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The Miami Valley Regional Planning Commission (MVRPC) in western Ohio has led public involvement to improve air quality since 1994. After being advised by the EPA Region 5 office that air quality standards were scheduled to be raised, MVRPC realized that not meeting the new guidelines could have a negative impact on residents' health and could jeopardize the region's transportation funding. As a result, the RPC developed the Miami Valley Air Quality Program to educate the public on ozone and particulate matter issues.

Local residents participate in a variety of RPC-sponsored outreach and incentive programs. Internet users can sign up for EnviroFlash alerts for local air quality information and view time-sequenced maps of daily ozone and particulate matter pollution levels on the Miami Valley Air website. MVRPC created a school air quality mascot called Smoginator, who is featured in educational videos and comic books for elementary-aged children.

Miami Valley RPC's incentive programs include giving away prizes like battery-powered lawn equipment and a hybrid automobile. The popular RideShare Program matches people who live and work near each other and provides free parking in downtown Dayton for participants. Residents can also have their gas caps assessed and replaced for free if the caps do not seal appropriately. Old or leaking gas cans can be traded in for new spill-proof cans provided by the EPA. Since gas-powered lawnmowers and other equipment can contribute to ground-level ozone formation, residents can trade in their yard equipment to receive a discounted price on battery-operated mowers and other tools.

Miami Valley RPC's efforts at public outreach have made a significant impact on citizen awareness. Laura Loges, Manager of Marketing and Public Affairs, says, "As more stories are in the media, people have become much more aware of our air quality issues, and what they can do about it."

She continues, "According to the market research that we conduct every year, awareness of our region's air quality challenges is really high, with 80 percent of those surveyed knowing about air pollution issues. About 85 percent of respondents reported that they modify their actions on Air Pollution Advisory Days."

The Indian Nations Council of Governments (INCOG) in Oklahoma is another RDO that aims to clear up issues surrounding air quality and pollution. With funding from the Department of Energy, administered through the Oklahoma Department of Commerce State Energy Program, INCOG compiled the Tulsa Outdoor Air Quality Curriculum from various existing air quality curricula. The lessons help children understand the atmosphere, how the weather works and the Tulsa region's major air pollution issues. This project is one of several air quality programs that support the EPA Tulsa Area Early Action Compact for mobile air pollution sources.

The materials allow for flexible use by teachers, with a variety of lessons and hands-on activities, as well as teaching aids such as visual aids, vocabulary lists and fact sheets. Lessons can be used alone when teachers integrate messages about air quality into occasional class sessions, or instructors can use the full range of materials to develop longer-term study units in the science curriculum.

Elementary, junior high and high school educators can choose lessons and associated reading materials appropriate to each age group. Younger students learn what air is and how it moves, with object lessons such as races between items like marbles and leaves that the children blow across a table. Older students learn more complex concepts, such as what air quality standards are and how they are measured. These activities help children to become aware of air pollution, its health effects and what they can do to prevent degradation of air quality at a young age so that they can engage in environmentally-conscious behavior throughout their lives.

Miami Valley Regional Planning Commission One Dayton Centre, Ste 260, One South Main St, Dayton, OH 45402 Tel: 937.223.6323 Fax: 937.223.9750 http://www.miamivalleyair.org/ http://www.mvrpc.org/

Indian Nations Council of Governments 201 West 5th St, Ste 600 Tulsa, OK 74103 Tel: 918.584.7526 Fax: 918.583.1024 http://www.incog.org/