At the beginning of October, an initiative called the “Breath Easy, Stay Healthy” campaign was introduced with the goal of reducing the fine soot pollution in Pittsburgh’s air.  This fine soot is the main cause of Pittsburgh’s number one ranking as the “Dirtiest Air” city for two consecutive years.  This initiative was introduced by Citizens for Pennsylvania’s Future (PennFuture), and joined by leaders from the Group Against Smog and Pollution (GASP) and Clean Water Action, along with Dr. Evelyn O. Talbott of the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health Department of Epidemiology and Allegheny County Council President Richard Fitzgerald.

Councilman Bill Peduto will also be a part of this campaign with his “Code Green” initiative, as he begins to work on greening the City’s laws in accordance with the Pittsburgh Climate Action Plan.  These amendments will work to cut both air pollution and greenhouse gas emission in Pittsburgh.

To learn more about the ”Breath Easy, Stay Healthy” campaign, read the PennFuture press release.

A recent article in The New York Times also discusses the issue of air pollution, but looks at how a reduction in air pollutant emissions can lead to an increase in polluted waters.  Read the article here.