We’re kicking off Clean Air Month and National Asthma and Allergy Awareness Month by honoring our courageous friends in Healthcare.
The best way to do that?
Listen to their advice.
Learn from our mistakes.
Act so that we may Build Back Better.
Education is our greatest asset when protecting little lungs and creating a healthy and equitable future for all.
If there is anything that we have learned from the pandemic, let it be that we must listen to our healthcare professionals when they speak out in favor of science and public health.
What the Experts Say…
We may be breathing easy now that air pollution levels are the lowest they’ve been since World War II, but the impact of coronavirus on air quality must not be a temporary reduction in emissions. It must be a collective recognition that rapid and significant voluntary changes in our behavior are possible.
Here are interviews with three healthcare professionals that I hope you find helpful. First Dr. Anne Mellinger-Birdsong, a Pediatrician and former Epidemiologist with the CDC. Second, Dr. Brooks, a Pediatric Pulmonologist at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. And third, Dr. Charon of Columbia University.
Watch as Dr. Anne Mellinger-Birdsong talks about the critical threats air pollution and climate change pose and their impacts on human health.
Dr. Brooks discusses the health disparities surrounding air pollution among children living in urban areas, and speaks to the power of everyone making small, but meaningful, changes that can have big impacts on the health of children.
Dr. Charon talks about hope for the healthcare system through listening to our doctors and paying attention to the human health impacts of environmental factors.
For more info on ways to advocate for clean air visit mothersandothersforcleanair.org.
In honor of the 50th anniversary of the Clean Air Act my sister, Jennie Garlington, addresses its history and its legacy.
EcoSense for Living: Do We Still Need the Clean Air Act?
What You Can Do to Help
It’s the time to be considering whether the status quo that we had in place prior to this disaster is the one we want going forward.
We don’t need to tolerate this level of air pollution.
We can all make small, but meaningful, changes that can have big impacts on the health of children.
In the midst of a viral epidemic that is made worse by air pollution, and despite it being the month we celebrate Clean Air standards, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is in a frenzy to roll back or remove many regulations that protect our health including vehicle emissions standards and the Mercury and Air Toxics Rule.
These are hard-fought, hard-won standards meant to protect public health. If we’re going to create the future our children deserve to live in, we need everyone to do their part now and moving forward.
Contact Your Elected Officials
