Pilot Phase
During the 1997-98 pilot phase, the federal partners coordinated with three communities to introduce the It All Adds Up to Cleaner Air public education initiative. Selected communities were:
- San Francisco, California, one of the nation's largest metropolitan areas
- Milwaukee, Wisconsin, a medium-sized city
- Dover, Delaware, a small community just starting to address transportation and air quality issues
Each site collaborated with local groups, businesses, and environmental organizations to implement and sustain the program within their community.
A comprehensive evaluation tracked the pilot programs, including community activities, use of the media, impact on the public, and recommendations for improvements, including how the federal partners could best support existing efforts and share successful community strategies.
Pilot phase findings showed community activities supported the initiative's objectives of increasing awareness of the relationship among transportation choices, air quality, and congestion. They also provided valuable insights into continuing development of a national initiative that could meet the needs of all communities, and laid the foundation for a sustainable effort to motivate Americans to change their transportation habits.
Key findings from the pilot phase included the following:
- Community participation was pivotal to developing and refining the national initiative.
- Some communities selected strategies that reflected overarching themes, while others tailored their approach to specific local needs or expertise.
- As expected, the initiative's effect on drivers was limited to changes in awareness.
Key lessons learned from the pilot phase encouraged the federal partners to refine and expand the program to support 14 demonstration communities and offer materials and other resources to additional communities nationwide.
Demonstration Communities
From May 1999 through October 2000, 14 selected demonstration communities used the It All Adds Up to Cleaner Air concepts, approaches, and commercial-quality materials—incrementally refined after pilot testing—and adapted them for their specific purposes.
The intent of the demonstration phase was to show how organizations with outreach and partnership-building efforts across the country could customize and incorporate It All Adds Up materials into their programs.
The 14 demonstration communities included organizations in the following states and the District of Columbia:
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