Sep 25, 2017 | Clean Air Upstate, Uncategorized
Ten at the Top is embarking upon an initiative focused on increasing mobility and connectivity while reducing traffic congestion across the 10-county Upstate, called Connecting Our Future.
Born from the Shaping Our Future Growth Scenarios Analysis, Connecting Our Future is an effort to create a regional vision and implementable strategies for transportation, mobility, and connectivity in the region. The effort is being supported by the Connecting Our Future Coalition, made up of stakeholders representing various geographical areas and sectors. A full list of current coalition members can be found on the Connecting Our Future website, www.connectingourfutureupstatesc.org.
The initiative will last for roughly a year, resulting in a regional vision document and related strategies for reducing congestion, moving people & freight across the region safely, and improving health and quality of life for Upstate residents by reducing emissions. Results of the initiative will be unveiled in Summer 2018.
The initiative will be kicked off with an event on October 18th at the TD Convention Center. The Kick Off event will include breakout sessions focused on various components of connectivity and mobility.
The event will wrap up with a keynote luncheon presentation by Carla Bailo, Assistant VP for Mobility Research & Business Development at Ohio State University. Carla helps coordinate Ohio State’s involvement as the primary research partner for Smart Columbus, a $140 million grant program to transform central Ohio into the nation’s premier transportation innovation region.
For additional information about the Connecting Our Future initiative and purchase tickets for the October 18th Kick Off Event, please visit www.connectingourfutureupstatesc.org.
May 2, 2017 | Clean Air Upstate
The American Lung Association has released their 2017 State of the Air rankings and the Upstate South Carolina region is continuing to see the ratings for counties within the region improve. Of the Upstate counties specifically referenced in the report, Abbeville, Anderson, Oconee and Pickens counties received “A” ratings for Ozone; while Greenville, Spartanburg and Cherokee received “B”. This marks the first time that all seven counties have received an A or B rating.
In 2016, Spartanburg and Anderson were rated as a “C” and Cherokee a “D”. Dating back to 2012, Spartanburg had received an “F” grade and the rest of the Upstate was rated as a “C”, so the improvement within the region over the last few years has been remarkable and good for the health of all Upstate residents.
These ratings are consistent with the ozone monitor numbers that are recorded by the South Carolina Department of Health & Environmental Control (DHEC) as part of the EPA Clean Air Act monitoring. The emission numbers in the Upstate have seen steady improvement over the last 15 years and now, for the first time ever, the Upstate region is well within the current EPA attainment standards.
Since 2012, Ten at the Top has coordinated the Upstate Air Quality Advisory Committee, which includes public, private and civic stakeholders all focused on ensuring the Upstate’s air quality continues to meet federal standards. Through voluntary efforts of many businesses, local governments and residents, the air quality in the Upstate is continuing to improve.
The American Lung Association measures the state of the air by analyzing particle pollution in two different ways: the average annual levels of particle pollution and spikes of short term particle pollution. The levels of ozone and particle pollution are measured at official monitoring sites maintained by the Environmental Protection Agency. To view the American Lung Association State of the Air 2017 report in its entirety please visit www.tenatthetop.org and click on Natural Beauty & Resources.
The week of May 1st through May 5th is recognized as Air Quality Awareness Week. This special week provides an opportunity to educate the public on the importance of clean air and simple ways we can improve our air quality. Check out www.CleanAirUpstate.org or the Ten at the Top Facebook page for tips on how to play a role in keeping our air clean and safe for everyone in the Upstate.
Oct 1, 2015 | Clean Air Upstate
Upstate, SC [October 1, 2015] – The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today announced new 8-hour National Ambient Air Quality Standards (NAAQS) for ground-level ozone. The public health based standards call for a strengthening of the attainment level from 75 parts per billion (ppb) to 70 ppb. Based on the most recent monitoring results through the 2014 ozone season, the Upstate region would be in compliance with the new standards as the highest testing monitor in the region had a level of 66 ppb.
“That the Upstate looks to be within attainment of the new ozone standard is obviously great news,” said Dean Hybl, Executive Director of Ten at the Top, which coordinates the Upstate Air Quality Advisory Committee. “Considering that the Upstate monitors had levels above 80 ppb a decade ago and were at 73 ppb in 2011, it shows that the voluntary local efforts by many governments, organizations and businesses from across the region have been working.
“Having clean air that meets the EPA standards is crucial for the health of all Upstate residents and is also important because it means that manufacturers and needed transportation projects in the region will not be subject to additional regulations and costs.”
According to Hybl, the history of collaboration amongst communities and businesses in the Upstate deserves a great deal of the credit for the dramatic improvement the Upstate region has made in air quality over the last 15 years. The ozone levels in the Upstate have declined from 95 ppb in 2000 to 83 ppb in 2006 and 73 ppb in 2011 to the current levels. Though the final 2015 monitor numbers will not be available for several weeks, the region had only one Ozone Alert Day during a hot summer.
Anderson, Greenville and Spartanburg counties first came together to start the EPA Early Action Compact (EAC) process in 2002 and were soon joined by other Upstate counties along with public, private and non-profit organizations, businesses and industries. This regional effort led to the Upstate remaining within compliance of the standards at that time and set the foundation for the continued decline in ozone emissions that has continued.
“This is a perfect example of an issue that needed to be addressed both through local actions and regional partnerships,” Hybl said. “The cumulative impact of communities and businesses working to ensure cleaner air has a positive impact on all Upstate residents.”
Jan 22, 2015 | Clean Air Upstate, Uncategorized
Upstate, SC [January 21, 2015] – With new EPA air quality standards having been announced in late 2014, the Upstate may soon be facing more stringent standards for ozone emissions. On January 27th, representatives from the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) will be providing the Upstate Air Quality Advisory Committee with an overview of the new standards as well as the 2014 emission numbers for South Carolina.
The Upstate Air Quality Advisory Committee, which is coordinated by Ten at the Top and consists of stakeholder representatives from both the public and private sectors, developed the “Clean Air Upstate” initiative to help ensure that the Upstate region is continuing to focus on reducing ozone and other air pollutants in order to remain within EPA attainment levels.
Since starting the Clean Air Upstate campaign in 2012, the Upstate Air Quality Advisory Committee has been working to educate Upstate residents, businesses, local governments and organizations on how to help reduce emissions across the region. In addition, the committee has focused on specific emission-reducing initiatives to help lower the emission levels in the region.
In addition to receiving a report from DHEC, the January 27th meeting will also include development of the committee areas of emphasis for 2015.
The January 27th meeting is open to anyone interested in air quality in the Upstate. It will be held at 10 am at the TATT/Upstate Alliance Offices (124 Verdae Boulevard, Suite 202, Greenville, SC). Contact program manager, Tiffany Tate, ttate@tenatthetop.org, or check out the TATT web site (www.tenatthetop.org) for more information or to register.
Apr 7, 2014 | Clean Air Upstate
Hunt Meadows Elementary School and Pickens Middle School have been selected as the first recipients of a Clean Air Upstate Sustainable Schools Grant. Each school will receive a $1,000 grant through the Clean Air Upstate initiative, which is being coordinated by Ten at the Top. Funding for the grants was provided as part of a grant from Duke Energy to the Clean Air Upstate effort.
These two schools were awarded grants as part of a competitive process amongst schools from across the Upstate that have previously demonstrated a commitment to supporting a sustainable environment by participating in the Breathe Better (B2) anti-idling program. The B2 program is an anti-idling/clean air campaign sponsored by the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC) which educates about the harmful effects of vehicle idling and encourages developing anti-idling zones to reduce toxic emissions around schools.
Hunt Meadows Elementary School, located in Anderson County, will use their grant to start a composting program using worm bins. As part of the project, each grade level within the school will have its own worm bin for composting food waste. This project will involve students of all age levels, and the composted soil produced from the bins will be used for the school flower garden and ecobottles, along with other school projects.
Pickens Middle School will use their grant to create sustainable ozone bio-indicator gardens and to establish a Conservation Gallery. The ozone bio-indicator gardens will feature ozone sensitive native plants in raised beds, to be monitored by students, while the Conservation Gallery will educate visitors about the three main areas on our Earth that need protecting: Air, water and land. The projects will include students from the sixth, seventh, and eighth grades, with each grade level responsible for a particular aspect of the project.
Through such initiatives, Hunt Meadows Elementary and Pickens Middle School are doing their part to promote sustainability education within Upstate schools, thus promoting a culture that values living and growing in a sustainable manner. Additional grants will be awarded during the 2014-2015 school year to other Upstate schools.
Clean Air Upstate is an initiative developed by the Upstate Air Quality Advisory Committee to promote the importance that having clean air can play for both the physical health and economic vitality of Upstate residents. The effort includes a combination of specific on-the-ground emission reduction programs and an awareness & education campaign that highlights ways Upstate residents can help reduce emission levels in the region, thus helping ensure that the Upstate remains within compliance with EPA Clean Air Act standards.
Feb 10, 2014 | Clean Air Upstate, Driver Areas
Upstate, SC [February 10, 2014] – South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (SCDHEC) recently honored the Upstate Air Quality Advisory Committee with the “Spare the Air” Award in the Outstanding Community Improvement Campaign category for the Clean Air Upstate (CAU) initiative. The purpose of the Spare the Air Award is to recognize environmental leaders that have made a voluntary commitment to promote and practice air quality improvement in South Carolina.
Clean Air Upstate is an initiative of the Upstate Air Quality Advisory Committee, a group of diverse stakeholders from the public and private sectors. Ten at the Top, a nonprofit that fosters regional collaboration across Upstate South Carolina, coordinates this initiative and engages local governments, businesses, and community organizations from the region in efforts to promote physical health and economic vitality through improved air quality.
The cornerstone of CAU is the Regional Air Quality Pledge. The pledge allows local governments, businesses, community organizations, media outlets, and even individuals to illustrate their commitment to improving air quality. To date, 23 governments, businesses, and community organizations have signed the pledge, each committing one representative to work with UAQAC and the SCDHEC on their strategies.
Another significant piece of CAU is the promotion of SCDHEC’s Breathe Better (B2) program, which helps to protect the health and safety of children by reducing harmful vehicle emissions around school campuses. CAU secured funding from Duke Energy and the Hollingsworth Funds to provide grants to schools that participate in the program. The program makes schools a no-idling zone for both school buses and personal vehicles, thus significantly reducing emissions and resulting in a decrease of gasoline usage. The program also includes a student education component that teaches the importance of clean air and how individual actions can make a difference. Participation in the program has increased by 129% from 14 to 32 schools.
The school-specific B2 program works in tandem with CAU’s broader anti-idling campaign, which encourages no-idling zones in shopping centers and other parking areas. A variety of stakeholders – including the Upstate location of GE Energy – have placed CAU’s no-idling signs around their parking facilities. Rounding out CAU’s clean air toolkit are a series of practical, easy-to-implement clean air tips developed by the UAQAC.
These tips are disseminated on promotional materials and through electronic and social media channels. Seven public service announcements, representing an in-kind donation from WSPA, bring the tips to life and were shown for ten weeks on three regional television channels. The PSAs were also featured for six weeks in the pre-screening reel at over 100 movie theaters across the Upstate. For more information about the Clean Air Upstate initiative or how to get involved with the Clean Air Advisory Committee, visit www.cleanairupstate.org.
