Earth Day 'Toxic Tour' event

Event Date: 
Thursday, April 22, 2021

AirUCI grad student Katie Cox (Fortuns group) is organizing the third and final Spring 2021 Toxic Tour day to collect air pollution data in the city of Santa Ana on April 22nd, Earth Day.  This resident-led community air monitoring project is sampling air quality throughout the city to help determine the disproportionate impact of pollution on primarily low-income and people of color, and to gather the data needed to better advocate for change.  Please see Katie's message below as she invites volunteers to participate.  View the flyer
 
Thank you for your past interest in MPNA-GREEN's ongoing work to advance environmental justice and public health. We need your help -- Please join us!
Volunteer: 

  • We'll be using small, portable air sensors (they fit on a keychain) to gather data about particulate matter (PM) and volatile organic compound (VOC) pollution in the industrial corridor that runs adjacent to our homes, schools, and neighborhoods in southeast Santa Ana. 
  • Volunteers will take these sensors along designated routes in three different shifts: 7-10 AM, 12-3 PM, and 4-7 PM.
  • You may sign up for one or more shifts!

Requirements: 

  • Ideally, volunteers should have a WiFi- enabled smartphone (Android or iOs) they can use to download the app that connects to the sensor. 
  • We are especially in need of volunteers who can drive their own cars, though participation on foot and by bicycle is also welcomed. 
  • No prior experience is needed.

COVID Safety: 

  • Please note that we will be maintaining strict COVID-19 precautions including strict social distancing. 
  • You are welcome to volunteer with another member of your household, but volunteers will otherwise be assigned to separate sampling routes. 
  • We will provide KN95 masks, hand sanitizer, and reflective vests (as needed for traffic safety). 
  • Of course, we ask that you wear a mask when you come to pick up your air sensor and for the duration of your volunteer shift.

Sign up! 

  • If you'd like to be a part of this project, we invite you to sign up for one (or more!) ~2-hour volunteer shifts on Thursday, March 25, 2021 by filling out this form (tinyurl.com/CUALapr22) by no later than Tuesday, March 23. 

By participating in this volunteer opportunity, you'll help us advance two of our main study aims: 
(1) to characterize air pollution in the industrial corridor, including identifying hot spots and emissions sources; and 
(2) to characterize differences in air pollution between socially vulnerable and less vulnerable communities so as to highlight potential environmental justice issues in our city.
 
If you can't participate but would still like to help, forward this email and attached fliers to your students and colleagues who may be interested in volunteering, or help us out by sharing this opportunity on social media!
 
This project has been in development for nearly three years, and is the first community air monitoring project of its kind in Orange County. This project is funded by the California Air Resources Board (CARB), designed in partnership between MPNA-GREEN and UC Irvine, and is overseen by Comunidad Unida, Aire Limpio (CUAL), a steering committee of residents of Southeast Santa Ana.