The purpose of this american rescue plan funded cooperative agreement is to provide funding to the partners for a healthier community to build community leadership on air quality, climate…

The purpose of this american rescue plan funded cooperative agreement is to provide funding to the partners for a healthier community to build community leadership on air quality, climate resilience, environmental justice, urban forestry and community science to address health outcomes through the maintenance and expansion of an air quality monitoring network in the cities of springfield, holyoke, and chicopee, massachusetts. The project will maintain and expand a set of air monitoring sensors in communities including holyoke, springfield, and chicopee, massachusetts and convene local resident advisors to increase awareness and understanding of air quality information and increase engagement on local actions to improve air quality. Activities: project activities include maintaining and expanding the current pioneer valley air quality monitoring (pvaqm) network of over 50 sensors collecting data on particulate matter and ozone focusing on neighborhoods with environmental justice concerns in holyoke, springfield, chicopee, and other nearby communities; inclusion of resident voices through identifying and convening resident advisors who will take leadership on educating their community and advocating for actions and policies that address air pollution, removal of pollution sources and promote climate resilience. The project will also use the internet and social media to provide residents real-time data via a website in english and spanish that will include a 'dashboard' with current air quality information from the sensors along with technical and educational resources including respiratory disease, climate change and community resilience. Outcomes: anticipated deliverables of this project include recruiting and training 10 resident advisors, creating a new web-based platform for sharing air quality sensor data, developing new educational materials for use in outreach to 10 schools/community-based organizations each year, and 10 community and school presentations. Expected environmental outcomes of this project are improved air quality, a reduction in exposure to air pollutants, increased climate resilience, reduction in asthma, reduction in cardiovascular disease morbidity and an overall improvement in health in the local community as air pollutants decrease, air quality improves, and climate resilience measures are instituted. Direct beneficiaries of this project are residents of springfield, holyoke, and chicopee, massachusetts who are predominantly black, latino, and/or low income. Project partners will provide technical assistance in air quality monitoring, data analysis and web services for community outreach to ensure data, information and results are easily understood by the local target audience. Clean air act 103(b)(3): people with moderate-to-severe or uncontrolled asthma are more likely to be hospitalized from covid-19. Air pollution may contribute to asthma. By addressing air pollution in CAA 103(b)(3) projects, the chances of severe illness from covid-19 are reduced. Subrecipient: yale university research team: $13,500 DR. Krystal pollitt will maintain the air sensor network in the pioneer valley air monitoring network, ensuring sensor are routinely calibrated with EPA reference monitor to provide high-quality real-time measurements of PM2.5 mass and ozone concentration. She will also maintain a database of collected measurements and a public website that will visualize this air quality data. Regreen springfield: $13,500 regreen springfield will contribute to community-based educational programming and delivery and will develop a project website that will provide information on global climate change and how air quality at the local level is affected by changing functions of ecosystem components. The website will provide useful tools and resources for residents as they address environmental justice issues, resiliency, and sustainability. Earthwatch: $15,000 earthwatch instit