Website Retrospective & Visionary Actions

Jad:

Creating this website strengthened my views about the importance of sharing and explaining environmentally-vague concepts to people who are conscious of their health and the health of the state. According to data recorded in the past few decades, emissions and pollution levels are still rising, causing health complications and fear. A website like this one is dedicated to everyone who needs reassurance and live monitoring numbers that can be trusted.

After intense research and assessment of air quality in Colorado, I believe that transportation should be managed to reduce the contribution of ground transportation to air pollution, and industrial facilities should reduce operations during poor air quality days. Enhanced construction of green spaces and carbon sinks, especially in areas of low air quality, can modulate the health risk and improve morale of people experiencing poor air quality conditions.

Matthew:

My experience building this website has shown me that many state and federal government agencies have developed guidelines for how to act during poor air quality days, and so, information is indeed available. However, I still wonder if the information is reaching the people who it needs to reach. One potential is for municipalities to train individuals in air pollution awareness, similar to how people are trained in CPR. This can be done in conjunction with a text-alert system.

The ways to act in the face of air pollution risks are straightforward, but at the same time, might be considered common sense to some and unfamiliar to others. Even I still don't fully understand the difference between the human health risk of ozone versus particulate inhalation. The language used to communicate about AQI may resonate with some and may be foreign to others. Also, because of the digital divide (not everyone has a smartphone or uses the internet), access to AQI information may not be available to all. Municipalities have an opportunity to ensure that all citizens have access to information that is understandable and actionable.