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Site Development
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General Information
List of Partners:
1. Applied Research Center of Alabama
2. Auntie Litter, Inc.
3. Birmingham-Jefferson County Transit Authority
4. Alabama Clean Fuels Coalition
5. CommuteSmart Rideshare
6. Jefferson County Dept. of Environmental Protection
7. Jefferson County Dept. of Health
8. Policy Exchange Foundation
9. Regional Planning Commission of Greater Birmingham
10. Shelby County Commission
11. State of Alabama Dept. of Environmental Management
12. State of Alabama Dept. of Transportation
13. Waste Reduction and Technology Transfer Foundation
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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 to businesses. The Jefferson County Dept. of Environmental Protection is the lead partner for outreach to governmental (local, state and federal) agencies. .
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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 Departments of Health and Environmental Protection; 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
.
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Reduced-Fare Transit: Bus fares are reduced to $.25 on Air Quality Alert Days to encourage area residents to ride the bus instead of driving personal vehicles on days when ozone or particle pollution levels are predicted to be high. The Birmingham-Jefferson County Transit Authority is the lead partner.
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.
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