Citizen science and stakeholders involvement
Metztli hernandezAnnotation of
In response to
CITIZEN SCIENCE
Epistemic negotiation
Stakeholders (indigenous groups, activist, scientist, scholars, etc)
Is the grass ever greener?
jrtrini1Annotation of
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I want to continue to support others in their research. I think the ecogov lab is a space to grow as a researcher. I want to continue to be motivated. The ecogov lab has shown me the importance of field notes and why having archiving is important. I hope to make new connections outside of Irvine and continue to connect dots for others.
jrtrini1 Annotation 1
jrtrini1Annotation of
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I want to surround myself with people who want to make a difference in the world. I want to learn tools to make my passion for helping others a reality. I want to put public policy and research together and create realistic goals to eliminate policies that put low income residents at a disadvantage.
jtrini1 Santa Ana Annotation
jrtrini1Annotation of
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On Wednesday Oct 5th 2022, CUAL (Communidad Unida Aire Limpio) hosted an air monitoring day. Santa Ana residents were asked to volunteer and donate their time. There was three shifts available (Morning 7am-10am, Noon 12pm-3pm, Evening 4pm-7pm). A volunteer will use the app Atmotube and pair their phone up with an air monitor. There are driving routes and walking routes. A person will need to stay at each stop of the route for 7 mins. After the route is done, the volunteer will go back and return the monitor and will then send their data to mpnacorg@gmail.com
This video is a Tik Tok I made about my experience with volunteering for CUAL.
https://www.tiktok.com/@josephvkast/video/7151573175829318958?is_copy_u…
Bridging Gaps in Publicly Accessible Data
Carly.RospertAnnotation of
How are Data Gaps Worked Around:
Sarnia, and the surrounding area around chemical valley, have 9 air monitoring stations in which air pollutants are monitored from the nearby petrochemical complex. Until 2017, only data from one of these stations (the one on Christina Street in downtown Sarnia) was publicly available. This created a gap in accessiblility of important data for sarnia and the nearby AFN residents. In September 2015, the Clean Air Sarnia and Area group launched as a "community advisory panel made up of representatives from the public, government, First Nations, and industry, who are dedicated to providing the community with a clear understanding of ambient air quality in the Sarnia area." This group works to improve air quality in Sarnia by making information about air quality publicly available and by making recommendations to relevant authorities. In 2018, this group launched the website: https://reporting.cleanairsarniaandarea.com/ (also uploaded as an artifact) which allows public to access data from the air quality monitoring stations and understand how air quality compares to Ontario's standards. This site works to fill the gap of publicly available air quality data in Sarnia.
Standards Undercutting Safety
Carly.RospertAnnotation of
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This report from Ecojustice shows a decline in air pollution compared to Ecojustice's first report released in 2007 for the area around Chemical Valley, yet Sarnia industries continue "to release far more pollution, and in particular far more SO2 , than comparable U.S. refineries." One contributor to the continued excessive emissions is Ontario's lagging air quality standards. The report notes that "Ontario’s AAQC and air quality standards are lagging behind current science on the health impacts of air pollutants, which may put the health of residents at risk." The report highlights pollutants where Ontario's standard is above the national standard or where Ontario has no standard at all. Additionally, Sarnia's benzene emissions are exempt from Ontario's health-based standard for this chemical and are instead regulated by "an industry technical-based standard" allowing benzene levels to be far higher than the health-based standard. The lagging, lack of, or exemption from regulation undercut efforts in monitoring and reducing emissions to a "safe" level as what is considered "safe" by standards is out of line with what is considered "safe" by health and other standards.