Environmental Progress - Summer 2001

Partners for Clean Air Awards And "Breathe Easy Man" Too!

Who is that masked man? And why is he smiling like that?

The Fifth Annual Partners for Clean Air (PFCA) Awards breakfast was held June 6, in Chicago, with Tammie Souza, Meteorologist for Chicago's NBC, Channel 5 acting as hostess.

"Breathe Easy Man" brought a new presence to the annual Air Quality Awards breakfast.

In addition to recognizing outstanding efforts to improve area air quality, the event marked the first appearance of a masked, blue and gold clad fighter for truth, justice and clean air ..... Breathe Easy Man. Chicago residents will continue to see him traveling around the city to educate its citizens about reducing pollution and cleaning the air.

Partners for Clean Air is a coalition of businesses, industries, local governments and other organizations that take voluntary actions to reduce emissions that form ground-level ozone (smog). This year, four companies received Partners for Clean Air Awards for their efforts to significantly reduce emissions on Ozone Action days.

Motorola PCS sent out notifications of Ozone Action Days to its 4,000 employees and contractors and made efforts to reduce vehicle use and refueling. The firm also postponed landscaping.

The Chicago Department of Streets and Sanitation was recognized for similar efforts that included notification of their 3,800 employees at 75 offices.

American Waste Processing, Ltd. was recognized for encouraging their employees to take part in carpooling or use mass transit. They also delayed waste processing that would cause air emissions.

Bob O'Link Golf Club encouraged carpooling or walking to work on Ozone Action Days. As an added effort, they hand trimmed bushes and shrubs, and postponed mowing.

Rideshare Awards were given to companies that encouraged employees to carpool. The recipients were International Truck & Engine, Underwriters Laboratories, W.H. Smith, and Morgan Stanley Dean Witter & Company.

Several companies were honored for their participation in the Illinois Green Fleets Program or the Illinois Alternate Fuels Rebate Program. There were 10 companies that received awards for their participation in both programs. Those recipients included Advance Presort, the Brookfield Zoo, Burkardt's LP Gas, College of Lake County, El Milagro, Lansing Cleaners, Nicor, Peoples Energy, the University of Illinois at Chicago, and the village of Northbrook.

Highlighted at this year's ceremony were two new Partners initiatives that have been implemented in the Chicago area. These included the introduction of Breathe Easy Man and a service that provides animated daily ozone maps to area media.

"Daily ozone maps - animations showing ozone formation and movement throughout the area - have been provided to TV stations and newspapers in the metro area as well as CNN National News and USA Today," said Illinois EPA Director Tom Skinner.

The second initiative feature, Breathe Easy Man, will be involved in an expanded public awareness campaign that will include radio advertisements, posters at tollway booths and numerous personal appearances.