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Dear Biodiesel Alliance-Backers Supporters: I thought you might be interested in learning how a fellow Biodiesel Alliance member - the American Lung Association of the District of Columbia - is working with faith-based organizations to combat rising rates of asthma through use of biodiesel.
The ALADC set an example for the nation when it took biodiesel fuel to a new audience—religious leaders—on Sept. 23, 2004. ALADC included biodiesel as part of the solution to end the asthma epidemic in Washington, D.C. when it convened leaders from the religious community of the nation’s capital to count the costs of the asthma epidemic and examine the potential for faith-based organizations to help. Keynote speaker ALADC Immediate Past President Dr. Bailus Walker presented the contributions that biodiesel can make to human health in the city that currently has some of the worst air quality in the United States.
Rev. George E. Holmes, who serves on the District of Columbia Mayor’s Interfaith Council and has participated in the White House Faith-Based Initiative, said “The faith-based institution has a responsibility to insure that members of their community have the opportunity to live a healthy life. Therefore, we, the faith-based leaders, must engage our family of faith to become more proactive in the efforts to end the asthma epidemic, not only in Washington, D.C., but in our global community as a whole.”
An estimated 5.6% of the DC population, or 32,000 residents, suffer from asthma – 10,000 of these sufferers are children under the age of 18. Children account for more than 5,500 emergency department visits for asthma in DC each year; about 60 percent of these visits are for children enrolled in Medicaid.
Dr. Walker, who is a Professor of Environmental and Occupational Medicine and Toxicology at Howard University College of Medicine in Washington, D.C. said transportation issues are fundamental to combating pollution. “We need to take a hard look at the fuels we use as part of the solution to poor air quality,” he said. “The research shows that biodiesel can reduce particulate matter, carbon monoxide and other emissions that are harmful to humans and the environment.”
As a follow up to the breakfast, ALADC will work with the ministers to develop a faith-based asthma initiative. “We are excited to see the response from the faith-based community that recognized they can make a difference in DC air quality,” said ALADC Chief Executive Officer Rolando Andrewn. “Awareness can now turn into action to end this epidemic.”
ALADC is a member of the National Biodiesel Board’s Biodiesel Alliance, which is supported by the United Soybean Board and soybean farmers who have invested millions of dollars in biodiesel commercialization through the national soybean checkoff.
Asthma is the leading cause of school absenteeism, accounting for an annual loss of 14 million school days nationally. The total cost for treating asthma in DC is an estimated $24.2 million. On April 29, the 2004 American Lung Association State of the Air Report gave the DC metro area an “F” rating for the quality of its air. In addition to a poor ozone score, the region had unhealthful grades for both short and year-round particle pollution, ranking it as the 25th worst county in the nation for short-term particle pollution levels. The EPA has recommended that the District significantly reduce its ozone levels by 2010. High ozone levels in the atmosphere aggravate asthma, damage the lining of the lungs and make breathing very difficult.
We are proud to be associated with organizations such as ALADC who continually seek ways to improve the lives and health of people and commend them for their efforts.
Sincerely,
Joe Jobe,
Executive Director
National Biodiesel Board
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Do you know of a faith-based group or organization that would like to learn more about this effort or biodiesel in general? If so, we would like to know. You can e-mail us at biodiesel.org@sbcglobal.net. |
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