Our interactions with our built environment are increasingly entering the public consciousness and are recognized as a barrier to public health. In the U.S. especially, there is growing public concern over “car culture” and the numerous ways it affects individuals’ livelihoods, from increased air pollution to reduced active mobility. Indeed, the widespread use of gasoline-powered single-occupancy vehicles (SOVs) affects public health in myriad and insidious ways. Tailpipe emissions represent just one of these means; burning gasoline releases particulate matter, nitrogen oxides, and carbon dioxide into the air. The most widespread air pollutants in the U.S, ozone and particle pollution, are present at dangerous levels in counties containing 150 million people, just under half the nation’s population (American Lung Association, 2020). These substances have documented detrimental effects on human health, including increased risks of asthma, lung cancer, and cardiovascular harm (American Lung Association, 2020).

While air pollution from motor vehicles is clearly widespread, it does affect some communities more than others. For instance, people of color in the U.S. are 1.5 times more likely to live in a county with a “failing grade” pertaining to air pollution (American Lung Association, 2020). These figures demonstrate the threat that “car culture” and massive usage of gasoline-powered vehicles pose to public health.

In response to the numerous disadvantages of conventional gasoline fuel, in 1994 the United States Department of Energy created the Clean Cities Coalition Network. This is a network of nearly 100 Coalitions working with public and private partners to advance the use of alternative fuels and advanced vehicle technologies, such as electric vehicles. The Department of Energy sees this Network as a means of bolstering the nation’s economic and energy security.

The Clean Cities University Workforce Development Program recruits dozens of interns to assist with projects at individual coalitions. I am an intern at the Twin Cities Clean Cities Coalition (TC4) based in Saint Paul. Because a fundamental principle of the Clean Cities Coalition Network is building a national network, individual Coalitions are often hosted by relevant public or private organizations in their area. For instance, the Vermont Clean Cities Coalition is hosted by the University of Vermont, and the Chicago Area Clean Cities Coalition is hosted by the Chicago Department of Transportation. The Twin Cities Clean Cities Coalition is hosted by the American Lung Association in Minnesota, as detailed below.

The American Lung Association is a voluntary health organization and arguably one of the most famous public health organizations in the United States. With a mission to improve lung health and prevent lung disease, they work to address a number of detriments to lung health such as smoking, asthma, and air pollution. The organization sees electric vehicles especially as a means to cleaner air, as detailed in their 2020 Road to Clean Air Report (American Lung Association, 2020). Because this goal aligns so closely with those of the Clean Cities Coalition Network, the Twin Cities Clean Cities Coalition (TC4) staff is composed of American Lung Association employees, in addition to the Clean Cities Intern (myself).