Last week the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced the selection of 132 projects in 37 states to receive grants to “conduct ambient air monitoring of pollutants in communities across the country with environmental and health outcome disparities stemming from pollution and the COVID-19 pandemic.” SLS Signature Partner Center for Sustainable Communities (CSC) was one of those recipients. CSC was awarded $498,000 to deploy air sensors in 11 minority communities, located in the region of South Atlanta, Georgia, where there is concern over potential health impacts due to the proximity of these neighborhoods to heavily traveled transportation corridors, and for which there is no existing air quality monitoring capability. The objective of the project is to empower under-resourced communities to collect, analyze, and use the data to draw conclusions related to the causes and effects of air quality.
Garry Harris, founder and president of CSC stated, “the primary goals of the project include conducting research and creating educational programming in order to assess and mitigate the harmful effects of air pollution caused primarily by transportation related emissions and evaluate the cumulative impacts they cause on our underserved communities. The project is about saving lives and maintaining and improving the quality of life for all.”
Harris partnered with Georgia Tech’s School of Economics, the Brook Byers Institute for Sustainable Systems, and the Georgia Tech Research Institute on the proposal, indicating, “this partnership will provide the critical additional research and analytical skills and abilities necessary to ensure that these activities maximize the allocation of benefits for all especially those in our underresourced communities.” Principal Georgia Tech collaborators include Michael Chang, Deputy Director, Brook Byers Institute for Sustainable Systems, Senior Research Scientist; Kevin Caravati, Senior Research Scientist, Georgia Tech Research Institute; and Dylan Brewer, Assistant Professor, School of Economics. The awarded projects were funded via the American Rescue Plan of 2021 (ARP) and the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 and were awarded to community groups, nonprofit organizations, Tribes, and state and local governments.
See below for additional news stories and information:
Helping Measure the Impact of Air Pollution on South Metro Atlanta Children
Selections for the ARP Enhanced Air Quality Monitoring Competitive Grant