NC Offers Air Quality Classes
ASHEVILLE, N.C. – Air quality education classes are now available in 17 counties in western North Carolina.
The N.C. Division of Air Quality is offering the classes, linked to the North Carolina Standard Course of study, free-of-charge to schools, community groups and businesses. The DAQ’s Asheville Regional Office is coordinating the classes, but the instructor can come to schools or other meeting places. Registration is open now for the 2008 – 2009 school year.
Changes in air quality are evident in the mountains through increased haze, dying trees at high elevations and other factors. Many of these changes are due to air pollution, which can cause health problems, reduce visibility and degrade the environment. Air pollution comes from a range of sources, including cars, trucks, factories and power plants.
DAQ is responsible for protecting and improving outdoor air quality in North Carolina. In doing so, the division monitors the air, issues and enforces air permits, inspects emission sources, and educates the public about air quality issues.
The division’s air quality classes combine inquiry-based learning, technology and applied science. Students gain a practical understanding of air and how to protect it. Four basic classes relate to specific
competencies: /Air Is All Around Us/ for elementary schools; /Driving Choices/ and /Climate Change?/ for middle and high schools; and /Where There Is Smoke/ for high schools. Other air quality topics can be covered upon request.
“The Division of Air Quality’s engaging presentation of North Carolina Air Quality had a profound impact on my students,” said Tom Savage, a teacher at Chase High School in Rutherford County. “The hands-on car emissions demonstration helped my students grasp this concept. Reading about air quality in a text cannot make this issue relevant to the students’ lives like this presentation.”
More information about air quality issues in North Carolina can be found at the Division of Air Quality’s Web site, www.ncair.org
Keith Bamberger, Information and Communication Specialist
Asheville Regional Office of the N.C. Division of Air Quality
(828) 296-4500, keith.Bamberger@ncmail.net
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