Alamo Area Council of Governments, Texas
The key to educating people about the importance of air quality and the steps they can take to improve it is to personally involve them in the effort. That's how the Alamo Area Council of Governments (AACOG) in San Antonio, Texas, conducts much of its transportation and air quality outreach.
To kick off its ozone-awareness program one year, AACOG held a community event in late March that included a number of useful activities, such as vehicle gas cap and emissions checks; bike tune-ups; invitations to view the latest hybrid, alternative fuel, and electric vehicles; and chances to enter a poster contest where the winner's artwork is turned into a billboard.
Maintain Your Car or Just Leave It Home
At its ozone kickoff event, AACOG offered free mechanic-led car maintenance tutorial sessions and gave participants a Car Care 101 booklet that incorporates It All Adds Up messages, icons, and the print ad titled "Your Mom Always Told You to Take Good Care of Your Stuff." More than 1,600 booklets were distributed to people in the community.
Organizers held radio events promoting responsible transportation choices with live radio "remotes" at area gas stations featuring It All Adds Up messages such as refuel in the evening, drive less, and care for your car.
AACOG provides carpool matching; "Bike Buddies," which matches cyclists who have similar routes; and "SchoolPool," which matches parents who have children in the same schools. AACOG expanded SchoolPool to match summer school students and organized a "Walking School Bus" program. Instead of driving, designated parents walk groups of kids to school. This program and other AACOG activities were highlighted in a New York Times article that profiled San Antonio's air quality.
AACOG distributes air quality information at other community events, including activities on Earth Day and during Hike & Bike Month activities in May. To disseminate the information further, AACOG uses its Web site, where the air quality program's home page has the It All Adds Up banner and link to the It All Adds Up Web site along with It All Adds Up quizzes, seasonal flash animations, and a print advertisement.
AACOG also developed an air quality and transportation curriculum and distributed it to teachers in the region. To request a free copy, contact Heather Willden at hwillden@AACOG.com.
AACOG's robust air quality program is funded through grants from the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), State Energy Conservation Office (SECO), and Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ).
For more information on AACOG's activities, contact Peter Bella at (210) 362-5249 or visit Alamo Area Council of Governments' Air Qualty web site or Alamo Area Council of Governments' Commuter web site.