Clear the Air, a statewide coalition that Ecology Center is a founding member of, hosted Michigan’s third annual Air Quality Awareness Week in the first week of May, 2026. This week of events brought together Michiganders throughout the state to advocate for the right to breathe clean air for all communities.
Regions with a heavy industrial presence and limited access to green spaces bear a disproportionate burden of air pollution, leading to increased respiratory issues and reduced well-being for vulnerable populations. State-level pollution regulation is a primary line of defense against the hazards of living in polluted conditions. Clear the Air (CTA) is pushing for Michigan to hold polluters accountable and manage policy shortcomings that allow permitting for degradation of air quality in and around residential areas.
Air Quality Awareness Week is an opportunity for organizational partners, community members, and environmental justice advocates to come together and organize for the right to clean air.
A Week of Events to Advocate for Our Right to Breathe Clean Air
Clear the Air Virtual Press Conference: April 30, 2026
A virtual press conference kicked off the week, where Ecology Center representatives were joined by leaders from Clear the Air partners. The coalition announced this year’s community programs and detailed the opportunities to follow, highlighting the educational and advocacy priorities for the events. Amongst this year’s enthusiastic speakers were Raquel Garcia from Southwest Detroit Environmental Vision, Ned Andree from the Community Collaboration on Climate Change, Patrick McNeal and Mona Munroe-Younis from the Environmental Transformation Movement of Flint, Lucas Aguirre from Detroit’s Eastside Community Network, and Salam Beydoun from the Ecology Center.
Filter Forest Tree Planting & Letterpress Printing: May 2, 2026
The first event of the week was a tree-planting and letterpress-printing event hosted by Arboretum Detroit. Clear the Air representatives, community members, and tree enthusiasts joined in to take matters into their own hands and get them dirty for clean air. This offered a platform for residents and visitors to connect about their frustrations with air pollution, while providing an opportunity to actively counter its effects by planting trees.
Everyone enjoyed being outside in an invigorating green space, broadening their horizons through an artistic activity. Participants learned about air quality issues through interacting with creative educational materials, which included illustrations of trees’ impact on air quality, informational zines, letterpress cards that read “Growing a Detroit We can Breathe in”, and thematic coloring pages.
This tree planting expanded the Filter Forest green buffer around pollution-impacted neighborhoods in Detroit. 50 new climate-resilient trees and native shrubs were planted to withstand changing and future conditions, ensuring this beautiful resource will remain to provide filtration and recreational benefits to Detroiters for a long time.
Cinco de Mayo Parade: May 3, 2026
The next day, Clear the Air partners, including Southwest Detroit Environmental Vision, Ecology Center, and Trucks Off Our Streets, walked in the annual Cinco de Mayo Parade to celebrate the community and culture and to distribute air quality materials to over 6,000 community members in Southwest Detroit.
Hundreds of vibrant floats, school marching bands, mariachis, Charros, and dignitaries traveled a 2.5-mile stretch along West Vernor Highway, showcasing local businesses and commemorating the Battle of Puebla in 1862. Families and residents in attendance partook in the festivities as well as learned about Clear the Air’s mission. Now, more than 6,000 Detroiters are better equipped to identify, report, and protect themselves from poor air quality.
Community Conversations About Clean Air
Fueled by the success and statewide interest of previous years, Clear the Air branched out from a single statewide conversation event to three separate community conversations in various cities to better connect with and amplify local concerns and voices. The cities of Flint, Grand Rapids, and Detroit all hosted their own unique Community Conversations for Clean Air events, focusing on regional priorities:
In Flint: May 6, 2026 —
The Environmental Transformation Movement of Flint (ETMF) raised awareness and discussed opportunities for collective action among residents affected by unhealthy air. Activities included a lesson on health impacts of poor air quality by resident Registered Nurse Tarnesa Martin (affectionately known as Nurse T), a presentation by ETMF’s own Mona Munroe-Yunis on ways to improve air quality in Flint at household, neighborhood, and community scales, a share-out conversation with attendees on their own air quality experiences, concerns, and ideas for action, and a raffle for one resident to win an air purifier! All residents, however, were able to pick up coalition handouts with further information and resources about air quality and how to make DIY air filters.
Attending members reported a warm and energized atmosphere, with unanimous support for future collective action measures such as organizing for a no-idling ordinance, rollbacks on industrial pollution permits, the acquisition of electric equipment for Genesee County Land Bank’s Clean & Green program, and staying involved in upcoming advocacy opportunities that CTA hosts. At the end of the event, ETMF connected with neighborhood leaders to host smaller-scale versions of this conversation for clean air across Flint later in the summer.
In Grand Rapids: May 6, 2026 —
The Community Collaboration on Climate Change (C4) celebrated Air Quality Awareness Week at the MLK Park Lodge to learn about local air quality and hear from community experts. This gathering was designed to educate and empower the community, providing practical tools and resources to help individuals and families take action on air quality in their homes and neighborhoods. Presenters included Ned Andree from C4; Ericka Lozano-Buhl from Clear the Air; Hannah Napolillo and Rusty Flewelling from the Kent County Health Department; Benjamin Rance and Ingrid Scheer from the City of Grand Rapids Office of Emergency Management; Nate Rauh-Bieri from JustAir; Wende Randall from the Kent County Food Policy Council; and Nancy Morales from the Urban Core Collective. Presenters shared data from their areas of specialization, focusing on pollution's health impacts, how to monitor air quality, and what is being done locally.
Participation was high and enthusiastic as attendees discussed the various sources of air pollution in Grand Rapids and shared their questions and concerns about air quality with the group. Most recurring topics for Grand Rapids were truck traffic and what residents could do to monitor and improve local air quality. This event included a giveaway finale, with nine large air purifiers, N95 masks, lead filters, and smaller air purifiers raffled off to participants. This community conversation equipped, informed, and engaged residents of all ages and backgrounds for a truly transformational evening!
In Detroit: May 9, 2026 —
The Eastside Community Network hosted this year’s Community Conversation for Clean Air in Detroit. As one of the most heavily impacted regions in Michigan with poor air quality, this event highlighted the need to provide resources for health management and care to residents. To this end, the ECN invited various healthcare providers to offer services and educational materials on asthma, health, and air quality, as well as vendors offering vaccines for children and blood tests. Presenters there to further explain health concerns and protective measures included the Michigan Asthma and Allergy Foundation, Detroit Children's Healthcare Services, Bloom Pediatric Unit, Detroit Mobile Access, and Community Action to Promote Healthy Environments (CAPHE). These organizations connected residents with resources to protect themselves from adverse health impacts of air pollution, especially in the upcoming summer months and wildfire season.
Detroiters in attendance discussed the importance of taking protective measures and demanding better pollution control simultaneously, and were keen to advocate for clean air in their communities. Keeping with the theme, this event included a raffle for 2 air purifiers and a DIY air filter workshop so attendees could leave with their very own air filter!
Let’s Clear the Air!
The 2026 Air Quality Awareness Week wrapped up with many more informed and energized Michigan residents ready to take action and demand polluter accountability and protections for our natural resources and public health. With newly planted trees and better-resourced communities, the fight for the universal right to clean air is moving forward as strongly as ever.
