Summary
Organization name
Citizens for Clean Air
2013
Tax id (EIN)
83-1472133
Category
Environment
Organization Size
Small Organization
Address
PO Box 101 Grand Junction CO 81502GRAND JUNCTION, CO 81507
Grand Junction, CO, US
Thanks for visiting our page ~
We wouldn't be here without you!
And none of us would be here for more than a few minutes without the air we're breathing.
For nearly twelve years, we've worked with people in our community to protect our air in the Grand Valley and beyond. Thanks to the generosity of people like you, there is more awareness about air quality issues, and we have many to thank who have worked to help spread the word, become citizen scientists and provide funding for the work.
Our ever-growing population here in Mesa County means more vehicle exhaust emissions to pollute that air. More dangerous, widespread wildfires threaten outdoor and indoor air quality with harmful smoke, and agricultural burning creates smoke that infiltrates our community during the spring and fall. Breathing air with measurable levels of radon is also harmful due to the radiation (gas) and decay products (particulates) emitted.
The above sources cause ill effects for everyone,
especially those with respiratory and cardiovascular issues, children and older adults.
With your help, we continue to help keep our community informed about air pollution – it’s sources, health impacts, and strategies for prevention and risk reduction.
Thank you for considering a gift to help protect our air.
Mission
To research the causes of air pollution on the Western Slope and promote the improvement of air quality in Mesa County through grassroots involvement with local, state and federal agencies along with the private sector and other nonprofit organizations, and to mitigate the effects of known air pollutants on humans, animals, agriculture and the environment.
Background Statement
We were founded in the winter of 2012/13 during a cold air inversion that trapped visibly polluted air in the Grand Valley for months.
In 2018, Citizens for Clean Air (CCA) became a 501(c)3 nonprofit.
We saw a need to monitor air pollutant particles in the Grand Valley. We researched and identified a relatively low-cost, reliable unit that measures and reports high-quality, real-time particulate data—manufactured by PurpleAir LLC. Thousands of these units had been deployed globally, but none on the Western Slope. Today, thanks to our volunteers along with members of the community, over sixty PurpleAir monitors are active throughout the valley. We also encourage indoor monitors in homes, schools and workplaces. CCA volunteers service, replace and repair monitors.
Radon is a harmful radioactive gas that can commonly be found inside homes and workplaces in the Grand Valley due to the presence of uranium in the ground. Additionally, uranium and vanadium were mined from formations in the area, and the mill tailings are also a source of radon gas. Foundations constructed into these conditions have the potential for radon gas migration into the structure.
In late 2024, we initiated the Radon Monitoring Program to help educate community members about the occurrence and health risk of radon gas and provided a free and easy way to screen people’s living and workspaces for the possible presence of radon.
Burning biomass in fields and piles - agricultural burning - is a fast, cheap method that sends harmful smoke into the surrounding air during the spring and fall here in the Grand Valley. Citizens for Clean Air led the effort to restrict residential burning in 2018 by the City of Grand Junction and Mesa County.
We initiated a five year experiment using biochar in gardens valley-wide. Biochar is a substance made by heating biomass at extreme temperatures, which could potentially eliminate burning fields and piles. We continue the experiment at CSU Fruita as we document the water conservation properties of biochar.
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Organization Data
GRAND JUNCTION, CO 81507