FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Date: May 1, 2014
CONTACT: Susan Berryman-Rodriguez (770) 544-0508
sbrodriguez@lungga.org
ATLANTA (May 1, 2014) — In 2004 Laura Turner Seydel and Stephanie Blank, two well-known Atlanta moms concerned about the air their children and others were breathing, joined forces to do something about it. Determined to lead citizens into taking action through education, Seydel and Blank started Mothers & Others for Clean Air (M&O), a program of the American Lung Association.
“M&O has made some notable achievements that we are all proud of,” said Laura Turner Seydel, M&O co-founder. “In spite of air quality improving since M&O was founded in 2004, today nearly half of Americans still live in areas where air pollution reaches unhealthy levels, so we still have more work to do. ”
The American Lung Association’s “State of the Air 2014” shows ozone levels compared to the last report are worsening across the country including the southeast, M&O’s geographic focus. “Despite this negative trend, there is enormous potential in the southeast to improve air quality with reductions in power plant pollution, transportation improvements, energy conservation and expansion of renewable energy sources, continued Seydel.”
Many parts of the southeast face pollution brought on by aging coal-fired power plants, expanding populations and growing traffic. M&O is building multi-state connections among health and medical groups and children’s advocates around air quality issues.
“Being a mom and someone who cares deeply about children’s health, it was a natural progression for M&O to focus its efforts on recruiting medical/public health professionals to help educate the public about the negative health effects caused by air pollution,” said Stephanie Blank, M&O co-founder.
Under the direction of a new Leadership Board and growing Partnership Council, M&O is expanding into Florida, South Carolina and North Carolina, creating a regional four-state coalition of health-focused and children advocates to achieve concrete steps toward improved air quality in the Southeast. Focusing initially on Georgia and North Carolina, M&O and its partners are working to reduce pollution from coal-fired power plants, cars, trucks, building and industrial energy use, and promote clean renewable energy sources, energy-efficiency and conservation.
M&O’s highlighted achievements include:
- Pushed the Obama Administration to issue the long-overdue Tier 3 Motor Vehicle Emissions and Fuel Standards. Once fully implemented, these clean air protections will save up to 2,000 lives and prevent 19,000 asthma attacks and nearly 300,000 missed days of work and school each year by 2030.
- Developed effective smog safety tools and implemented an air quality index flag program specific to Georgia’s smog conditions at more than 40 public schools and more than 30 early childhood learning centers in metro Atlanta.
- In collaboration with Georgia Environmental Protection Division, M&O leveraged more than $10 million in federal funding to clean up more than 2,200 dirty diesel school buses in Georgia.
One of the many ways M&O is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year, is the launch of a new website. The site’s new makeover also improves its functionality that makes the site easier to use.
“Our new website will help M&O recruit and build its network of volunteers and medical/public health professionals and moms to advocate for clean air to protect public health,” said Susan Berryman-Rodriguez, project director for Mothers & Others for Clean Air, a program of the American Lung Association of the Southeast.
Visit www.mothersandothersforcleanair.org for upcoming activities/events celebrating its 10th anniversary.
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About Mothers & Others for Clean Air
Mothers & Others for Clean Air is a partnership of leading public health, environmental and child advocacy organization dedicated to improving air quality. A program of the American Lung Association in Georgia, Mothers & Others for Clean Air educates the public about the negative health effects from air pollution and engages people by promoting individual actions and policy change to improve air quality. To learn more about M&O and to view a complete list of its partner organizations, go to www.mothersandothersforcleanair.org.
