Print this page
Email this pageIan Viteri
Clean Air Is:
I'm here because:
It wasn't until I was older that I learned about the pollution coming from the local coal-fired power plants and how it affects us.
Clean Air Ambassador:
Ian Viteri
Chicago, Illinois
When I was a kid, I had many friends and family with asthma, but I didn't think much of it at the time because it was so common in our community. I never really questioned why my cousin had to always carry his inhaler or why we couldn't just run around the park all day without having to take a break every ten minutes. It wasn't until I was older that I learned about the pollution coming from the local coal-fired power plants and how it affects us.
The largest local sources of pollution in our community, and the city of Chicago, are two ancient and outdated coal-fired power plants: the Fisk and Crawford stations, both owned by Midwest Generation. They are about 80 and 90 years old, respectively, and they haven't had any upgrades since the 1960's.
Now that I am more involved in these issues I meet all kinds of people who give us data and research and I now hear that Little Village is experiencing an increased rate of low birth-weight babies. I even see it in my friends as my generation reaches that age where we start to settle down. Within the past two years, two of my friends were pregnant and miscarried. Although we don't yet have the data to directly connect mercury emissions from the power plant with various birth complications, there has been research done connecting the asthma rates with the pollution coming from the plants.
The air pollution in our community is making us sick. We have high rates of asthma. Asthma vans—funded by Midwest generation—go to local grammar schools to treat children. These vans, which only go to schools that have at least 25 percent prevalence of asthma in their students, go to almost half the schools in our neighborhood.
To protect our right to breathe, our elected leaders and officials in Washington, D.C. should help ensure that old, outdated technology is replaced with newer and cleaner forms of technology. And they should look at cumulative impacts to environmental justice communities such as Little Village when they do new permitting. They should support local initiatives to control pollution, such as the Chicago Clean Power Ordinance and allow affected citizens to participate in lawsuits and government decisions.
Thank you for doing what most of us cannot. Everyone deserves clean air and water for that matter - they ruin that too! God speed to you!
186.1 million people's lives are endangered by air pollution according to the 2009 report of the 10th annual American Lung Association State of the Air. This adds immense pain, suffering and cost to our already expensive corporate healthcare system.
Thank you for being our leader in this national struggle. Don't let pollution defeat us.
We need people like you. Thanks for fighting for us.
Keep on the good work!
Thanks!
Thank you for fighting on behalf of all of us. No matter how oblivious and ungrateful we act.
help keep the air clean for everybody and everything. Animals and other living things deserve to be able to breathe clean air too.
I just finished Devra Davis's book The Secret History of the War on Cancer. It is a must read. The Illinois Constitution, Article XI, says we have the right to a healthful environment! Where were Daley and Madigan for the last few decades? As we pushed Blago to do for indoor air, let's push Quinn to do more for outdoor air. He did well to vetoe coal-to-gas! Keep pushing people!
I lived in Chicago for the first 6 years of my life. I was in and out of the hospital so much, the nuns who ran the hospital got to know me very well- the kid in the oxygen tent. We then moved out of the city and I "miraculously" got better. Years later when I returned to live there, I remembered the pollution, smog, and the constriction in my lungs, even though the air there was much improved. Now I live back out in the country, and want to keep my air and water clean! Most industry is all about the bottom line, and need regulations to keep them in line. Clean air should be a fundamental right.
Thanks for your commitment. I recently had a baby and live in Chicago - I absolutely NEED clean air for her! Please do all you can and let me know how I can help!
I want to breathe clean air because we get too many toxins in our bodies that we can not stop that damage our organs and cause disease. So I want clean air.
And I want clean air for younger members of my family who have asthma and other breathing issues or heart problems
I have mercury poisoning-again! It has caused suffering and disability to the point that I had to take a leave of absence from school. The coal fired power plants should have either been modernized a long time ago to stop them from spewing mercury, or they should have been closed-permanently!
Thank you Ian for taking leadership in this very important need. So many people are still in denial; great to have you live out of a deeper wisdom.
Yay! Keep it up!
I also suffered greatly from asthma in my younger days and had to use an inhaler frequently. I was raised in Kansas and suffered through "ragweed season".
I gave up smoking cigarettes to keep my lungs clean, not to foul them with polluted air. Thanks Ian for fighting for cleaner air and cleaner lungs for everybody.
Keep up the great work!
Keep up the good work. We need more young people like you to help save the planet.
Stop all the (expletive deleted) wars and you will instantly reduce worldwide air pollution, as well as save countless innocent lives.
I am really glad someone is stepping up and doing this! I really appreciate your efforts and (lifting a glass virtually) here's to making a positive impact!
Thank you for all that you're doing! The world needs people like you.
KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK!
Thanks for stepping up, Ian. Definitely support your work!
Thank you for trying. Sadly the medical and pharmaceutical industries profit when illness follows pollution.
I definitely support your work Ian.
I, too, have asthma and live in Chicago. I commend the work you are doing Ian!
The pollution in the air has had a huge impact on respiratory health. Asthma is skyrocketing, It does not only affect people-the mercury levels in the air have impacted the fish we eat. Much of this comes from burning coal to produce electricity. Our electric company is owned by the energy giant Exxelon-who is-thanks to our elected officials-receive billions of dollars in subsidies. It's time they spent it on cleaning up our air.
Air pollution hurts everyone, whether they acknowledge the fact or turn a blind eye to proven science. And for increasing numbers of us who have asthma, COPD and other respiratory-related medical conditions, air pollution is a matter of being able to breathe or not. The reasonable among us must continue to advocate for clean air policies for all. Thank you, Ian, for your dedication!
Thank you for your work.
Go Ian!
Keep up the good fight for our air. Your courageous actions may create a ripple effect that will infect enough of us to get off the couch and join you! Thank You Ian.
Thank you, Ian, for being there for all of us. You have my admiration and support for the essential job you are doing.
The difference between people that believe we can save our earth and people that don't even think we have a problem is both imagination and intuition. These two important human possibilities are worn down or eradicated in some people. Without them are answers won't be new enough, big enough, or courageous enough.
Let's get it done and clean our air up before it's too late. Let's get rid of all the poisons from the Earth. Good luck and God Bless you in your endeavor. I am with you all the way!
Good luck to you and all the others who are working to make positive change in how we deal with pollution. And thank you for accepting this responsibility!
The air was cleaner when I was young, 60-70 years ago. I want the air to clean for my kids and grandkids just loike it was for me as a kid.
Way to go, Ian. Thanks for doing this for us!
Best wishes and hope that you will effect a positive change in attitudes of our elected officials.
I have always been troubled that Mayor Daley was applauded as a green mayor while allowing coal-fired power plants to spew their poisons on the citizens of Chicago.
I know that you can, have and will make a positive difference. Thanks for all you do! You have a lot of local support.
Thanks for your work to protect our right to clean air! Cheers!
Thanks, Ian! Good luck in D.C.!
Post new comment