EnergySage named as first air quality champion by American Lung Association

Having healthy lungs is not simply a matter of just not smoking, as even a nonsmoker living in an area with high air pollution and poor local air quality can have negative health impacts just by breathing the air every day. And because dirty local and regional power sources can affect the air quality of large areas, the adoption of more clean energy resources is a health issue as well as an economic one.

“Natural air currents are putting Northeast states on the receiving end of pollutants from several of the nation’s most polluted cities. Poor air quality can cause severe health risks such as asthma attacks, reduced lung function and even premature death.” – American Lung Association of the Northeast

A new partnership is helping to connecting these dots between air quality and clean energy, with an established health organization helping its supporters to see the light when it comes to home and business solar options. For its role in helping people to make the decision to go solar and increase the amount of clean energy on the grid, the American Lung Association (ALA) of the Northeast has selected EnergySage as its first Air Quality Champion.

The decision to select EnergySage is a significant nod to the potential of solar for reducing the emissions that make the air quality so poor in some areas, with the organization stating that “going solar reduces carbon dioxide emissions each year by 11,500 lbs. (~5 tons), which is equivalent to planting approximately 135 trees each year.”

As part of the program, EnergySage has created a branded site for the ALA of the Northeast, using its state-of-the-art solar comparison and financing research platform, which is intended to help users understand the options, costs, and benefits of home solar in order to make an informed decision about it. According to EnergySage, shoppers using the company’s platform “adopt solar across the country at rates two to three times higher than industry averages.”

“The EnergySage solar marketplace is an objective and easy way for consumers to evaluate multiple options, calculate energy savings and make a well-informed decision about going solar. As an advocate for the consumer and means for expanding adoption of sustainable energy across the country, EnergySage personifies our ideal Air Quality Champion.” – Casey Harvell, Public Policy Director for Massachusetts at ALA of the Northeast

The recently-launched Air Quality Champion program is currently in a pilot phase in Massachusetts, and has the goal of adding 10 more champions to the initiative in the near future. The American Lung Association is looking to those organizations and businesses that either serve as advocates for clean energy or that have taken big steps to shrink their own carbon footprint, and the organization hopes to expand the program to include all of the states in the Northeast in 2016. 

http://cleantechnica.com/2015/11/25/energysage-named-as-first-air-quality-champion-by-american-lung-association/