The Capital Region Air Justice Lab, headquartered within our NATURE Lab, gives Capital Region residents access to real-time air quality data.
What is Air Justice Lab?
Launched in 2022, the Sanctuary’s Air Justice Lab is a community air monitoring and educational initiative serving the greater Capital Region of NYS. Based within our NATURE Lab, AJL started in late 2022, when concerned residents, local students, and Sanctuary staff began a collaborative effort to install a growing network of low-cost air-monitoring devices. With an initial goal of 50 air monitoring locations, the team is installing PurpleAir monitors, which feed real-time air quality data to a publicly accessible map. As we begin to accumulate data, AJL will support local environmental justice groups in accessing, interpreting, and utilizing this real-time data in order to quantify air quality issues faced in the Capital Region. Ultimately, AJL is working to increase public awareness around air quality and its impacts on the region we call home.
As Air Justice Lab develops, it will contribute to air quality monitoring and advocacy throughout the Capital Region through 3 key components:
- A broad, flexible, low-cost public access network of air monitoring devices.
- A grassroots educational program teaching the fundamentals of data science to local residents impacted by air pollution.
- An ambitious outreach campaign to increase public awareness of pervasive air quality issues.
The Air Justice Lab is currently funded by a DEC Environmental Justice Community Air Monitoring Capacity Building grant. To learn more about the impetus for the project, and to meet some of the volunteers, staff, and students involved, please visit the links below.
Stories
More information on Air Justice Lab
Radio
Though the Capital Region Air Justice Lab hasn’t been around for very long, the Hudson Mohawk Magazine has been covering a local wide of air quality news, topic, and action for years! Check out this direct link to some air quality related topics covered from a wide range of community members!
The AJL team is looking to have more conversations on the radio with community members (residents, teachers, non-academics, artists, scientists, organizations, etc). Please contact us at [email protected] if you are interested in chatting about air quality related topics on the radio!
The Air Justice Lab Network
The google map below displays the Air Justice Lab’s PurpleAir Monitoring network with an emphasis on environmental justice or sacrifice zones across the Capital Region of New York. Additionally, we have marked the polluters in the area. The first phase of this project was started utilizing an existing network of nonprofits and organizations. The map displays monitors installed from 2022-2023 by a collection of staff, interns and activists. We look forward to expanding our air monitor network and knowledge with YOU! Click on the pins for more information!
