TODAY'S SPEAKER IS MICHAEL
HEINBINDER, THE FOUNDER AND
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF HABITAT
MAP, A NON-PROFIT COMMUNITY
ORGANIZATION DEDICATED TO
RAISING AWARENESS OF THE IMPACT
OF ENVIRONMENT ON HUMAN HEALTH
AND THE DIFFERENTIAL IMPACT OF
EXPOSURE ON LOW INCOME
COMMUNITIES.
TODAY, HE WILL BE SPEAKING ON
THEIR EFFORTS TO IMPROVE
PERSONAL EXPOSURE ASSESSMENT AND
SHARING THAT INFORMATION ON THE
GEOSPATIAL BURDEN OF EXPOSURES
AND ITS IMPACT ON COMMUNITIES.
WITH THE FINAL REMINDER TO
SUBMIT YOUR QUESTIONS VIE AT Q &
A POD IN WEBEX, I WILL HAND THE
VIRTUAL PODIUM OVER TO MR. HEINBINDER.
MICHAEL?
SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THE
INTRODUCTION.
JUST AGAIN FOR THOSE FOLKS WHO
MIGHT BE JOINING JUST NOW, MY
NAME IS MICHAEL HEINBINDER,
FOUNDER AND EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
OF HABITAT MAP.
HABITAT MAP IS A BROOKLYN-BASED
ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH JUSTICE
ORGANIZATION, AND THE PRIMARY
THING WE DO IS WORK WITH SCHOOLS
AND COMMUNITY-BASED
ORGANIZATIONS TO CREATE PLANNING
AND ADVOCACY MAPS.
AND WE DO THAT WITH OUR TWO
COMMUNITY MAPPING PLATFORMS.
ONE IS HABITATMAP.ORG, WHICH IS
FOCUSED ON QUALITATIVE
INFORMATION SO IT'S TEXT, PHOTOS
AND VIDEOS INSERTED IN MAP
MARKERS, AND THEN MAP MARKERS
ARE AGGREGATED INTO THEMATIC
MAPS FOCUSED ON HEALTH AND
QUALITY OF LIFE ISSUES.
THIS IS A POSTER WE PUT TOGETHER
A FEW YEARS AGO THAT SHOWS KIND
OF THE RANGE OF DIFFERENT TOPICS
THAT HAVE BEEN MAPPED ON HABITAT
MAP, EVERYTHING FROM COMBINED
SEWER OVERFLOWS TO CONTAMINATED
PROPERTIES TO ROOFTOP SOLAR
PANELS, LOTS OF THINGS, SOME
GOOD, SOME BAD, BUT ALL AN
EFFORT ON THE PART OF
COMMUNITIES TO COMMUNICATE WHAT
HAPPENING IN THEIR NEIGHBORHOOD,
IN THEIR COMMUNITY TO THE REST
OF THE WORLD.
ABOUT SIX YEARS AGO, WE LAUNCHED
AIR CASTING IN 2011.
AIR CASTING IS ANOTHER COMMUNITY
MAPPING PLATFORM BUT IT'S
FOCUSED ON QUANTITATIVE DATA
RATHER THAN QUALITATIVE DATA.
SO IT'S PHYSIOLOGICAL
MEASUREMENT AND ENVIRONMENTAL
MEASUREMENTS RECORDED BY CENTERS
THAT ARE THEN COMMUNICATED TO A
SMARTPHONE APP CALLED AIR
CASTING, AND THEN FROM THERE,
THEY'RE MAPPING GRAPHED IN
REALTIME AND SENT TO A SERVER,
AIRCASTING.ORG.
THIS IS A PLATFORM DIAGRAM KIND
OF SHOWING YOU HOW THE PLATFORM
WORKS.
SO AT THE TOP, YOU'VE GOT YOUR
AIR QUALITY CENTER, WHICH IS THE
AIRBEAM.
THE PLATFORM IS ACTUALLY
DEVICE-AGNOSTIC, MEANING YOU CAN
CONNECT AN AIRBEAM TO THE
PLATFORM, YOU CAN CONNECT YOUR
OWN INSTRUMENT, YOU CAN TAKE AN
EXISTING INSTRUMENT AND PLUG IT
IN TO THE PLATFORM, SO ANYTHING
THAT SAYS IT'S ENVIRONMENTAL OR
PHYSIOLOGY CAN THEN BE FED INTO
THE PLATFORM.
FROM THERE, IT GOES TO THE AIR
CASTING KNOW PILE APP, WHICH
BASICALLY MAPS AND GRAPHS IN
REALTIME ON YOUR MOBILE PHONE,
AND FROM THERE, YOUR
MEASUREMENTS ARE SENT TO OUR
SERVER.
YOU CAN ALSO ACTUALLY SET UP
YOUR OWN AIR CASTING SERVER AND
SEND THE MEASUREMENTS TO YOUR
OWN SERVER RATHER THAN OURS.
IT SHOULD BE MENTIONED THAT THIS
IS AN ENTIRELY OPEN SOURCE
PROJECT.
SO THE CODE FOR THE APP AND THE
WEBSITE IS OPEN SOURCE AND
AVAILABLE THROUGH GITHUB AND ALL
THE SCHEMATICS AND DESIGNS FOR
THE AIRBEAM ARE ALSO AVAILABLE
THROUGH GitHub.
AT THE BOTTOM, YOU'LL SEE LED
WEARABLES, SO YOUR OPTIONAL
PUBLIC AIR QUALITY MONITOR.
SO WE'VE DEVELOPED ON AIR
QUALITY MONITORS AND SO HAVE
OTHER PEOPLE, SO WHAT IT
MEANS -- IT'S A KIND OF
ELECTRONIC PROJECT THAT TIES IN
WITH THE PLATFORM, BUT IT'S ALSO
A WAY OF KIND OF COMMUNICATING
THE MEASUREMENTS THAT ARE COMING
IN FROM YOUR SENSE DEVICE TO
PEOPLE IN YOUR IMMEDIATE
VICINITY, AND AT THE BOTTOM OF
THE PLATFORM DIAGRAM, YOU'LL SEE
IT'S ALL FOCUSED ON INDIVIDUAL,
COMMUNITY AND GOVERNMENT CHANGE.
THIS IS SOME SCREEN SHOTS FROM
THE APP.
ON THE FAR LEFT YOU'LL SEE THIS
IS THE CENTERS DASHBOARD.
SO EACH OF THESE TILES REPRESENT
A STREAM COMING IN FROM THE
SENSORS INTO THE PHONE.
SO IN THIS CASE, WE'RE MEASURING
CARBON MONOXIDE, PARTICULATE
MATTER, BREATHING RATE, HEART
RATE, HUMIDITY AND ACTIVITY
LEVEL.
SO YOU CAN SEE IT CAN BE ANY
NUMBER OF DIFFERENT VARIABLES
THAT YOU'RE MONITORING.
THE NEXT SCREEN SHOT IS SIMPLY A
GRAPH, THIS IS SHOWING HEART
RATE OVER TIME, AND YOU CAN SEE
AGAIN THE COLOR.
SO 40 TO 85 BEATS PER MINUTE
WOULD BE GREEN, 86 TO 130 WOULD
BE YELLOW, SO IT'S COLOR-CODED
AND YOU CAN CHANGE THE
RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE COLORS
AND THE NUMBERS SO THAT IT'S
SUITED TO WHATEVER YOU'RE TRYING
TO DISPLAY.
THE NEXT IS GOING TO BE THE
SESSIONS MAP, AND WHAT YOU SEE
ON THE SESSIONS MAP IS A BUNCH
OF COLORED DOTS.
THEY'RE LAID DOWN SO CLOSE
TOGETHER THAT THEY LOOK LIKE A
LINE, BUT ESSENTIALLY WHAT'S
HAPPENING IS EVERY SECOND, THE
SENSOR IS MAKING A MEASUREMENT
AND THEN IT'S LAID DOWN IN THE
MAP AS A COLOR-CODED DOT, AND
THE COLOR OF THAT DOT
CORRESPONDS TO THE INTENSITY OF
THE MEASUREMENT, AND AT THE TOP,
THE LEGEND, GREEN, YELLOW AND
RED, SHOWS YOU THE RELATIONSHIP
BETWEEN THE COLORS AND THE
MEASUREMENTS.
AT THIS EXAMPLE, WE'RE LOOKING
AT DECIBEL LEVELS.
SO YOU COULD DOWNLOAD THE AIR
CASTING APP, IT'S FREE, AND YOU
CAN START USING IT RIGHT AWAY,
YOU CAN ACTUALLY USE THE ON
BOARD PHONE MICROPHONE TO TAKE
SOUND LEVEL MEASUREMENTS.
THAT'S ACTUALLY HOW WE LAUNCHED
THE AIR CASTING MAP, WAS JUST
RECORDING SOUND LEVELS,
REITERATING IT WAS THE EASIEST
THING TO DO, BUT ALSO BECAUSE
IT'S THE NUMBER ONE COMPLAINT ON
NEW YORK CITY'S 311 HOTLINE, SO
WE KNEW IT WOULD BE RELEVANT TO
NEW YORKERS, WHERE THERE'S NOISY
NEIGHBORS, NOISY AIRPLANES,
NOISY RESTAURANTS, IT'S
DEFINITELY SOMETHING OF CONCERN.
THE LAST ON THE FAR RIGHT IS THE
CROWD MAP.
YOU SEE THE SESSIONS MAP, ON THE
RIGHT-HAND SIDE YOU'LL SEE KIND
OF A TRAIL OF COLORED DOTS.
AND THEN YOU'LL ALSO SEE THESE
COLORED SQUARES, AND THOSE
COLORED SQUARES CORRESPOND TO
THE AVERAGE MEASUREMENT IN THAT
LOCATION OVER ALL TIME.
AND WHEN YOU GET TO THE WEBSITE,
YOU CAN ACTUALLY FILTER IT SO AT
DIFFERENT TIMES, DIFFERENT
CARRIER, BUT IN THIS INSTANCE,
IT'S JUST SHOWING YOU WHAT THE
AVERAGE MEASUREMENT IN THAT AREA
IS BASED ON THE READINGS FROM
ALL AIR CASTERS.
SO YOU CAN SEE ON THE RIGHT-HAND
SIDE, MY SESSION TRAIL OF DOTS
IS PRIMARILY YELLOW AND GREEN,
AND IF YOU CAN SEE THE SQUARES
ARE ALSO PRIMARILY YELLOW AND
GREEN, SO YOU CAN COMPARE MY
MEASUREMENT TO KIND OF LOOK LIKE
THE MEASUREMENTS THAT HAVE BEEN
TAKEN PREVIOUSLY, THE AVERAGES.
THE NEXT SLIDE IS WHAT IT LOOKS
LIKE WHEN YOU GET ONLINE AND YOU
LOOK AT AIRCASTING.ORG.
AS YOU CAN SEE, IT'S EXPANDED,
YOU'VE GOT KIND OF A RICHER
INTERFACE, YOU'VE GOT A BIGGER
SCREEN, YOU CAN DISPLAY MORE
INFORMATION.
SO WHAT THIS IS DISPLAYING IS
I'M CYCLING FROM BROOKLYN TO
MANHATTAN, TO LOWER MANHATTAN.
IN THE PROCESS, I ENCOUNTER TWO
KINDS OF PEAKS IN CONCENTRATION.
THE AIR BEAM ACTUALLY MEASURES
IN MICROGRAMS PER CUBIC METER
BUT THIS SHOWS IT OUTPUTTING AS
HUNDREDS OF PARTICLES PER CUBIC
FOOT.
WHAT IT'S SHOWING IS THAT
PRIMARILY I'M IN THE GREEN,
WHICH IS BELOW 1.25000 HUNDREDS
OF PARTICLES OF CUBIC FOOT BUT
IT'S SHOWING YOU KIND OF THE
RELATIVE LEVELS HERE.
THERE'S TWO SPIKES, ONE WHEN I'M
CROSSING OVER MYRTLE AVERAGE I
GET KIND OF ORANGE, THERE'S A
LOT OF PARTICLES IN THE AIR FROM
THE TRUCK AND THE ROADWAY
ITSELF.
THEN THE BIGGER SPIKE THAT'S
LONGER ENDURING IS THE ONE THAT
IS HAPPENING AS I PASS OVER THE
MANHATTAN BRIDGE AND GO OVER THE
FDR DRIVE, SO THAT'S THE
CONFLUENCE OF THE FDR DRIVE,
WHICH SEES THOUSANDS OF VEHICLES
EVERY DAY, ALL THE TRAFFIC
BACKING BACK ON EITHER SIDE OF
THE MANHATTAN BRIDGE TRYING TO
GET ON AND OFF, AND ALSO THE
SUBWAY, THE SUBWAY RIDES OVER
MANHATTAN BRIDGE, EVERY TIME YOU
COME OUT OF THE BRIDGE, IT
SPIKES PARTICLES.
YOU'LL SEE THIS AGAIN AND AGAIN,
DAY AFTER DAY.
THIS IS AGAIN THE CROWD MAP, BUT
AGAIN, LIKE I WAS SAYING, YOU
CAN MEASURE LOTS OF DIFFERENT
THINGS.
THIS IS A CROWD MAP OF SOUND
LEVELS SO IT'S SHOWING YOU
PROSPECT PARK ON THE LOWER
RIGHT, THEN IT'S KIND OF GRADING
IN TO THE NEIGHBORHOOD CALLED
PARK SLOPE AND THEN DOWN,
THERE'S A THIN BODY OF WATER IN
THE NORTHEASTERN CORNER AND
THAT'S THE CANAL WHICH IS A
FEDERAL SUPERFUND SITE AND ALSO
HAS A MIX OF RESIDENCES AND
INDUSTRY.
SO YOU CAN SEE IN THIS EXAMPLE I
PROVIDED, BECAUSE IT'S VERY
CLEAN, THE PARK IS RELATIVELY
QUIET, IT'S GREEN, THE PARK
SLOPE NEIGHBORHOOD IS PRIMARILY
YELLOW WITH SOME GREEN, AND THEN
WHEN YOU GET DOWN TO THE --
WHICH IS MIXED RES --
INDUSTRIAL, RATHER, YOU SEE
THESE KIND OF BLOCKS OF ORANGE
COME IN.
THIS IS THE AIR CASTING FAMILY.
SO THIS IS NOT ALL THE DEVICES
THAT CONNECT IN TO THE AIR CAST,
THERE'S PROBABLY OVER TWO DOZEN
TYPES OF INSTRUMENTS THAT HAVE
BEEN TO DATE CONNECT TODAY THE
PLATFORM.
I WANTED TO HIGHLIGHT A COUPLE
TO TALK ABOUT THE DIFFERENT
TYPES OF INSTRUMENTS THAT ARE
PLUGGED IN.
SO THIS IS AN INSTRUMENT THAT
MEASURES CARBON DIOXIDE,
NITROGEN DIOXIDE AND CARBON
DIOXIDE, AND IT WAS MADE BY A
COMPANY CALLED QSENSE, AND SO
THEY DECIDED THAT RATHER THAN
DEVELOPING THEIR OWN PLATFORM,
THEY WOULD DEVELOP THEIR OWN
INSTRUMENT, USE THE AIR CASTING
APP TO COLLECT THE DATA AND THEN
SEND THAT DATA INTO OUR BACK
END, OUR AIR CASTING.ORG, OUR
SERVER, AND THEN PULL IT OUT
USING OUR API OR APPLICATION
PROGRAMMING INTERFACE.
SO THE AIR TAPPING PROGRAM IS
MODULAR, YOU CAN PICK AND CHOOSE
WHICH ONES YOU WANT TO USE.
THEY USED THEIR OWN INSTRUMENT,
AIR CASTING APP AND WEBSITE BUT
THEN THEY PULLED THE DATA FROM
OUR WEBSITE AND PULLED IT INTO
THEIR OWN SERVER TO DO THEIR OWN
ANALYTICS. SO THIS IS A DEVICE
WE'LL TALK ABOUT MORE BECAUSE
THERE'S SEVERAL COMMUNITY GROUPS
THAT ARE USING IT IN CHICAGO.
THIS IS AN INSTRUMENT THAT IS A
COMMERCIALLY AVAILABLE
INSTRUMENT, IT MEASURES A NUMBER
OF DIFFERENT PARAMETERS
INCLUDING CORE TEMPERATURE,
HEART RATE, HEART RATE
VARIABILITY, BREATHING RATE,
CONNECTIVITY LEVEL, MAYBE
SOMETHING ELSE.
IT'S A LARGE NUMBER OF
PARAMETERS IT CAN MEASURE.
SO THIS IS AN EXAMPLE OF PEOPLE
DOING PHYSIOLOGICAL MEASUREMENTS
AT THE SAME TIME THAT THEY ARE
SOMETIMES DOING ENVIRONMENTAL
MEASUREMENTS TO SEE IF THERE'S A
CORRESPONDENCE BETWEEN THE TWO.
BUT THE ZEPHYR HAS A SOFTWARE
DEVELOPMENT KIT THAT COMES WITH
IT, SO IT WAS EASY FOR US TO
TAKE THIS INSTRUMENT AND
BASICALLY PATCH THE MEASUREMENTS
INTO OUR PLATFORM.
SO PEOPLE MAKE THEIR OWN
INSTRUMENTS, IN THIS INSTANCE WE
TAKE AN EXISTING PIECE OF
HARDWARE AND CONNECT IT IN, AND
THEN, OF COURSE, WE MEASURED
EARLIER THE AIR BEAM.
SO THE AIR BEAM IS AN INSTRUMENT
THAT WE DEVELOPED FOR MEASURING
PM2.5 OR FINE PARTICULATE
MATTER.
WE RAN A KICKSTARTER CAMPAIGN
AND RAISED JUST OVER $50,000 IN
ORDER TO PRODUCE THE FIRST BATCH
OF UNITS.
SO THAT WAS 500 UNITS WE MADE
AND TO DATE, WE'VE SOLD JUST
OVER 1500.
THE AIR BEAMS HAVE BEEN SOLD ALL
OVER THE WORLD, AND THE REASON
WE DEVELOPED THE INSTRUMENT, WE
WERE LOOKING FOR AN INSTRUMENT
SO WE DIDN'T HAVE TO DEVELOP OUR
OWN, BUT THERE WASN'T SOMETHING
AT THE TIME THAT WAS LOW COST,
OPEN SOURCE, AND RELATIVELY
ACCURATE, SO WE ENDEAVORED TO
BUILD OUR OWN, IT WAS ABOUT A
THREE-YEAR PROCESS OF RESEARCH
AND DEVELOPMENT TO FINALLY COME
UP WITH THE AIRBEAM, MANUFACTURE
IT AND MAKE IT AVAILABLE FOR
SALE.
THE AIR BEAM IS APPROXIMATELY
$249 OR IT IS $249, AND I WANTED
TO COMPARE IT TO ANOTHER
INSTRUMENT THAT SOME OF YOU MAY
HAVE HEARD OF, WHICH IS A
THERMOSCIENTIFIC PDR1300.
SO THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WEIGHS
2 1/2 POUNDS, FIVE TIMES AS
HEAVY AS THE AIR BEAM THAT
WEIGHS ABOUT A HALF POUND, AND
IT COSTS $5,000.
SO IT COSTS 20 TIMES MORE AND
WEIGHS FIVE TIMES AS MUCH.
THE THERMOSCIENTIFIC HAS A
BIGGER RANGE, IS MORE ACCURATE,
BUT IT'S NOT THAT MUCH BETTER
THAN THE AIRBEAM.
SO YOU CAN SEE THAT THE AIR BEAM
IS REALLY A MUCH CHEAPER, MUCH
LIGHTER PIECE OF EQUIPMENT TO
USE, AND IT COMES WITH AN ENTIRE
PLATFORM THAT IT CONNECTS INTO,
PEOPLE STRUGGLE WITH THAT,
GROUPS WILL REACH OUT AND SAY
WE'VE GOT THESE PRODUCTS BUT WE
DON'T KNOW HOW TO GET THE DATA
FROM THEM, SO THAT WAS ONE OF
THE BIG -- WE SAW AGAIN AND
AGAIN GROUPS WERE INNOVATING BUT
THEY WERE WORKING ON ONE PIECE
OF THE PUZZLE, AND WE WANTED
THEM TO BE ABLE TO WORK ON THE
PIECE OF PUZZLE THEY WERE MOST
INTERESTED IN, THEN TAKE THE
REST FROM US AND USE IT HOWEVER
THEY LIKE.
THIS IS ONE OF OUR ACCESSORIES,
WE MAKE VESTS THAT LIGHT UP,
PURSES, CLUTCHES, THAT LIGHT UP
IN RESPONSE TO THE SENSOR
MEASUREMENT.
SO THIS IS ONE WE DEVELOPED,
IT'S KIND OF A DIY, DO IT
YOURSELF ONE, IT LETS PEOPLE
KNOW WHEN THE MEASUREMENTS
COMING FROM YOUR DEVICE ARE.
THEN I WANTED TO GO THROUGH SOME
EXAMPLES.
SO LIKE I SAID, THERE'S OVER
1500 AIRBEAMS OUT IN THE WORLD
TO DATE, ABOUT HALF IN THE U.S.
AND HALF OUTSIDE THE U.S.
AND IT'S BEEN REALLY FASCINATING
TO SEE THE TYPES OF PROJECTS
THAT HAVE ADOPTED THE AIR
CASTING PLATFORM AND USED
DIFFERENT PIECES AND HOW THEY'RE
USING IT.
SO THIS IS A GROUP AT COLUMBIA
UNIVERSITY'S SCHOOL OF PUBLIC
HEALTH AND THEY'RE PARTNERED
WITH THE LOCAL NPR AFILLIATE FOR
NEW YORK CITY, YOU'LL SEE
THERE'S A WHOLE SERIES OF
STORIES OVER THE LAST FEW YEARS
THAT HAVE DOCUMENTED THIS, AND
THE THESIS IS THAT, AS YOU MIGHT
EXPECT, AIR POLLUTION IS MORE
TOXIC ON THE DOSE AND THE DOSE
IS BIGGER WHEN YOU'RE MORE
ACTIVE.
SO YOU'RE BREATHING IN A LOT
MORE DIRTY AIR WHEN YOU'RE
CYCLING THAN YOU ARE WHEN YOU'RE
WALKING OR RIDING IN YOUR CAR,
SO THEY WANTED TO SEE WHAT THE
IMPACT OF THIS IS.
SO THE WOMAN IN THE PICTURE IS
WEARING A VEST, AND ON THAT VEST
IS TENS OF THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS
OF EQUIPMENT.
THEY'RE USING THE AIR BEAM, THEY
WERE USING THE TERRIER, AN
INSTRUMENT I SHOWED YOU EARLIER
THAT MEASURED CO2, NO2 AND
CARBON DIOXIDE, AND THEY'RE ALSO
USING MORE EXPENSIVE EQUIPMENT
LIKE THE MICROWAVE WHICH
MEASURES BLACK CARBON WHICH
COSTS $5,000, THEY'VE GOT A VERY
EXPENSIVE MONITOR FOR DOING THE
PHYSIOLOGICAL MEASUREMENTS LIKE
BREATHING RATE, SO THEY HAD A
GROUP OF VOLUNTEERS WEARING
THESE VESTS AND GOING AROUND THE
CITY AND THEY RECRUITED THEM
THROUGH WNYC, BUT WHEN THE
STORIES RAN AND THEY RECRUITED
VOLUNTEERS, THEY WERE GETTING
HUNDREDS, IN FACT THOUSANDS OF
PEOPLE WHO WANTED TO VOLUNTEER.
THEIR BUDGET WAS NECESSARILY
LIMITED, THEY COULD ONLY AFFORD
SO MANY OF THESE VERY EX-PEP
SIEVE -- USING THE AIR BEAM AND
THE CARRIER ALLOWED THEM TO
INVOLVE MORE PARTICIPANTS
BECAUSE THEY DIDN'T HAVE ALL OF
THESE MULTI-THOUSAND DOLLARS
SETUPS BUT THEY COULD HAND OUT
MORE AIR BEAMS AND CARRIERS AND
THEREFORE INVOLVE MORE PEOPLE.
SO THIS IS AN ONGOING PROJECT, I
THINK THEY WERE TRYING TO
RECRUIT ANOTHER COHORT THIS
SUMMER AND THEY CONTINUE TO
PUBLISH STORIES ON IT SO IF
ANYBODY IS INTERESTED TO SEE
THEIR RESULTS.
THIS IS THE GROUP, THE GLOBAL
CLIMATE AND HEALTH ALLIANCE,
WHICH IS ACTUALLY A GROUP OF
ORGANIZATIONS FOCUSED ON CLIMATE
CHANGE AND AIR POLLUTION
ADDRESSING CLIMATE CHANGE AND
AIR POLLUTION IN CITIES ALL
AROUND THE WORLD.
SO WHAT THEY DID IS RAN A
CAMPAIGN CALLED UNMASK MY CITY.
THIS EXAMPLE, THEY'RE IN INDIA
AND HE'S SAYING INDIA HAS THE
SECOND WORST AIR POLLUTION
LEVELS IN SOUTH ASIA.
THEY TOOK OUR DESIGN AND
MODIFIED IT AND PUT IT INSIDE
MAX, AND THEY HAD PEOPLE IN ALL
OF THESE CITIES, ALL AROUND THE
WORLD, POSING IN THEIR
NEIGHBORHOOD WITH THEIR
ACCESSORIES AND MASK TALKING
ABOUT THE ISSUES THAT ARE
PERTINENT FOR THEM.
THIS IS A GREAT EXAMPLE, WHAT
YOU SEE WHEN YOU GO TO UNMAP MY
CITY, YOU CAN SET UP YOUR OWN
AIR CASTING SERVER, SO THEY'VE
SEGREGATED THEIR DATA, SO
INSTEAD OF PUSHING THEIR DATA
INTO AIRCASTING.ORG, THEY SENT
THE DATA INTO THEIR OWN SERVER,
THEN WHEN YOU GO TO THEIR
WEBSITE, YOU CAN SEE THE AIR
CASTING MAPS WITH THE POLLUTION
MEASUREMENT ON THEIR WEBSITE.
THEN BELOW THAT, YOU SEE THE
MEASUREMENTS COMING -- BLOW THAT
THERE'S A CALL TO ACTION.
SO EACH OF THESE ARE -- FOR
SOMETHING DIFFERENT, THIS IS AN
ALLIANCE OF MULTIPLE
ORGANIZATIONS, SO IF YOU GO TO
THE SALT LAKE CITY PAGE, YOU'LL
SEE THEY'RE ASKING FOR A
STRONGER STATE IMPLEMENTATION
PLAN.
IN TURKEY, THEY'RE ASKING FOR
BETTER PARTICULATE MATTER
MONITORING.
THEY ONLY MEASURE PM10, THEY
DON'T MEASURE PM2.5, SO YOU'RE
EITHER ASKING PEOPLE TO WRITE TO
THEIR GOVERNMENT AND SAY DO MORE
EXTENSIVE MONITORING, AND IF YOU
GO TO BRAZIL, THEY'RE ASKING
PEOPLE TO FILL OUT A SURVEY
REGARDING WHAT MEASURES PEOPLE
FAVOR FOR CURBING AIR POLLUTION
AND CLEANING UP THE AIR.
SO THIS IS A GREAT EXAMPLE OF A
GROUP THAT KIND OF TOOK THE
PLATFORM, USED THE PARTS THEY
NEEDED, TIES IT IN WITH THEIR
LOCAL PARTNER.
THESE ARE TWO REGULATORY
AGENCIES, SO ONE IS THE
MINNESOTA POLLUTION CONTROL
AGENCY, AND THE OTHER IS AIR --
AROUND FRANCE, AND WHAT THEY'VE
DONE IS THEY HAVE MANDATES TO
COMMUNICATE TO THE PUBLIC ABOUT
AIR QUALITY AND PUBLIC HEALTH.
SO WHAT THEY'VE DONE IS THEY SAW
THE AIR BEAM AND THE AIR CASTING
APP IS A GREAT TOOL TO DO THAT,
SO THEY BASICALLY RUN PROGRAMS
WHERE THEY'LL CHECK OUT AIR
BEAMS AND ANDROID PHONES AND
THEY'LL HAVE PARTICIPANTS GO OUT
AND TAKE MEASUREMENTS.
SOMETIMES THEY'LL DO IT SKI
MATTICALLY, THEY'LL SAY YOU RIDE
A BUS, YOU WALK, OR YOU'LL SEE
DIFFERENT LOADS OF
TRANSPORTATION, MINNESOTA
POLLUTION CONTROL AT A COUNTY
FAIR, THEY LOOKED AT THE
EMISSIONS COMING FROM SOME OF
THE CHAR BROILING SETUP THAT
THEY HAD THERE, SO IT'S BEEN A
GREAT TOOL FOR THEM TO
COMMUNICATE TO THE PUBLIC.
AND I KNOW THERE'S A LOT OF
CONCERN AMONG SOME SECTIONS OF
THE REGULATORY COMMUNITY ABOUT
INDIVIDUALS USING LOW COST
INSTRUMENTS AND HOW DO THEY
INTERPRET THE MEASUREMENT, HOW
DO THEY COMPARE TO, YOU KNOW,
THE HUI, AND THOSE ARE ALL
LEGITIMATE CONCERNS, BUT I
WANTED TO HIGHLIGHT THESE TWO
EXAMPLES, AN EXAMPLE OF
REGULATORY AGENCIES EMBRACING
THE TECHNOLOGY, AND KNOWING THAT
THEY ALSO NEED TO ACCOMPANY IT
WITH THE APPROPRIATE MESSAGING
SO THAT PEOPLE DON'T
MISINTERPRET THE MEASUREMENTS
THAT THEY'RE GETTING AND
UNDERSTAND ITS IMPACT ON PUBLIC
HEALTH, THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN
THE MEASUREMENT AND THE PUBLIC
HEALTH IMPACT OR THE IMPACT FOR
THAT INDIVIDUAL.
AGAIN, BOTH OF THESE
ORGANIZATIONS SET UP THEIR OWN
AIR CASTING SERVER.
THEY FED THE DATA INTO THEIR OWN
WEBSITES.
THIS IS AN EXAMPLE OF A PRIVATE
COMPANY.
SO I WANTED TO JUST PROVIDE
EXAMPLES OF LOTS OF DIFFERENT
TYPES OF ORGANIZATIONS USING THE
AIR CASTING PLATFORM.
THIS IS AN EXAMPLE OF A COMPANY,
THEY CREATED AN ENTIRE
CURRICULUM CALLED KIDS MAKING
SENSE, EMPOWERING YOUTH IN
COMMUNITIES TO CLEAR THE AIR AND
IMPROVE PUBLIC HEALTH.
WHAT THEY'RE DOING IS THEY'RE
WORKING WITH DIFFERENT AIR
QUALITY DISTRICTS IN CALIFORNIA
AND SCHOOL DISTRICTS TO
BASICALLY TEACH YOUNG PEOPLE
ABOUT ALL THE MOST IMPORTANT
THINGS ABOUT PARTICLE POLLUTION,
SO YOU CAN SEE ON THE TABLE OF
CONTENTS, YOU'VE GOT OUR AIR AND
POLLUTION, PARTICLE POLLUTION,
PARTICLE SOURCE, HEALTH EFFECTS,
HOW DO YOU MEASURE IT, FIELD
MEASUREMENTS, INTERPRETING YOUR
DATA.
AND SO THIS STARTED OUT ACTUALLY
AS A MUCH SMALLER KIND OF PILOT
CURRICULUM THAT WE DID WITH THEM
THAT WAS FUNDED BY THE KNIGHT
FOUNDATION, THEN THEY KIND OF
TOOK THE BALL AND RAND WITH IT
AND SAID THIS COULD BE AN
IMPORTANT PART OF THE WORK THAT
WE DO, AN IMPORTANT NEW BUSINESS
OPPORTUNITY FOR US.
IF YOU'RE NOT FAMILIAR WITH --
TECHNOLOGY, THERE'S A COMPANY
THAT RUNS THE AIR -- PLATFORM
AND THEY PROVIDE NEAR REALTIME
INFORMATION ABOUT AIR QUALITY
AND FORECASTING ABOUT AIR
QUALITY AT --.GOV.
THIS IS THE GROUP -- THIS IS
CALLED SHARED AIR, SHARED
ACTION, COMMUNITY EMPOWERMENT
THROUGH LOW COST AIR POLLUTION
MONITORING.
IT'S A STAR GRANT, SO THE EPA
GIVES OUT STAR GRANTS, I BELIEVE
THIS ONE WAS ON THE ORDER OF
MAGNITUDE AROUND $750,000.
THE LEAD ON IT IS KANSAS STATE
UNIVERSITY, BUT THERE ARE
SEVERAL OTHER UNIVERSITIES THAT
ARE CHICAGO-BASED, AND THEN A
HANDFUL OF DIFFERENT
COMMUNITY-BASED ORGANIZATIONS
ALL IN CHICAGO.
SO WHAT THEY'RE DOING IN THIS
EXAMPLE I JUST PULLED, THEY WERE
LOOKING FOR VOLUNTEERS.
THEY WERE DOING SOME MONITORING.
SO EACH OF THE DIFFERENT
ORGANIZATIONS THAT KANSAS STATE
AND THEIR PARTNERS ARE WORKING
WITH HAVE BASICALLY WORKED
TOGETHER TO DEVELOP A PLAN FOR
MONITORING IN THEIR
NEIGHBORHOOD.
AND IT'S BEEN VERY EXTENSIVE,
THEY SURVEYED INDIVIDUALS OR
COMMUNITY MEMBERS FROM THESE
ORGANIZATIONS ABOUT WHAT THEIR
CONCERNS WERE, WHERE THEY THINK
IT WOULD BE MOST PERTINENT TO
MONITOR, WHERE IT WOULD BE
SAFEST TO MONITOR, AND THEN THEY
WENT OUT AND DEVELOPED
MONITORING PLANS, THEY'VE TAKEN
SOME MEASUREMENTS AND THEY'RE
JUST STARTING TO GET BACK DATA
AND INTERPRET IT, AND THEY'RE
NOT REALLY SURE, I BELIEVE, WHAT
THEY'RE GOING TO BE DIRECTING
THEIR EFFORTS AT.
IT'S DEFINITELY ABOUT
UNDERSTANDING AIR QUALITY, BUT
THE ALSO ABOUT CONNECTING THE
DOTS BETWEEN AIR QUALITY, PUBLIC
HEALTH, PARTICULARLY THE HEALTH
IN THESE COMMUNITIES THAT ARE
MOSTLY ENVIRONMENTAL -- I THINK
ALL ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE
COMMUNITIES, AND THEN HOW DO YOU
CONNECT TO THE POLICY AND
ACTUALLY MAKE CHANGE?
WE REGULATE THE PET COFILES
DIFFERENTLY, THEY'VE HAD -- IN
TERMS OF THEIR MONITORING.
THIS IS A PROJECT THAT WE DID IN
PARTNERSHIP WITH SEVERAL OTHER
ORGANIZATIONS, LED BY A
COALITION CALLED TRANSFORM,
DON'T TRASH THIS IS A REPORT WE
PUT OUT TOGETHER, SO IT WAS
TRANSFORM NOT TRASH, THEN WE
ORDERED WITH -- FOR THE PUBLIC
INTEREST, NEW YORK JUSTICE AND
ALIGN.
WHAT WE'RE LOOK TO DO HERE IS
THAT NEW YORK CITY HANDLES WASTE
IN A WAY THAT'S NOT
ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY, SO
THERE ARE SEVERAL INITIATIVES TO
TRY TO CLEAN UP THE SOLID WASTE
SYSTEM IN NEW YORK CITY.
THIS WAS A REPORT WE PUT OUT
CALLED CLEARING THE AIR, AND
WHAT WE DID IS WE PARTNERED WITH
SEVERAL DIFFERENT COMMUNITY
ORGANIZATIONS HERE IN NEW YORK
CITY, IN BROOKLYN AND IN SOUTH
BRONX.
WHAT WE DID IS WE TRAINED YOUNG
PEOPLE TO MEASURE AIR POLLUTION
AT TRUCKING-INTENSIVE INTERSECTIONS 
AND COUNTED TRUCKS
AT THE SAME TIME AND WE SAW IS
THERE A RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE
NUMBER OF TRUCKS COMING THROUGH
THESE INTERSECTIONS AND THE AIR
QUALITY, AND WE COMPARED OUR AIR
QUALITY MEASUREMENT USE THE AIR
BEAM TO THE CLOSEST REFERENCE
MONITOR RUN BY THE NEW YORK
STATE DEPARTMENT OF
ENVIRONMENTAL CONSERVATION.
WE ALSO LOOKED PAT WHAT KIND OF
TRUCKS WERE COMING THROUGH THE
NEIGHBORHOOD BECAUSE WE WERE
SPECIFICALLY TARGETING WASTE
HAULERS.
SO IN THE SOUTH BRONX, ALMOST
HALF THE TRUCKS WERE PRIVATE
WASTE TRUCKS.
WE MEASURED ONLY DURING THE
MORNING AND EVENING RUSH.
SO THAT WAS PRETTY ASTOUNDING TO
FIND THAT OVER HALF OF THE
TRUCKS COMING THROUGH WERE
GARBAGE TRUCKS.
THE HIGHER CONCENTRATIONS WERE
MEASURED AT HALF-HOUR AVERAGE
WHEN COMPARED TO THE CLOSEST
MONITORING STATION.
THERE WAS ONE COMMERCIAL WASTE
TRUCK EVERY 24 SECONDS.
IN NORTH BROOKLYN, A THIRD OF
THEM WERE PRIVATE WASTE TRUCKS,
FIVE TIMES HIGHER THAN THE
CLOSEST MONITORING STATION, AND
IT WAS ONE COMMERCIAL TRUCK
EVERY 60 SECONDS.
WE ALSO MONITORED INSIDE THE
CABS, THE TRUCK CABS OF THE
COMMERCIAL WASTE CARTERS.
IT WAS REALLY HIGH, I'LL SHOW
YOU SLIDES LATER THAT ARE
INTERESTING THAT KIND OF REVEAL
WHAT'S GOING ON THERE.
THIS IS A MAP WE PUT TOGETHER
SHOWING THE SOUTH BRONX.
THE MAXIMUM HALF-HOUR
CONCENTRATION DURING THE TIME
THAT WE MONITORED.
SO ONE, IT WAS BETWEEN 6 AND 8,
I BELIEVE IT WAS ACTUALLY 7.
AND THE OTHER ONE WAS BETWEEN
4 AND 6 TIMES HIGHER THAN THE
CLOSEST MONITORING SITE STATION
WAS REGISTERING.
WHY WERE WE DOING THIS?
WE WERE TRYING TO CLEAN UP NEW
YORK CITY'S WASTE SYSTEM BUT IN
A VERY SPECIFIC WAY.
SO CERTAIN CITIES IN THE UNITED
STATES HAVE IMPLEMENTED
SOMETHING CALLED GARBAGE ZONING.
WE'RE IN THE PROCESS OF DOING
IT.
INSTEAD OF IT BEING A FREE FOR
ALL WHERE EVERY PRIVATE CARTER
CAN PICK UP WASTE FROM ANY
BUSINESS.
THEY SAID WE'RE GOING TO CARVE
UP THE CITY INTO ZONES AND THE
CARTERS ARE GOING TO SERVICE
THAT ZONE AND WIN IT BASED ON
NOT JUST COST BUT ALSO WHAT IS
THEIR ENVIRONMENTAL RECORD, HOW
DO THEY TREAT THEIR RECORDS AND
WHAT ARE THEY GOING TO DO TO
RAISE THE BAR.
WE'RE GOING TO END UP GETTING
BETTER SERVICE, LESS TRUCKS,
LESS AIR POLLUTION, LESS
GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS AND
WE'RE ALSO GOING TO HAVE LESS
NOISY TRUCKS RUMBLING DOWN THE
ROAD TEARING DOWN THE ROADWAYS,
BECAUSE WE KNOW IT'S THESE HEAVY
TRUCKS THAT DO THE MOST DAMAGE
TO RHOADES AND BRIDGES.
THIS IS ACTUALLY FROM DON'T
WASTE L.A., A SINGLE TRUCK CAN
DO ALL THE SAME PICKUPS THAT
THESE SEVEN TRUCKS ARE DOING IN
THE TOP ONE.
SO THAT'S WHAT GARBAGE ZONING IS
ALL ABOUT.
I MENTIONED EARLIER THAT WE ALSO
MONITOR THE INSIDE OF THE
COMMERCIAL VEHICLE TRUCK CABS.
WE'RE GOING TO DO THAT BECAUSE
ONE OF OUR PARTNERS ON THE
PROJECT WAS A UNION.
SO UNIONS ARE ALSO INTERESTED IN
SEEING THIS BECAUSE IT MEANS
THEY WOULD BE ABLE TO PERHAPS --
THE SHOPS, THE CARTERS THAT ARE
UNIONIZED MIGHT HAVE A LEG UP ON
THEIR COMPETITION BECAUSE
THEY'RE TREATING THEIR WORKERS
RIGHT, THEY'RE WORKERS AREN'T
GETTING INJURED AT THE SAME
RATE, THEY'RE NOT DYING OR
LOSING LIMBS.
IT'S A SERIOUS PROBLEM IN NEW
YORK CITY, ABUSE OF THE WORKERS
WHO WORK FOR PRIVATE CARTERS.
SO WHAT YOU SEE HERE IS ON THE
LEFT, FIRST THE THING THAT JUMPS
OUT, YOU'VE GOT IT DRIVING ALL
OVER THE CITY.
IF YOU HAD A ZONE SYSTEM, THEY'D
DRIVE TO A SINGLE NEIGHBORHOOD,
DO A BUNCH OF BACK AND FORTH AND
DRIVE BACK TO THE WASTE TRANSFER
STATION.
SO THEY'RE CROSSING IN THIS
CASE, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE GOING
ACROSS TWO BURROUGHS THE ENTIRE
LENGTH OF MANHATTAN.
MOST OF THE TIME ON THE LEFT,
WHEN THESE GUYS ARE IN THEIR
TRUCK, THEY'RE AT 6 TO 25 TIMES
THE AMBIENT CONCENTRATION INSIDE
THEIR TRUCK CAB.
ON THE RIGHT-HAND SIDE, THEY'RE
AT MOSTLY 2 TO 4 TIMES THE
AMBIENT CONCENTRATION.
WHAT ACCOUNTS FOR THE BIG
DIFFERENCE?
WELL, ONE TRUCK IS POST 2007,
WHEN EPA IMPLEMENTED POLLUTION
CONTROLS ON DIESEL TRUCKS.
SO THEY HAVE THINGS LIKE
PARTICULATE FILTERS, WHEREAS THE
TRUCK ON THE LEFT I THINK WAS
RUNNING FOR -- I THINK IT'S A
LATE '90S VEHICLE.
SO YOU CAN SEE A HUGE DIFFERENCE
IN THE EXPOSURE OF THE WORKERS
BASED ON WHAT TYPE OF VEHICLE
THEY'RE RIDING IN, AND YOU CAN
ALSO SEE THE EXTREMELY
CIRCUITOUS ROUTE THEY DRIVE TO
PICK UP THE GARBAGE TO FILL UP
THEIR HOPPERS.
I'M GOING TO LEAVE IT THERE.
THANKS SO MUCH FOR LISTENING AND
LET ME KNOW IF YOU HAVE ANY
QUESTIONS.
THIS IS MY CONTACT INFORMATION,
YOU CAN EMAIL ME.
>> AWESOME.
THANK YOU, MICHAEL.
THAT WAS A FASCINATING
PRESENTATION.
