  ABOUT USAction Day 2008 will take place 8/20 in Sacramento, please contact us if you are interested in participating in this unique experience! The Central Valley Air Quality (CVAQ) Coalition is a partnership of more than 70 community, medical, public health, environmental and environmental justice organizations representing thousands of residents in the San Joaquin Valley that are unified in their commitment to improve the health of Californians by (a) seeking full and vigorous enforcement of the federal Clean Air Act in the San Joaquin Valley, (b) strengthening State law and District regulations relating to air quality, and (c) educating the public about the serious health impacts of air pollution. This site provides educational resources about air pollution and its sources, reports on health impacts, current news, legal actions, and information on what you can do to help clear the air. BACKGROUNDThe Clean Air Act, passed by Congress in 1970, promised healthy air to all major urban areas in the United States by 1975. Today, we are still faced with air so dirty that we have to keep our children from playing outside on smoggy summer afternoons. In many areas of California, our air has become a foul brew of pollution emitted from hundreds of different sources, including automobiles, power plants, factories, farms and leaf blowers, to name a few. These pollutants include ozone and particulate matter pollution, which have serious impacts on the health of everyone living (and dying) in our state. Our bodies cannot tolerate these dangerous pollutants entering our airways and bloodstreams. When the pollution load is too great, we get sick, our breath shortens, we begin to cough and wheeze, and our hearts and lungs are damaged. Sadly, the impact of pollution is most severe on our most vulnerable populations: children, the elderly, and those with existing respiratory diseases. CVAQ COALITION MEMBERSAmerican Lung Association of California Citizens for Community Health & Sustainability La Union del Pueblo Entero Merced Alliance for Responsible Growth Madera County Asthma Coalition Moms Clean Air Network National Hispanic Environmental Council Pesticide Watch Planning and Conservation League Plug-in America RAMP (Regional Asthma Management and Prevention Initiative) San Joaquin Valley Latino Environmental Advancement and Policy Institute SEIU United Healthcare Workers-West Sierra Club- Loma Prieta Chapter Sierra Club - Mother Lode Chapter (Modesto-Stockton) SunMT Tulare County Asthma Coalition Tri-Valley Cares United Farm Workers Foundation UCSF, Center for Clinical Studies Verde Group Wal-mart Alliance for Reform Now CVAQ Staff Community Organizer Media inquiries? Send email to media(at)calcleanair.org or liza@calcleanair.org. |