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Mission The Clean Air Campaign is a not-for-profit organization formed in 1996 by more than 70 groups representing government, business, civic, health, environmental, and educational interests. It now serves as the region's clearinghouse for more than 20 organizations with programs in place to improve air quality and reduce traffic congestion. The overall mission of the Clean Air Campaign is to enable metro-Atlanta residents, state, and local governments and industry to understand and take personal and organizational responsibility for improving air quality by changing their behaviors year-round. Specifically, the Clean Air Campaign works to do the following: • Raise awareness of air-friendly commuting options and other actions that benefit air quality; • Highlight the personal and organizational benefits that result from using these options; • Work with employers to design and implement commute options and other smog reduction practices; • Reduce traffic congestion and improve air quality by generating use of alternative commuting behaviors. The Clean Air Campaign focuses on voluntary efforts to reduce air pollutants primarily because sources that are not regulated by the government create a large amount of air, and voluntary behavior change is needed to improve air quality in the region in order to meet federal standards. U.S. Department of Transportation Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) funds provide 80 percent of funding for the Clean Air Campaign; 20 percent comes from state and local government, business and industry sponsorships, and individuals. Service Area Public information and education programs span the 13-county nonattainment area. The employer service program works with public sector employers throughout the 13 counties and in areas outside defined transportation management associations’ (TMAs’) service areas. Services Offered The Clean Air Campaign serves as an information clearinghouse to educate and inform area residents on behalf of 20+ entities with programs to address air quality and traffic congestion through mass advertising and public relations; community outreach and special events; distributing Smog Alert notifications; and educating youth. The Clean Air Campaign's children's education effort is two-pronged: an in-school, interactive presentation featuring BAIR, the Better Air Bear and air quality curriculum development for grades 4-8. The Clean Air Campaign also provides a service mechanism to facilitate behavioral change through one-on-one, free-of-charge employer outreach; a regional call center (1-877-CLEANAIR) and a web site (www.cleanaircampaign.com) and direct support for and access to the regional ridematching database (1-87-RIDEFIND). The Clean Air Campaign employer outreach team works with employers across the region to create and implement worksite-specific commute options and other smog-reducing strategies. Commute options programs may include strategies to encourage employees to carpool, vanpool, take transit, telework, and use alternative work schedules. These programs also may include employer-supported incentives to make the alternatives more attractive, such as preferential parking for carpoolers and vanpoolers, development of telework policies, or the creation of subsidies. The operations and maintenance programs include strategies such as delaying lawn maintenance or fleet refueling until after a Smog Alert Day or using products low in volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Highlights In 2001 the Clean Air Campaign merged with the Partnership for a Smog-Free Georgia (PSG), the four-year-old employer service program originally housed at EPD. This added the important employer service arm to the CAC while also allowing the PSG effort to capitalize on the brand recognition and marketing efforts of the Clean Air Campaign. From mid 2000 to mid 2001, the number of employer partners of the Clean Air Campaign grew from about 170 to more than 265. The Clean Air Campaign also prepared to launch a statewide air quality education curriculum for grades four through eight. Working with Georgia Tech's Center for Education Integrating Science, Mathematics and Computing (CEISMC), the Clean Air Campaign prepared more than 20 lesson plans for teachers of those grades. The curriculum meets Georgia Quality Core Curriculum (QCC) guidelines and will be available on the Georgia Learning Connection web site as well as at www.cleanaircampaign.com. The Clean Air Campaign's marketing efforts continued to focus primarily on driving behaviors, with mass advertising (TV, radio, and print) focusing on the behaviors that research showed to have the highest propensity for change in the marketplace: teleworking and carpooling. Mass advertising also focused on employer service programs, including a radio ad featuring Governor Roy Barnes. Contact Information P.O. Box 93584 Atlanta, GA 30377-0584 Ph: (404) 385-2100 or 1-877-CLEANAIR Fax: 404-385-0168 www.cleanaircampaign.com |
