Air quality is a rising concern for Utah and the U’s Air Quality Task Force has outlined ways the university can make improvements.

The U’s Sustainability Office is launching the Clean Air for U campaign in February in an effort to challenge students and faculty to reduce unnecessary vehicle trips by carpooling, walking or using public transportation. Individuals and teams who reduce and report their travel can compete to win prizes. A similar challenge took place last summer and the sustainability office hopes to see more participation during the school year.

Behind the scenes, the U is undergoing an effort to enhance the school’s heating plants. It’s one of the university’s largest emission points and the task force has issued additional testing, equipment changes and an energy master plan to keep pollution in check. If efficiency increases, they can avoid adding more facilities.

U leaders organized the Air Quality Task Force in 2013. Roughly 40 people from various departments brainstormed ideas and launched initiatives for almost a year. They released a report of their official recommendations in Jan. 2015 showing a reduction in emissions by 69 tons per year from 2008 to 2011 and outlined 30 specific tasks the U could do to improve air quality.

Myron Willson, director of the Sustainability Resource Center, is co-chair of the task force with Marty Shaub. Willson said they are trying to utilize recommendations both opportunistically and practically. Legislation on pollution is more likely to be passed when air quality is bad, so they try to make efforts when inversions are in effect.

“We’ve never had to fight for anything; everybody wants to do the right thing,” Willson said. “What we run up with is they’ve had a way of operating for decades. This is a new variable that has to be factored in.”

Michael Brehm, the U’s environmental program manager, was one of the original members of the task force. Brehm said he believes they need both technical regulations and active community involvement to improve air pollution.

“No single thing is going to fix it. It requires a wide palette of course corrections to address the matter,” Brehm said.

The task force has furthered efforts to reduce pollution from construction crews, implement electronic vehicle systems and is currently wrapping their air quality ideas into a comprehensive sustainability plan for the entire university.

The Sustainability Office recently released an article titled “10 Ways the U is improving Air Quality,” which outlines research, community programs, bicycle-friendly facilities and new idle-free signs.

“I think we’ve turned a corner and we’re starting to make more difference,” Willson said. “The work never ends. We make some success and then circle back and try to make more.”

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