and hoped the clouds wouldn’t douse the spirit of the day, but still, I threw on some layers and a raincoat, preparing for the worst. Ms. Micco, one of the teachers helping to lead the program, told me that that ECS is a “rain or shine” kind of place, so the weather wasn’t about to stop us. A quick check of the air quality forecast didn’t dampen our plans either. Friday was predicted to be a green day, which meant that outdoor air quality was considered satisfactory, posing little risk to public health. In this way, it was a good day for our event and a good day to be outdoors. When the weather forecast calls for rain, we prepare with raincoats and umbrellas. Similarly, when the air quality forecast is for dirty air, we can protect ourselves by adjusting our activities. Yet unlike the weather, air quality is not as observable. In fact, the smallest particle pollutants, the stuff you can’t see, are the most dangerous type of air pollution. Big particles are typically blocked by your body’s natural airway filters, but smaller particles pass through and head into your lungs. Another main source of air pollution, ozone, is also invisible, and highly reactive with our airway tissue. The EPA School Flag Program is a hands-on activity that makes air quality conditions visible to schools and the community so that they can take steps, if necessary, to minimize their exposure to high levels of air pollution. Excited and brimming with energy, I watched as the newly minted GASP Club, an ECS student group that formed to lead the School Flag Program, prepared themselves for all of the attention they were about to get. The teachers laid out the plan for the morning. Speakers recited their lines, changed a few words, and recited again. Others eagerly attached their “GASP” badges, threw on their coats, and lined up ready for the spotlight.  Hear some of the students here. Outside the school, the crowd spilled onto the side street and lawn, and students held the rainbow of Air Quality Index colors surrounded by fluttering little green flags. Then, we all took a deep breath and cheered loudly as the green flag was hoisted up in front of the school, signaling good-to-go air quality and just the beginning of a program GASP hopes to see at other schools soon. Students in the GASP Club at ECS will check the air quality forecast daily, and raise a flag that corresponds to the Air Quality Index (AQI), which measures the amount of pollution in the air. After observing the flag color, school personnel can take actions if necessary to protect the health of their students. Having an alternative indoor activity, shortening practices, having an asthma action plan, or decreasing the amount of deep breathing during activity are all actions that can be considered during days of high air pollution. The daily air quality forecast for ambient air will not necessarily inform schools of point source air pollution. The program encourages schools to choose exercise areas away from busy streets, idling vehicles, or other sources of air pollution. Friday’s event was the first step in raising awareness. Local media covered the launch of the program as well. Find here the news report from WTAE, and the article from WESA. The Breathe Project also blogged about our event; click here to read the post. Next school year, GASP will take the program to many additional sites throughout the region. If your school or organization is interested in starting its own flag program, please contact Karrie Kressler at schoolflag@gasp-pgh.org. Finally, get the air quality forecast for your area by visiting here. Air Quality Index Outdoor Activity Guidance for Schools: Numbers in parentheses are the AQI Values. (0-50) GREEN – “GOOD” – Air quality is considered satisfactory, and air pollution poses little or no risk. It’s a great day to be active outside! (51-100) YELLOW – “MODERATE” – Air quality is acceptable; however, for some pollutants there may be a moderate health concern for a small number of people who are sensitive to air pollution. In general, it’s still a good day to be active outside. Students who are sensitive to air pollution could have symptoms, so watch for coughing or shortness of breath. These are signs to take it easier. (101-150) ORANGE – “UNHEALTHY FOR SENSITIVE GROUPS – It’s OK for students to be active outside, especially for short activities such as recess and physical education (PE) class. For longer activities such as athletic practice, students should take more breaks and do less intense activities. Watch for symptoms such as coughing or shortness of breath. Again, students with asthma are likely to be affected and should follow their asthma action plans and keep their quick relief medicine handy. (151-200) RED – “UNHEALTHY” – Everyone may begin to experience health effects, and members of sensitive groups may experience more serious health effects. For all outdoor activities, students should take more breaks and do less intense activities. Watch for symptoms such as coughing or shortness of breath. Consider moving activities indoors or rescheduling. Students with asthma should follow their asthma action plans and keep their quick relief medicine handy. (201-300) PURPLE – “VERY UNHEALTHY” – Health alert: everyone may experience more serious health effects. Move all activities indoors or reschedule to another day. Post by Karrie Kressler, SCA Green Cities Fellow with GASP #EnvironmentalCharterSchool #airpollution #EPASchoolFlagProgram #AirQualityIndex #particlepollution #airquality

March 20 marked the public launch of the Center for Sustainable Shale Development—a nonprofit collaboration between shale gas producers, environmental organizations, and philanthropic foundations, aimed at reducing the impacts of shale gas development on communities, human health, and the environment. GASP is one of the organizations participating in the development of CSSD. The CSSD announcement provoked a variety of reactions, from praise, to skepticism, to hostility. CSSD has been described as “a heartening breakthrough in the war over fracking,” “a positive development but . . . the devil is in the details,” “an organization that compromises (too far) with eco-nuts,” and “a new greenwashing group backed by the oil and gas industry.” Now that the initial controversy has subsided, we thought we should explain why GASP decided to get involved with CSSD and address some of the criticisms directed at the organization. About CSSD First, a bit more information about the Center. CSSD aims to reduce the impact of shale gas development by developing performance standards and a certification process for companies that commit to meeting these standards. The idea is to create something like the shale-gas equivalent of LEED certification for green buildings or the Forest Stewardship Council certification for responsible forest management. The CSSD performance standards include requirements to conduct a geological review prior to drilling a well to ensure there are no unintended pathways for frack fluid or methane migration (e.g. an abandoned well bore) and to meet ongoing water monitoring requirements after the well is completed. These are similar to underground injection control requirements of the Safe Drinking Water Act that would apply nationwide if not for the Halliburton Loophole. Other CSSD performance standards include requirements to reduce air emissions from trucks, frack pumps, drill rigs, stationary compressor engines, condensate tanks, and well completions. In addition to reducing the negative impacts of this industry in general, the certification process is also intended to provide a credible means for more responsible companies to distinguish themselves from less responsible ones—which is particularly valuable given the relatively wide observed variation in environmental compliance from one operator to another. Clearly we think CSSD is a step in the right direction, but not everyone is convinced. Next I’ll discuss some of the specific criticisms of CSSD we’ve encountered. Criticism #1: “Voluntary standards are no substitute for regulations.” We agree. The CSSD standards are not enforceable regulations, nor are they any substitute for strong, effective regulations. Rather, these are voluntary standards intended to go above and beyond existing regulatory requirements. Some of the critics of CSSD have misinterpreted the term “voluntary” to mean that compliance with the standards is based entirely on the honor system. This is not the case. The CSSD certification process will include ongoing measures, such as third-party inspections and recordkeeping and reporting requirements, to ensure companies are meeting the CSSD performance standards. Criticism #2: “The standards don’t address every negative impact of shale gas development.” Again, we agree, but we had to start somewhere. The current CSSD performance standards address a number of issues, but they certainly aren’t all inclusive. The CSSD performance standards will always be a work in progress. Over time, the Center will develop additional performance standards to address other impacts of the industry, as well as update existing standards to ensure they continue to go beyond the status quo. Criticism #3: “CSSD is just another industry PR campaign.” We knew many would view CSSD as an industry green wash effort, and frankly, it’s a perfectly reasonable reaction. Industry efforts to portray themselves as socially or environmental responsible rarely correspond with reality. GASP has no interest in endorsing an industry PR campaign, but neither do we expect mere words to alter the opinion of those who view CSSD as a PR stunt. If CSSD is to win over the skeptics, it won’t be based on what the organization says it will do, but what it actually does. GASP supports CSSD because we believe it is a promising means to significantly reduce the negative impacts of shale gas development. If CSSD is successful, it will achieve tangible results that, over time, will convince the skeptics it’s not just another industry PR campaign. Criticism #4: “CSSD undermines moratorium efforts.” First, a reminder of GASP’s position on shale gas development:Prior to allowing shale gas development in the Commonwealth, Pennsylvania should have conducted a thorough examination of the risks associated with shale gas extraction and adopted a regulatory framework sufficient to protect communities, the environment, and human health from these risks.  Instead, Pennsylvania has allowed this industry to grow at an astonishing rate in a regulatory environment inadequate to address the challenges it poses. While Pennsylvania should have pursued a more cautious, deliberative approach, the reality is that the shale gas industry is here, and its impact on our air, our water, and our communities cannot be ignored.  GASP supports efforts to minimize these impacts. While GASP is focused on mitigating the present impacts of shale gas development rather than moratorium efforts, we disagree with the notion that CSSD undermines efforts to secure or maintain shale gas moratorium. It’s no more inconsistent for a moratorium advocate to support efforts to reduce shale gas impacts than for a peace activist to support the Geneva Conventions. Conclusion CSSD is the result of a successful collaboration between shale gas companies and environmental organizations. While this cooperative approach does represent a notable departure from the generally polarizing nature of the shale gas debate, by no means is it a departure from the mission or principles GASP has pursued for over 40 years. Our participation in CSSD is simply a new avenue for GASP to pursue its efforts to improve air quality in southwestern Pennsylvania. GASP’s other efforts to improve air quality, including our shale gas work, will continue unabated. #regulations #LEEDcertifications #CenterforSustainableShaleDevelopment #shalegas #MarcellusShale #frackfluid

Keisha missed a few days of third grade when her asthma flared up. Joshua struggles with obesity and sometimes has trouble keeping pace. Ashley recently received an autism diagnosis and her family and teachers are working on ways to help her achieve her goals in school. As a nation, we’re in the middle of a children’s public health crisis. Both asthma and obesity rates have nearly tripled over the last 30 years, while the prevalence of diabetes has nearly doubled since 1995. Rates of autism spectrum disorder diagnoses have recently been pegged at one in 50 children, triple the rate from just a decade ago. Food allergies are also more prevalent, as many school districts could tell you, with the rate of peanut allergies tripling since the mid-1990s. At the same time, the condition of school buildings is declining. The last major survey of school conditions showed that 14 million students in the United States attend schools needing major repair or replacement. More recently, the American Society of Civil Engineers gave America’s schools a “D+” in its 2013 report card of national infrastructure, noting the linkage between school condition and academic performance. And while building conditions themselves are important, it is the health impacts caused these conditions that can greatly affect student health and well-being. National research shows a strong linkage between buildings, education and health; children that attend schools in poor condition have worse health outcomes and lower academic performance. These statistics paint a grim picture of public and environmental health, issues that are further complicated by regional air quality issues caused by manufacturing facilities, electric power plants and vehicle exhaust. So what do schools have to do with this? Children’s exposure to air pollution such as diesel exhaust, pesticides, cleaning products, and formaldehyde can trigger asthma attacks, create new cases of asthma, bring on headaches and nausea, or far worse, cause learning disabilities or cancer. Since more than 50 million American children spend upward of 40 hours a week inside schools, the quality of the school environment can have a big impact on children’s health, well-being and ability to learn. Today, April 30 is National Healthy Schools Day, an excellent time for us to consider these issues and recognize the importance of environmental health in schools. Every child – including those with asthma, allergies, chemical sensitivities, and other conditions –deserves to have a safe, healthy learning environment. The silver lining here is that schools can do many things low- or no-cost things to immediately improve conditions. Clutter in classrooms, for example, can restrict the flow of fresh air and increase the concentrations of dust and other contaminants, so removing it can make a difference in air quality. Other simple ideas to help improve air quality? Try switching to non-toxic cleaning chemicals, setting up entryway systems that remove more of the contaminants that are tracked in, eliminating pesticides wherever possible, and ensuring that ventilation systems are all working correctly. No one single measure will fix the problem, but every little bit helps. The benefits of healthy schools can be felt throughout the community. Healthier students mean better attendance; more instructional time; decreased health care burden; greater contribution to society and the economy; a higher capture rate of state and federal reimbursement to school districts; and, healthier students also mean happier and healthier teachers and a host of benefits that come with it. Nearly every school can do better by their students, staff and parents to provide safer and healthier environments. If you are ready to step forward and be the change agent that your school needs, here are some things to get started: Be a healthy schools advocate – learn more about environmental health, speak to your district’s administration, and share what you have learned with others in your community. Be an observer – does the school appear clean? Are there unusual or strong odors? Do you or your child experience headaches, dizziness or other conditions while in one or more parts of the school? Are there any signs of moisture damage on ceilings, walls, or flooring? Build a team – talk to parents, teachers, students, and administration officials about starting a healthy schools or indoor air quality committee in your school. Stay positive – emphasize the benefits and opportunities of improved environmental health, instead of focusing on shortcomings and what may have been done poorly in the past. This will help you build the foundation for collaboration that is critical to success. Our children are counting on us to look out for their health and well-being. We can step up and look at new, better options for learning, so our community’s future leaders can grow up without the burden of chronic illness or the sub-par education that results from sub-par learning environments. During this year’s National Healthy Schools Day, think about what you can do to ensure that the children in your life have a safe and healthy place to live, learn and grow. Please browse the Healthy Schools Collaboration website to find out what you can do. Guest post by Andrew Ellsworth #airpollution #airquality #HealthySchoolCollaboration #NationalHealthySchoolsDay