Spring 2007 Forward to a Friend


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IN ATLANTA, THE CLEAN AIR CAMPAIGN® STRIVES TO “... MOTIVATE GEORGIANS TO TAKE ACTION TO IMPROVE AIR QUALITY AND REDUCE TRAFFIC CONGESTION,” ACCORDING TO ITS MISSION STATEMENT. THE SUBARU OF AMERICA FOUNDATION HELPS THE CAMPAIGN EDUCATE AND INVOLVE SCHOOLCHILDREN IN THIS QUEST.
SUBARU IN THE COMMUNITY

Subaru of America, Inc. believes in supporting the communities in which its employees live and work. To that end, Subaru builds community partnerships with organizations that share its drive and passion. These organizations are primarily ones that enhance the academic learning experience for young people.
The Clean Air Campaign tackles some of the problems caused by the Atlanta metropolitan area’s burgeoning population. Long commutes and gridlock contribute to the area’s poor air quality – something The Clean Air Campaign has been addressing since 1996. Today, The Clean Air Campaign attacks Atlanta’s air-quality problems in a three-pronged approach:
  • Suggesting and rewarding commuters for using alternative ways to get to work
  • Partnering with employers to enable their employees to use alternatives to commuting
  • Educating and involving students in schools

In order to achieve its mission, the nonprofit Clean Air Campaign relies on the support of private funders. The contribution from the Subaru of America Foundation is applied to the Better Air Schools program. Education Outreach Coordinator Brooke Barnes described the program as having three educational components (which address where pollution comes from, what air quality is, and how pollution affects our health). It also has three action components (which help reduce harmful emissions on school grounds, vehicle miles traveled to and from school, and traffic congestion at school). The school programs include “Fresh Air,” a musical assembly program featuring BAIR, the Better Air Bear.

“We work with the schools to educate the next generation of commuters,” said Marketing and Development Director Lewis Perkins. “It’s not unlike the recycling programs of the ’70s and ’80s that changed the mind-set of a generation.”

To find out more about The Clean Air Campaign, go to www.cleanaircampaign.com.