Best Practices of Local Air Quality Outreach Programs

The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and American Lung Association (ALA) air quality outreach campaign slogans include, "It All Adds Up to Cleaner Air," "AIRNow-Quality of Air Means Quality of Life," and "BREATHEASIER". These are just a sample of numerous nation-wide air quality outreach messages reaching the public. Regional and local outreach campaigns are challenged to deliver clear, targeted local messages while at the same time capitalizing on the resources of national campaigns. In large part, this hinges on the coordination ability of local, state, and national entities. In a recent audit of air quality public outreach programs in the United States, the Texas Transportation Research Institute noted: 1) no air quality outreach programs were coordinated on a statewide basis and 2) there is a need to include existing local programs. We present "best practices" based on a review of programs and interviews with outreach coordinators. Implementation of many of these practices is discussed in the context of an air quality outreach program in Virginia, Valley AIRNow.