The Cleaner Air News
The newsletter of the Cleaner Air Partnership
Quarterly meeting 
 Friday, Dec. 3, 2010 
 Save the Date for our next Quarterly Luncheon!

Date:
Friday, Dec. 3, 2010

Time:
11:30 AM to 1:30 PM

Location:
TBA
IN THIS ISSUE
Luncheon Discusses Proposition 23
Linking Local Food to Air Quality
MTP Public Workshops
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www.cleanerairpartnership.orgOctober 2010
Quarterly Luncheon Featured Proposition 23

It's time to support clean tech innovation

The Cleaner Air Partnership (CAP) focused its last quarterly luncheon on both sides of Proposition 23, the November ballot proposition that suspends California's "Global Warming Solutions Act" until the state unemployment rate is 5.5% or less for four consecutive calendar quarters.

 

The Partnership heard from speakers from the campaigns arguing for and against Proposition 23, followed by a passionate discussion and Q&A session.  Both speakers agreed with the need to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, but they differed in opinion with regards to the timing and the actual economic impact associated with implementation.  Warren Smith, CEO of Clean World Partners, a new clean tech company in the region, summed up his view on Proposition 23 by saying "...rather than fighting to keep the status quo, it's time we start creating and driving innovation." 

 

Tom Stallard, the chair of the Cleaner Air Partnership, set the tone of the discussion from the start, saying that CAP's quarterly luncheons are geared to provide a forum to host civil conversations around complex and sometimes controversial issues pertaining to pollution and air quality. This meeting achieved that goal.  The Cleaner Air Partnership recommends that voters "stay the course" on the path to cleaner air, voting "no" on Proposition 23 in order to protect public health and promote economic growth -- the Partnership's mission for the past 22 years.

You Are What You Breathe

Locally grown food can help reduce air pollution

 

There's more talk happening these days about the connection between air quality and how people access food in our communities -- two seemingly unrelated subjects.  So what's the connection?  The most prominent connection is the difference in vehicle miles traveled (VMT) of food eaten that is grown locally as compared to food imported from outside the six county region.  National studies show that a dinner with meat, salad and vegetables travels on average 1,500 miles to reach your dinner table.  Today in our region, work is being done to determine the "food miles traveled" for local residents given the implication on air pollution, transportation, and local agriculture. 

 

What can be done to reduce "food miles traveled?"  Air Quality Management Districts and communities can support policies that encourage an increase in healthier food consumption.  For example, codes are sometimes written such that they don't encourage locally-sourced food options. Paul Philley of the Sacramento Metropolitan Air Quality Management District, gave the example of a policy break-through where the City of Sacramento re-wrote local ordinances to allow for vegetable gardens in front yards. The new code potentially means fewer trips to the store, less produce being trucked into the region, and a greater possibility of residents using alternative modes of transportation since the consumer will have less groceries to carry.

 

Increasing the amount of food processed in the region is another way to improve the local food system and improve air quality.  Currently there are few processing facilities for vegetables, nuts or meat in our around the Sacramento Region. Produce or livestock grown or raised here often must be shipped out of the region for processing, then back for consumption.

 

"Air Quality Management Districts are also public health agencies," said Tara Thronson, manager of the Cleaner Air Partnership.  "Healthier people are less susceptible to the effects of poor air quality, and eating local, fresh produce can go a long way towards increasing the health of the region."

Register Now - MTP Fall Workshops

Help create a better future

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The Sacramento Area Council of Governments (SACOG) is hosting a series of free workshops to encourage residents to shape how money is spent on public transit, bicycle and pedestrian, community and road improvements.  These workshops will provide valuable information to update the Metropolitan Transportation Plan (MTP2035) for transportation improvements in our six-county region based on projections for growth in population, housing and jobs.

 

'As with many things in life, how we spend our money says a lot about our priorities," said Bill Mueller, CEO of Valley Vision.  "We hope local residents will attend one of the below MTP Workshops to directly influence our region's transportation priorities such that they help clean our air." 

 

Everyone is encouraged to attend; no previous meeting participation or transportation planning experience is needed. The workshops are FREE and food will be provided.  Click here for more information and to register for a workshop.  All locations will cover the same information.

For more information, please contact Monica Hernandez or call (916) 321-9000.

The Cleaner Air Partnership  is a joint project of Breathe California of Sacramento-Emigrant Trails, the Sacramento Metro Chamber of Commerce and Valley Vision to help the Sacramento Region meet clean air standards that protect health and promote economic growth.