Clean Air Campaign for Georgia
by Bryan Hager, Director, Georgia Challenge to Sprawl Campaign
On July 3, 2000 the Clean Air Campaign of Georgia will initiate a major advertising campaign to help reduce vehicular driving in the Atlanta Region. I hope that you will support his educational campaign.
The Clean Air Campaign is a coalition effort initiated by the Georgia Environmental Protection Division and funded primarily by the Federal Highway Administration. As you know the Sierra Club has been willing (some would say eager) to criticize these organizations. However, this is an example of an true coalition effort to build consensus on the issues and ultimately change public attitudes and actions to achieve a public good. The Public Good in this case in cleaner air. The Consensus is that our air is being polluted by excess pollution from cars and trucks. The Actions in the case are reducing the amount of driving. The Attitude is greater public acceptance of transit, carpooling and teleworking.
On July 3 the Clean Air Campaign will initiate a multi-million dollar public relations effort that includes paid advertising on television and radio, newspaper ads, and a school based program with the Clean Air BAIR. The advertising campaign will make fun of the time we spend driving and promote riding transit, carpooling and teleworking. In many cases people cannot participate in these cleaner forms of travel because their communities do not provide transit and their businesses do not support carpooling and teleworking. This advertising campaign should help to increase support for these travel options.
You can help this effort by contacting your local elected officials, business and community leaders to ask for their support for these travel options.You can support this public education initiative by helping to identify groups to whom we could speak about the Clean Air Campaign and our education efforts. You can help by arranging to invite the Clean Air BAIR to your local school. If you have a good lead for either of these activities please contact:
Shannon Raley, account executive
Cookerly Public Relations
Five
Piedmont Center, Suite 400
Atlanta, GA 30305
p: 404/816-2037
f:
404/816-3037
email: shannon@cookerly.com
To find out more about carpooling and teleworking visit the Partnership for Smog Free Georgia website at www.ga-psg.org. This website also has a link to current air quality readings for Atlanta and other major cities in Georgia.
If you would like any background on the Clean Air Campaign, or have thoughts about people to nominate to participate in Clean Air Campaign committees please contact me. Also, as many of you are aware, Augusta, Macon and Columbus will soon be designated non-attainment areas for air pollution. It is time to initiate a similar education activity in these cities. I, and other members of the Clean Air Campaign, are willing to go to these cities to explain to them our educational campaign and how it can be useful in other cities.
Bryan Hager, Director
Georgia Challenge to Sprawl Campaign
Georgia Chapter of the Sierra Club
1401 Peachtree Street Suite 345
Atlanta, Georgia, 30309
404/607-1262x226 or 404/876-5260fax
bhager@mindspring.com
Last updated: 12 Aug 00