Fayetteville Area Metropolitan Planning Organization, North Carolina
Until recently, the City of Fayetteville, North Carolina, and the surrounding community felt removed from "big city" issues like air pollution. Thanks to the hard work of the Fayetteville Area Metropolitan Planning Organization (FAMPO), citizens are learning about the ground-level ozone problem that exists in their community and some simple ways they can help eliminate it.
FAMPO began educating community members about the dangers of ground-level ozone and the responsible choices they could make to reduce air pollution in early 2003 after they entered into an Early Action Compact with U.S. EPA at the same time they became a Community Partner in the It All Adds Up initiative.
Seeing Eye to Eye
A large part of FAMPO's education campaign involves getting out into the community and speaking with people face to face, making the message personal. Throughout the year, representatives attend area events such as health fairs and county fairs to spread the word about air quality. They shake hands with the community, chat about air quality issues and pass out the It All Adds Up 10 Simple Steps fliers to remind people that even the smallest actions can make a difference. Thousands of residents have received It All Adds Up flyers.
FAMPO knows the more personal their messages are, the more likely people will pay attention to them. Since the Fayetteville area has a Spanish-speaking population of approximately 21,000, the MPO decided to incorporate a 
Spanish translation of the 10 Simple Steps (PDF, 485KB) in their air quality brochure.
While FAMPO's education efforts take place year-round, they place particular emphasis on ozone season. In May, they held a poster and essay contest at area elementary schools. More than 700 students entered submissions around the theme of "Planning Today for Clean Air Tomorrow".
Taking Action Can Be Fun
As ozone season was winding down in September, FAMPO organized Be Aware of Our Air Week and challenged local citizens to complete specific tasks that contribute to cleaner air (some of the 10 Simple Steps were translated into challenges) and assigned points to each action. People with the most points received prizes, the grand prize being a new bike and helmet donated by a local bike store. A press conference with community leaders and reporters kicked off the week, which got underway with the help of area employers, including Fort Bragg, City of Fayetteville, and Cumberland County, all of whom encouraged their employees to participate. More than 500 residents took part in the challenge that week.
"I think people here are starting to realize that air quality is not just a big city problem. We have a lot of people doing a lot of little things to improve air quality," said Joel Strickland, FAMPO transportation planning assistant.
For more information about FAMPO activities, please visit Fayetteville Area Metroplitan Planning Organization.