Recent Canadian wildfires have caused Wisconsin’s air quality to spike to hazardous levels. One organization in Milwaukee has set up air quality sensors to aid residents of predominantly Black and Brown neighborhoods to know when to head indoors. But even inside, residents contend with radon, mold and other pollutants.

Langston Verdin with MKE FreshAir Collective joins the show to talk about how his organization uses art and science to foster healthy communities.

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Metcalfe Park ECO Stewards, a new resident-led group focused on neighborhood environmental issues, discussed how the DIY air filters they built in August were performing in their homes. 

The ECO Stewards aim to educate, advocate and provide resident-led solutions that “protect our air, soil, water, land and homes.”  

The air filters are one of the group's first initiatives, which was organized in partnership with MKE FreshAir Collective and the City of Milwaukee Health Department.

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Several major medical associations and more than 300 health care professionals are calling on Wisconsin's next governor and state Legislature to treat climate change as an urgent public health crisis.

Representatives from groups including the Wisconsin chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, the Wisconsin Nurses Association, MKE FreshAir Collective and the Wisconsin Public Health Association delivered their message

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The Breath of Promise mural is extra special- it’s paint can absorb air pollution, and on top of the mural is a sensor that alerts local elected officials whenever the air quality is unhealthy, including information about what they can do to improve it.

MKE Fresh Air Collective does this and so much more- they engage in education, advocacy, partner with research and education, and now also have a focus on indoor air quality including distributing radon kits. 

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In Milwaukee, many residents live, work, and go to school near busy streets, freight routes, industrial corridors, and other areas where vehicle emissions are concentrated. While idling may seem minor, the cumulative impact is significant.

Each year, unnecessary vehicle idling in Milwaukee is estimated to waste about 1.5 million gallons of fuel, and it releases a mix of harmful pollutants including fine particulate matter, nitrogen oxides, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, and ozone-forming emissions, all of which can worsen air quality and contribute to respiratory and cardiovascular harm. 

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The Beerline Trail is partially situated on an industrial corridor and what was once a busy rail line for Milwaukee’s beer industry.

MKE FreshAir Collective, a local nonprofit that monitors air quality, is adding four solar-powered air quality sensors along the Beerline Trail with support from Riverworks Development Corp.

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As thick smoke from Canadian wildfires blanketed southeast Wisconsin Thursday, Milwaukee's air quality reached hazardous levels, prompting the city to suspend garbage and recycling collection, close its drop-off centers and halt non-emergency outdoor work.

Health officials urged residents to stay indoors, avoid strenuous outdoor activity and wear a properly fitted N95 mask if they must go outside. But for many people on Milwaukee's north side, staying indoors simply isn't an option.

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The neighborhood of Lindsay Heights, just northwest of downtown Milwaukee, has been a center of African American history and culture since as far back as the Underground Railroad. In recent decades, underinvestment, job losses and the expansion of the interstate have taken their toll on the community. Those changes led to poor air quality, limited options for fresh food, and homes that fell into disuse.

By partnering with local mission-driven organizations, including air quality monitoring non-profit MKE FreshAir Collective, Walnut Way is transforming the neighborhood.

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Langston Verdin, founder of MKE Fresh Air Collective, has spent the last seven years installing air quality monitors across Milwaukee. He has placed 35 sensors throughout the city, with a focus on Black and Brown neighborhoods.

The monitors provide real-time air quality data, and residents can access that information directly on their phones.

"The really cool thing is you can download an app called Air Visual where anyone in the community can get notifications...

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In the US: Milwaukee, Wisconsin, high asthma rates disproportionately affect vulnerable communities, worsened by vehicle emissions, industrial pollution, and the growing threat of wildfire smoke. 

By providing real-time data, MKE FreshAir Collective grew their following from 6,000 to nearly 24,000 people and gave them the tools to advocate for cleaner air, and helping make a public health impact. When followers receive alerts on their phones about worsening air quality, they’re better equipped to immediately respond by closing doors and windows, adjusting outdoor activities as needed, or wearing masks outside if staying indoors isn’t an option.

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Like many works of art, there's more to the mural in Melvina Park on Milwaukee's northwest side than meets the eye.

The paint that makes up vibrant scenes of flowers, green grass and people in nature is also cleaning the air.

It contains a mineral called zeolite that absorbs and traps certain air pollutants that harm human health. Called Breath of Promise, the mural is a collaboration between MKE FreshAir Collective, the Century City Triangle Neighborhood Association and the youth creative arts program TRUE Skool.

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The MKE FreshAir Collective, a nonprofit monitoring air quality across Wisconsin, is providing free radon tests to residents of the city of Milwaukee.

Exposure to the toxic gas is the leading cause of lung cancer in the United States for non-smokers. The National Cancer Institute reports that between 15,000 and 22,000 lung cancer deaths in the U.S. annually are radon-related.

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Environmentalists across the country are outraged with the President's decision to repeal longstanding regulations on air pollution.

In the White House Thursday, Feb. 12, the President and EPA administrator announced a repeal of what's called an endangerment finding, which regulates dangerous greenhouse gases.

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The study is among the first projects of the Center for Health, Energy and Environmental Research at UW-Madison. The center launched in September 2024 with a $3.8 million grant from the National Institutes of Health, and is aimed at exploring the effects of different types of energy generation on human health.

The study will build on work already being done to better understand air pollution and its health impacts on Milwaukee residents, like the MKE FreshAir Collective, which places air monitoring sensors in neighborhoods around the city...

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MKE FreshAir Collective analyzed data for a report so residents can learn about the air quality where they live, work and play. The report breaks down each neighborhood with graphs of daily AQI, charts tracking the number of days per month in each AQI category and a map of a half-mile radius around the sensor. 

The neighborhood snapshots have demographic data because some groups have more risk associated with being exposed to air pollution, such as..... 

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A local resident and air quality enthusiast weigh in on the local impact of wildfires in Canada and why low air quality has become a recurring part of summer in recent years. “I’ve been having this cough that I can’t get rid of,” said Milwaukee resident, Augustin Khey.

Oftentimes, vulnerable groups like the elderly or people who have asthma are..... (learn more)

The poor air quality is concerning for Langston Verdin, whose nonprofit monitors air conditions, as well as Patrick Chaves, a runner who lives with asthma.

On Wednesday, Chaves, the founder of Buena Tierra Run Club, collaborated with other running groups and vendors for Global Running Day... (learn more)

It is hard to know the extent of the health impacts the smoke has had on people in Wisconsin. But an unpublished analysis concluded that last year's smoke killed a dozen people in Milwaukee County... (read more)

Milwaukee's Mobilization: In Milwaukee, the MKE FreshAir Collective, led by Langston Verdin, tackled the silent but potent threats of industrial and vehicular pollutants. 

Armed with IQAir technology, this initiative mapped the city's air quality landscape and raised awareness about the hazards of poor air quality and its impact on asthma in children. (read more)

MANDI Awards: The MANDI Advancing a Healthier Wisconsin Community Health Award aims to recognize and celebrate organizations working to eliminate health disparities through systems change right here in our community. MKE FreshAir Collective is honored to be selected as runner-up and also to have recived an unexpected, special recognition at the event. You can watch the full MANDI awards here.

Wisconsin's environment is changing faster and more dramatically than anyone expected. But there's another kind of change happening, too. Around the state, there's a growing movement to try and stop the dangerous trends before it's too late. (listen here)

TMJ4 News: “The smoke is not be going anywhere, so it’s really important to understand current air quality and know what to do when it worsens,” Langston Verdin said. Verdin is the Executive Director of MKE FreshAir Collective, a community-led air-quality monitoring project. Verdin offered up some suggestions with the unhealthy air quality advisory in place...
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IQAir Blog: Clean air advocate Langston Verdin knew that heavy concentrations of airborne industrial, commercial, and vehicle pollutants were present in some neighborhoods in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and that they were likely leading to increased asthma prevalence and asthma attacks in vulnerable populations in these neighborhoods...
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