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AIR QUALITY FORCAST SEASON 
Triangle Tomorrow has taken the lead in regional air quality initiatives and education for the past six years, including a partnership with NC Division of Air Quality managing the Triangle Air Awareness Program. As Ozone Season approaches May 1st, we are again gearing up to translate the importance of clean air to our health and economy in the Triangle region. At the end of air quality season last year, we were pleased to announce that our air had improved substantially. Triangle ozone modeling results re-designated our area to be in ozone maintenance, with PM2.5 in attainment for fine particulate standards. We have surpassed the Charlotte and Triad regions in air quality improvements. However, in March of this year, the Environmental Protection Agency announced a tightening for a more protective standard. This could affect certain Triangle counties and their compliance for ozone pollution. Our region must continue to be “Air Aware.” We are pleased to announce that the Triangle Air Awareness Program’s educational initiatives are being led by our new program coordinator, Jonathan Navarro, whose bio follows this article. The focus of the Triangle Air Awareness Program (TAAP) this season will be promoting engine idling reduction. “Don’t Be Idle – Get on Your Feet” will encourage people to turn off their engines, especially in school zones where children are affected by exhaust fumes. Jonathan has designed a program for middle school teams to discover how engine idling and exhaust figures into the carbon footprint of their school’s campus. TAAP will provide all promotional materials, workbooks and other assistance to schools who sign up teams to participate. There will be a variety of awards given at the end of the project to the teams who created the best ideas to promote anti-idling. The TAAP has received letters endorsing the “Don’t Be Idle” initiative from Duke Energy, GlaxoSmithKline, Progress Energy and proclamations from the Capitol Area MPO and DCHC. The project also suggests ways people can use their cars less and their feet more. The promotion of “Walking School Buses” and partnering with NCDOT’s Safe Routes to School Program will promote a variety of ways kids can become more active by walking, biking, even skating to school. And of course, the ultimate goal is to get children to promote these good habits to their parents. These social marketing programs are vital to the future of our children. Twice as many babies are now diagnosed with asthma than just twenty years ago and asthma is now the fastest growing chronic disease in the US. The good news is that Triangle Tomorrow is leading the way towards cleaning the air and with the help of our sponsors, talented staff and partners, we can make a difference in the quality of life for our region. Remember – Think, Act, Breathe! Sig Hutchinson Our special thanks to our air quality program sponsors: GlaxoSmithKline, Progress Energy and Duke Energy
JONATHAN NAVARRO TAKES THE LEAD AT TRIANGLE AIR AWARENESS
This past fall, Jonathan was hired as the coordinator of the Triangle Air Awareness Program. Coming from a long line of educators, Jonathan brings his enthusiasm for education and passion for the environment to our program. A native of St. Louis, he attended Furman University majoring in Earth and Environmental Science. He received his Masters of Science in Environmental Education at Southern Connecticut State University. Upon finishing his graduate program, he became affiliated with the Eli Whitney Museum, a hands-on, educational museum and workshop in Hamden, Connecticut. For over two years, he led and coordinated hundreds of successful educational programs with school districts, science museums, and the community. He worked specifically in designing sustainable programs around “community based social marketing” techniques to bring about positive behavior change. “Jonathan brings excitement, creativity and a strong desire to impact families in our region on issues of quality of life,” said Pam Wall, Triangle Tomorrow executive director. Jonathan and his fiancée, Tara, relocated to the Triangle to be near their families. An avid hiker and mountain climber, he was a scholar athlete and Division I tennis player at Furman University, and continues to compete. If you would like an air quality program for your employees, organization, school or church, please contact Jonathan at jonathan.navarro@ncmail.com or phone 919-733-1805. RESEARCH TRIANGLE REGIONAL REALITY CHECK
The Research Triangle Region is growing and will continue to grow well into the future. A generation ago, in 1970, the region was home to 763,254 people. Today, the population is 2.03 million people, and in 2030, the region is projected to be the home of over 3.2 million people – larger than present-day Charlotte, San Antonio, Orlando or New Orleans regions. This growth makes sound planning imperative, particularly in the areas of local land use decisions, livability and environmental sustainability. The co-chairs and leaders of the Reality Check Steering Committee are:
The Steering Committee also includes chairs of various Reality Check committees, and representatives from the boards of Triangle Tomorrow and the Triangle District Council of ULI. These are Jack Clayton, Finance Chair, Ken Eudy, Communications Chair, Jeff Merritt, Event Chair, Smedes York, Triangle Tomorrow and John Healy, Triangle District Council. Several other committee chairs and co-chairs are yet to be named. The one-half day Reality Check event is February 24, 2009, and the Reality Check Report Presentation is February 27, 2009. We will be announcing more event related activities as we continue to work with our committees. If you would like more information on this project or would like to be involved, please contact Pam Wall, Triangle Tomorrow executive director at 919-281-2743 or pwall@researchtriangle.org NEW MEMBERS & MEMBERSHIP RENEWALS
We would like to thank the following members for renewing their investment in Triangle Tomorrow: Gold:
Silver:
Bronze:
New Members:
Bronze:
FEATURED BOARD MEMBER: MARY LINDA ANDREWS
With air quality season coming May 1st, it is most appropriate to feature board member Mary Linda Andrews, the Director of North Carolina Community Partnerships for GlaxoSmithKline. Mary Linda has served as a board member for the past 3 years. Most notably, she and GSK have taken the lead in sponsoring the air quality mascot program, and providing the initial grant to develop our characters, Clair the Clean Air Explorer and CAM the Clean Air Maniac. It is soley because of Mary Linda and GSK that this program continues to thrive. Through Mary Linda's support, Clair and CAM have made appearances across the region, including at a Durham Bulls game, NBC-17 news feature and a variety of air quality events. In addition, GSK has underwritten an interactive children's video that will be in elementary schools across the region this year. The video will teach children the importance of keeping our air clean, and how they too can become "Clean Air Explorers" or "Clean Air Maniacs." "Supporting the air quality initiative of Triangle Tomorrow is the right thing to do, the environmentally right thing to do. It is part of our corporate responsibility that we take very seriously," says Mary Linda about GSK's support. "Clair and CAM are part of a much broader ongoing effort to educate residents in the region about air quality and what we can do to improve it. Our long-term strategy is to reach children so that they can develop really good habits at an early age and then hopefully their new knowledge and habits will will be picked up by their parents." Mary Linda has been in the pharmaceutical industry for 30 years, where she has worked in organic chemistry and human resources prior to her current position in community partnerships. She is also a former banker and teacher. Mary Linda received a bachelor degree from Ohio University and completed management training at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Graduate School of Business Administration and the London Business School. In addition to Triangle Tomorrow, Mary Linda serves on several executive committees and boards including: NC Business Committee for Educations, NC Public School Forum, NC New High Schools Project, NC Communities in Schools, NC Museum of Life and Science, to name a few.
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Triangle Tomorrow and the Triangle District Council of ULI recently announced their partnership in a regional Reality Check initiative. Reality Check, an exercise of the Urban Land Institute, is a process that engages leaders from around the region in discussions about growth and how to compete in a global economy. 
