Since the Central Florida Clean Air Team formed and began educating Central Floridians about air quality issues in 1999, air quality has improved within the region. That’s great news for the team and the public, but it presents a new challenge—keeping the public interested and aware of an issue now that there is no longer a compelling problem.

The Clean Air Team met this challenge head on and adjusted their outreach program accordingly, because they realize that maintaining awareness of the harmful effects of ozone is key to remaining within the EPA’s national air quality standards.

The Central Florida Clean Air Team has undergone a recent structural change by electing a chairperson and vice chairperson to lead the team. With the new leadership and a more focused mission, the team has many exciting ideas about how to keep their messages fresh and compelling to the public.

“We’re focusing heavily on community relations in order to keep the public aware of air quality issues,” said Jennifer Wakefield of METROPLAN ORLANDO, the organization that created the team of 19 government, health, utility, transportation, and business organizations.

“We are teaming up with the American Lung Association and participating in the Asthma Walk to help raise awareness about the correlation between clean air and health,” said Wakefield.

This past spring, the team began presenting It All Adds Up to Cleaner Air awards to local middle school students who did their science fair projects on air quality. As a way to get young people to start thinking about air quality, the team plans to make this an annual competition.

The team also ran a print and radio campaign encouraging citizens to take steps to keep Central Florida’s air clean. And around peak travel periods, such as holidays, the team submits letters to the editor and press releases encouraging people to take steps, such as choosing alternate forms of transportation, and learning more about how they can help keep the air clean.

According to a survey conducted for METROPLAN ORLANDO in 2003, approximately 220,000 Central Floridians reported that they travel five miles or less to work—potentially making transit, biking, carpooling, and walking, attractive alternatives to commuting alone by car. The challenge is keeping people aware of the role these commute alternatives play in maintaining healthy air quality, easing traffic congestion, and improving their quality of life.

“We’re trying to get people out of their cars—even if it’s just one day a week,” said Wakefield. That’s why the team coordinates with the region’s transportation authority on activities such as Commuter Choices Challenge where citizens are encouraged to carpool, vanpool, or take mass transit at least for a day.

The Central Florida Clean Air team also is using the Internet to connect with the public. They have added to their Web site a significant amount of It All Adds Up to Cleaner Air information. Each season, the team puts the It All Adds Up seasonal tips and quiz on their site. This summer, they also added the Summer Road Trip Checklist and their adapted version of the 10 Simple Steps. For more information on the Central Florida Clean Air Team, visit http://www.cleanairteam.org.

The Central Florida Clean Air team is one of more than 90 It All Adds Up to Cleaner Air Community Partners nationwide who are using the messages and materials provided by the initiative. For information on the other It All Adds Up to Cleaner Air Community Partners, visit the It All Adds Up Web site.

If you have incorporated It All Adds Up materials into your outreach program, please share your story with us

To become an It All Adds Up Community Partner, visit the How to Join section of the Web site.