Dear Friends:

The era of putting polluters’ profits over the people of Alabama is over. Gasp, thanks to our members, partners, and supporters, is energized and ready to be the leading voice for what we all deserve: clean air and healthy communities.

I can hardly believe it, but next year Gasp will celebrate our 10th Anniversary! You have a unique opportunity to accelerate our momentum as we work to reduce air pollution and, consequently, to improve public health, protect the environment, and advance the “green economy” in the greater-Birmingham area.

With that in mind, please consider making an early contribution to our People Over Profits campaign designed to raise local funds to support program expenses. We are a small team — two full-time and one part-time staff — but we are fearless and dogged in our pursuit of a more just, sustainable, and healthy Alabama. We operate on a tight budget designed around effective advocacy and raising awareness. We work intimately with our board of directors, members, volunteers, and partner groups throughout greater-Birmingham. With your support, Gasp will:

Fight for clean, renewable energy for ALL Alabamians. Over the past five years, Alabama Power has been imposing an unjustified, unfair monthly charge on customers who install and use solar panels to power some of their energy needs at their homes, businesses, and schools. The $5 per kilowatt monthly fee is added on top of other fixed and variable charges that these customers continue to pay each month to Alabama Power, slashing customers’ average savings from solar in half. It’s time to put Alabamians before Alabama Power. Right this very second, we are challenging this tax on the sun. (Special thanks to Southern Environmental Law Center for representing us in this case!) We’re pursuing a similar case against the Tennessee Valley Authority, which provides power to the northern third of Alabama. We’re partnering with leaders in the clean energy industry to expand access to solar power for all Alabamians.

Advocate for science-based policies designed to improve air quality; push back against attempts to rollback clean air protections; and hold polluters and agencies accountable. You wouldn’t know it lately, but the Environmental Protection Agency’s mission is to protect human health and the environment. Call us stubborn, but we aim to hold them to that mission. We will fight any proposed rollback of federal clean air protections. We will also advocate for new policies that will result in cleaner air statewide and locally. Alabama’s largest polluters, including Drummond Company and Alabama Power, work tirelessly to prevent lawmakers and government agencies like EPA from doing their job. We will fearlessly confront the polluters who oppose standards that are good for our health. We will continue to hold regulators accountable and address pollution issues through our programs like AirWatch. We will also work to garner public support for evidence-based policies that will improve our air quality.

Expose unethical, oftentimes illegal conduct by polluters and their allies, including public officials, corporate executives, and regulators. The Oliver Robinson Bribery Scandal exposed the corrupt underbelly of Alabama politics. One in which Big Business exerts tremendous influence over elected officials and regulators in order to get their way. This so-called “shadow government” of unelected lobbyists and corporate executives has held Alabama back for far too long, and our health, environment, and economy have been jeopardized because of it. We will continue to pursue policies that protect public health, reduce air pollution, and ensure transparent government — we’ll expose anyone who gets in our way.

Finally, we are building a movement that cuts across issues and includes environmentalists, youth, public health advocates, medical professionals, social justice activists, elected officials and influential leaders. We’re proactively raising awareness of the harmful health effects of air pollution. But health is just part of the massive threat that this pollution poses. The pollution that dirties our air also threatens our fresh water, our forests, our wildlife, and the biodiverse wonder we call “Alabama the Beautiful.” We are committed to working with regulatory agencies and local academic institutions to research the true costs — human, environmental and economic — of poor air quality. It is our goal to make certain every Alabamian knows how air pollution affects their health.

Please consider including clean air and Gasp in your charitable priorities this year by making a generous donation for our People Over Profits campaign. We need to raise $25,000 before the end of the year to make ends meet. Can we count on you to help?

To donate by mail, download this form and return your check to:
Gasp, Inc.
2320 Highland Ave. S., Suite 270
Birmingham, AL 35205

To donate via phone, call 205-701-4270. (Have your credit card handy!)

To donate via Facebook, click here.

Donate online using the form below:

Thank you for your consideration and have a wonderful holiday season.

For healthy air,

Michael Hansen
Executive Director

P.S. If you have any questions or suggestions about Gasp or our work to improve air quality, please do not hesitate to contact me at 205-701-4270 or [email protected].

P.P.S. As part of our efforts to raise awareness of the impact of air pollution, we would love to come to your school, civic group, club, or other organization. Please let us know if you’d like to schedule an educational presentation from a member of the Gasp staff!