Shopping You Can Breathe Easier About
In celebration of Earth Day, The Kindness Cause announced its first charitable partnership and limited-edition Cause Collection with GASP. The philanthropic e-commerce site is committed to creating an easy and transparent way to both discover and support important causes through shopping when life is too busy to volunteer.
The Current EPA Standard for PM2.5 Should Be Strengthened
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) plans to make a final decision in the spring of 2023 regarding whether to keep the current standard for soot or to strengthen it. The more technical name for soot is particulate matter 2.5 (PM2.5), which refers to particulates...
ADEM and EPA Must Do More to Protect Alabama from Haze
ADEM missed its due date to submit a plan to comply with the federal regional haze rules. We demand that EPA to hold the State of Alabama accountable.
Alabama’s Anti-Protest Bills Explained
Alabama lawmakers are still in denial about the need to protect this state from the climate crisis. After Hurricane Ida proved that climate change is making storms more destructive, and even though more than half of Alabama residents believe that global warming is...
Announcing the #GND4BHM High School Art Contest
Art has been used for thousands of years to highlight social issues and move people to take action for positive change. As the climate crisis worsens, we need to use the power of art now more than ever to inspire people to save our planet and ensure future generations...
Why Commenting on Major Source Air Permits Matters — Miller Edition
From a high vantage point on any given day, Birmingham residents can see several plumes of vapor on the northwest horizon. Those fluffy, unnatural clouds emanate from the largest emitter of greenhouse gases in the country — the Miller Steam Plant in Quinton, located...
Update on Bluestone Coke’s Legal Troubles
There has been a flurry of activity recently stemming from Bluestone Coke's numerous alleged violations of air pollution regulations. You may recall that in August the Jefferson County Department of Health (JCDH) announced that it had filed a complaint in the Circuit...
To Beat Climate Change, Birmingham Needs a Green New Deal
I just returned home from Glasgow, Scotland, a couple of weeks ago. I was there to attend the United Nations’ 2021 Climate Change Conference of the Parties, better known as COP26. The message from environmentalists and climate scientists alike was clear: “We’ve been...
Alabama Power’s Miller Steam Plant Permit up for Renewal
Because this permit was posted during the holidays, we’re asking folks who live in the area to request an extension to ensure robust public participation.
COVID-19 Spread Has a Direct Correlation to Pollution Levels
Particulate matter, or PM for short, is a type of pollutant made of both liquid droplets and solid particles (hence the name, particulate). PM is one of the most common and harmful pollutants found in the air, mostly due to its tiny size. Although PM can include...
Bluestone Coke Threatens the Wellbeing of Fenceline Communities
Bluestone Coke must be shut down unless and until it can comply with all applicable laws and regulations.
Information is Power: Why Sunshine Laws Matter
People say knowledge is power, which is true. However, a critical step is missing from this phrase: one must have information to acquire knowledge. Everyone who knows me well knows that I dig deep. Whether it’s researching what’s the best sunscreen or just getting to...
In Utero Exposure to Ultrafine Particles Connected to Childhood Asthma
New research by the Mount Sinai Hospital School of Medicine has found a connection between women who are exposed to tiny air pollutants during pregnancy and childhood asthma. This new study is the first time a correlation has been confirmed between the two, as...
Guest Post: We Can’t Plant Our Way Out of the Climate Crisis
According to scientists, large-scale tree planting would not suffice as a substitute for reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Update on Alabama Power’s Discriminatory ‘Sun Tax’
This week, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) declined to initiate an enforcement action against the Alabama Public Service Commission (PSC) over Alabama Power's unjust anti-solar fees. The decision not to act clears the way for a lawsuit against the PSC...
Why I Want to be a Climate Scientist
I want to be a climate scientist when I grow up because if all else fails, I want the future generations to at least know that I tried to protect their future.
AEYC Promotes Sustainability Through Volunteerism, Education
The Alabama Environmental Youth Council is a group of high school ambassadors promoting environmental sustainability through volunteerism and education.
Meet Rosalyn Mwenja, Direct Service Intern
Rosalyn is looking forward to to learning what goes into running a market that provides food and other necessities and advocating for a healthier future in Birmingham.
Meet Riley Yager, Spring 2021 Community Science Intern
GASP: What is your major at and why did you choose it? Riley Yager: I am currently working on my PhD in physics and I received a bachelors in civil engineering and a bachelors in physics in May 2020. I chose these degrees because I wanted to go into a field where I...
Meet Jossy, Spring 2021 Climate Change Intern
GASP: Where do you go to high school? Jossy: I am a sophomore in the math/science department at The Alabama School of Fine Arts. GASP: What do you hope to do after you graduate? Jossy: After I graduate I hope to attend an HBCU, majoring in political science, Spanish,...
A Reflection on Climate Catastrophe
A generation brought up on fear of the inevitable feels like they have nothing to lose when fighting.
What is the Green New Deal anyway?
Modeled after FDR’s Depression-era New Deal, the Green New Deal is a bold and equitable vision to create millions of high-paying jobs while developing a new, clean energy economy.
Almost 9 Million Deaths Caused by Fossil Fuel Pollution
New research from Harvard University found that deaths from fossil fuel emissions are significantly higher than previous estimates. In 2018, more than 8 million people died from the pollution caused by coal, oil, gas, and other fossil fuels. That accounts for nearly 1-in-5 of all deaths worldwide. Prior research put the number at a little over 4 million deaths per year.
Air Pollution, Climate Change and COVID-19
We need to support every effort our president and government make to clean up our air, so as to reduce climate change, create jobs, improve our health, and last but not least, to lessen the impact of the next pandemic.
Dust from Demolition Projects is Air Pollution
No, all that dust everywhere isn’t just something you have to deal with when there’s a demolition project near you. Have you ever lived or worked near a large demolition project? Do you see the dust hovering in the air, maybe over your home or business or your car as...
Introducing a New Youth Education Initiative ‘Fresh Voices for Clean Air’
Unique STEAM opportunity for high school students in Allegheny County, Penn., and Jefferson County, Ala. Greater-Birmingham Alliance to Stop Pollution (GASP-Birmingham) is excited to announce an exciting new educational initiative, Fresh Voices for Clean Air. We are...
Reflections on 2020: Hope, Empathy, and Courage
“Hope is your superpower. Don’t let anybody or anything make you hopeless. Hope is the enemy of injustice. Hope is what will get you to stand up when people tell you to sit down.” —Bryan Stevenson “Had Harriet Tubman compared the 70 slaves she freed to 4 million...
The Importance of Telling the Whole Story
When I call my parents in Virginia or my college friends in Chicago, they always want to hear about my work with GASP. “How’s your internship going?” “Tell me about what you do!” I get really excited about the opportunity to talk to them about environmental social...
Meet Katie Mesa, Fall Intern (Wheaton College)
What is your major at and why did you choose it? I am majoring in environmental science with minors in math and Spanish at Wheaton College. I chose to major in environmental science because of its intersectionality with other fields and because of my passion for...
Meet Ugo Ejidoh, Fall MPH Intern (UAB)
What is your major at and why did you choose it? My major is in public health, and I have chosen it because of the growing concerns regarding global environmental issues and disease epidemics. Let me also add that I am a Nigerian trained pharmacist. I have realized...