Clear the Air is a Michigan state wide coalition focusing on local air quality issues, bringing awareness to the Cumulative Impact of pollution, and building a state level policy platform to ensure our right to breathe clean air. There are many toxic contaminated sites in the state of Michigan even in Detroit that need immediate attention. A statewide policy gives a strong framework to make decisions about pollution permits which directly impacts local air quality and will help hold polluters more responsible.
Following last year’s success, Clear the Air and its partner organizations (including the Ecology Center) organized Air Quality Awareness Week 2025, which took place on May 1, 2025 to May 2025. The week included both in-person and online events. It is an official event recognized by the city of Detroit.
Recap Overview:
“Environmental justice is where all of the injustices meet” - Salam Beydoun, Ecology Center’s Environmental Justice Organizer
Salam Beydoun, the environmental Justice organizer at the Ecology Center, gave us a recap of this year’s events. She works closely with Clear the Air and its partners to organize outreach and education efforts such as Air monitor installation programs, community workshops like the box fan filter building, and air quality awareness week. She stated that environmental justice issues like air quality is important because “environmental justice is where all of the injustices meet” as there are so many factors that influence the cumulative impact (e.g. socio-economic impact, health outcomes etc).
Beydoun emphasized that one of the key highlights of the week for her was seeing people in person and experiencing the joys of community. She said it was “beautiful to be in person and form natural relationships in the community.” So much of our lives are virtual, including work meetings, but these types of events are not simply about education or political organizing; Salam emphasized that “we need joy” along with environmental justice actions. She also mentioned that all of the events are designed to be low stakes and it’s about collective learning for everyone including organizers like herself. For Beydoun, the public comment event helped her understand why public comments are important and feel more confident about making them.
She encouraged people to check out the Clear the Air website and join their mailing list to stay informed about upcoming events, actions, and resources.
The coalition is in the process of making resources available on their website including a cool Air Quality Zine made by Beydoun herself. (Physical copies of the Zine is available at various Clear the Air events)
She also stressed that organizations should apply to become partners. Organizations do not need to focus on air quality specifically. Many environmental justice issues are interconnected and Clear the Air is always looking to expand its reach to work collectively with partners across different sectors. For example, One of the partners is Sanctuary Farms, who are interested in looking at the connections between trees and air quality through tree planting.
Beydoun thanked all of the organizers and attendees of Air Quality Awareness Week 2025 for a wonderful experience. She is looking forward
Upcoming events:
- Join the Cumulative Impact Bus Tour on June 18 that takes attendees to all of the toxic sites in southwest Detroit to learn more about what is happening in those highly impacted communities.
- This summer, there will be several FREE Box Fan Filter building workshops where people will learn how to make a DIY box fan filter and take it home (with all materials provided).
- Lansing Education Day later in the year.
(more information about all events coming soon on the website)
Air Quality Awareness Week 2025 Schedule & Photos
Thursday, May 1, 2025
Clear the Air Press Conference + Policy Platform Roll Out
(10 AM; O’Shea Park)
Hosted by Clear the Air
Air Quality Awareness Week kicked off with a press conference at O’Shea Park with passionate and energizing speeches by the following people: Theresa Landrum (Original United Citizens of Southwest Detroit 48217), Raquel Garcia (Southwest Detroit Environmental Vision), Roshaun Harris (Eastside Community Network), Nick Leonard (Great Lakes Environmental Law Center), Rev. Sharon Buttry (Detroit-Hamtramck Coalition), George Perdue (School Craft Improvement Association), Maricela Gutierrez (Industrious Labs), and Salam Beydoun (Ecology Center)
Saturday, May 3, 2025
Tree Planting + T-shirt Printing
(3 PM to 6PM; 3300 Farnsworth, Detroit MI)
Arboretum Detroit and Clear The Air hosted an event to learn about how trees contribute to our air quality, while taking action by planting Giant Sequoias and native understory trees and shrubs. This is part of a Filter Forest that will be a vegetative buffer along one of the busiest streets in their neighborhood, on the south end of the Arboretum’s network of parks. At the event, Ocelot Print Shop also provided a live screen printing experience, so attendees went home with a t-shirt to show their participation in the event and to represent our fight for clean air.
Sunday, May 4, 2025
Cinco De Mayo Parade
(12 PM; Patton Park)
Clear the Air and Southwest Detroit Environmental Vision (SDEV) was part of the Cinco De Mayo Parade in Patton Park so we invited people to join us in the parade to help support our right to breathe clean air. Being part of this event was also important because Spanish speaking communities in southwest Detroit continue to be heavily impacted by air pollution.
Monday, May 5, 2025
Panel Discussion: How do communities organize around air quality?
(6 PM - 8PM; Eastside Community Network)
JustAir facilitated a panel discussion and workshop on community organizing. They brought in the following local organizers, legal advocates, and environmental activists to talk about the power of community led air quality data: Nick Leonard (Great Lakes Environmental Law Center), George Perdue (Schoolcraft concrete crushing zoning), Mark Covington (Georgia St Collective / DHCBHE). The workshop was centered on helping residents prepare to submit a public comment at the City Council meeting on Tuesday morning.
Tuesday, May 6, 2025
City Council Public Comment at Formal Session
(9:30 AM; Coleman A. Young Municipal Center)
One of the main pillars of Air Quality Awareness Week is to take collective action for our right to breathe clean air. THis is why we organized an event dedicated to making our voices heard. Public Comments are an important way that the local and federal government get direct input from the public. But for many people, it may be intimidating to make a public comment in person or they might not know how to participate. By going together we showed the city the community of people who are passionate about this issue. We are dedicated to making these opportunities accessible so we also organized a carpool from Eastside Community Network and published instructions on how to participate online. Local students whose school works closely with SDEV had a field trip to the city council meeting to make their comments in person.
Wednesday, May 7, 2025
Film Screening of Descendant
(5:30 PM; New Lab in Michigan Central)
Green Door Initiative (GDI) hosted a screening of a documentary titled Descendant (Margaret Brown, 2022) at New Lab in Michigan Central. The film took attendees on a powerful journey through the story of Africatown, a town created by the kidnapped Africans smuggled to America after slavery was abolished, and the impact of that crime on its descendents living there. Africatown is an area that is heavily impacted by industrial pollution and highlights the importance of seeing this issue as part of a long history of violence towards the black community. The film was followed by a vibrant post screening discussion. Beydoun mentioned that the discussion was emotionally powerful with many attendees speaking up about their connections to the history covered in the film as well as sharing personal family stories that helped to bring the community together. (The film is available on Netflix)
Virtual Film Screening of Unbreathable
(6 PM; Zoom)
The Students of the "Environmental and Social Justice: A Place-Based Perspectives (HNRS 4302)” course at Western Michigan University hosted a virtual screening of the documentary film Unbreathable: The Fight for Healthy Air (2020) followed by a discussion with Maggie Stoger, filmmaker, professor, and Executive Director of the Center of Environmental Filmmaking at American University. The film delves into the history of the Clean Air Act and the ongoing fight for air quality in communities like “Cancer Alley” in Louisiana affected by environmental injustice.
During the discussion, Stogner mentioned that one of the reasons Cancer Alley is featured in the film is that the area had the highest COVID-19 deaths because the coronavirus latched onto the pollution, which intensified the spread. This highlighted how air pollution can have broader consequences. Stogner stressed that “we need to fight all that harder” because social and environmental justice always go hand in hand, especially since the most impacted areas tend to be low-income and/or communities of color. (This 30-minute film along with Stoger’s new film on Clean Water are both available for free on Kanopy. Public library card or a university affiliation is necessary to access the film).
Thursday, May 8, 2025
Film Screening of Unbreathable (Spanish Subtitles)
(6 PM - 8 PM; Vámanos)
Southwest Detroit Environmental Vision (SDEV) hosted a screening of Unbreathable with Spanish subtitles at Vámonos to help local communities learn about the history of this fight for healthy air.
Saturday, May 10, 2025
Public Health + Air Quality Resource Fair
(10 AM - 3 PM; Wayne County Community College Downriver Campus)
Just Air hosted an event where Wayne County Health, Human, and Veterans Services (HHVS) distributed mobile air quality monitors and digital inhalers for eligible Wayne County residents. At this event community health partners also tabled to share more about their public health and air quality programs.
Saturday May 17, 2025
Pollution to Solutions Bike Tour
(10:30 AM - 1 PM; The Stoudamire / Eastside Community Network)
Clear the Air in partnership with the Eastside Community Network hosted a bike tour of some of the pollution our community struggles with as well as community groups that are addressing air quality and promoting environmental justice. The tour was equipped with 10 portable air monitors to ride with and engaged riders along the way around what their monitors picked up.