GENERAL INFORMATION

APCA Partners:

• Waste Reduction and Technology Transfer Foundation
• Alabama Department of Environmental Management
• Alabama Clean Fuels Coalition
• Birmingham-Jefferson County Transit Authority
• CommuteSmart Rideshare
• Jefferson County Department of Health
• Policy Exchange Foundation
• Auntie Litter, Inc.

Description of Programs:

Public Outreach and Education: This program educates the general public about air quality issues and the consequences that individual choices, such as travel behavior and preferences, have on air quality. The Regional Planning Commission coordinates the overall public outreach program for APCA. Strategies include advertising (paid and public service announcements), various promotional items, informational pamphlets, a Speaker's Bureau, and an Internet site.

Employer Outreach: This program educates employers about air quality issues and encourages their employees to travel to work by modes other than single-occupant vehicles. The Policy Exchange Foundation (PEF), in cooperation with CommuteSmart Rideshare, is the lead partner for outreach.

Science and Environmental Education: This program educates children about air quality issues of ozone and particle pollution, their health impacts, how they are formed, and how they can be reduced or prevented. A number of Partners are involved in taking Air Quality education into schools: Jefferson County Department of Health and Auntie Litter, Inc. The Partners' education strategies vary according to age of the children and range from scientific approaches (e.g., measuring ozone and PM 2.5 levels) to practical approaches (e.g., supplementing driver's education programs).

Clean Cities: This program reduces ozone-causing emissions from fleets of vehicles through the use of alternative fuels, including natural gas, ethanol, propane, electricity and biodiesel. Alabama Clean Fuels Coalition, a non-profit organization, is the lead partner for Clean Cities. Other activities include the Metropolitan Planning Organization’s annual Livable Cities Conference, and the City of Birmingham’s E-85 project.

Voluntary Emissions Testing: This program provides quick, free emissions checks for vehicle owners and assists owners of high emitters with having their vehicles serviced. The Waste Reduction and Technology Transfer Foundation is the lead partner in this program.

CommuteSmart RideShare: This program promotes carpooling and vanpooling as ways to reduce traffic congestions, save commuters money, and reduce air pollution. URS Corporation provides carpool matching services. VPSI, Inc. operates the vanpooling program.

APCA Goals:

Alabama Partners for Clean Air (APCA) is an affiliation of public, private and nonprofit organizations working to implement voluntary strategies that improve air quality in Jefferson and Shelby counties. APCA's goals are to achieve and maintain compliance with national air quality standards, to protect and improve public health, to minimize the economic impacts on existing businesses, and to maximize the potential for economic growth.

APCA Steering Committee membership

APCA Marketing Committee membership