Laws of Notion The Institute for Science & Policy

Our air is a complex soup of ingredients – which impacts the health of all of us, our economy, and our climate. But those health burdens are not shared equally. They disproportionately impact children, the elderly, and lower-income or historically marginalized communities.
What does it mean to have equal and fair access to clean air? And when emotions are high, people’s health is at risk, and tradeoffs need to be made, how do we solve this complex problem? This is episode one of Clearing the Air, a podcast about air pollution in Colorado and beyond, and how we are navigating this complex problem that knows no borders. 
Learn more about this season of Laws of Notion at clearingtheair.org.
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The Institute for Science & Policy is a catalyst for thoughtful dialogue, working toward solutions on society’s greatest challenges with scientific thinking, empathy, and inclusivity. The Institute is a project of the Denver Museum of Nature & Science. 
Episode Credits:
Reporting, writing, hosting: Kristan Uhlenbrock
Writing, marketing: Tricia Waddell
Additional writing: Shel Evergreen
Additional reporting and fact-checking: Nicole Delaney and Kate Long
Sound design: Seth Samuels with tracks from Epidemic Sounds
Audio engineering: Jesse Boynton 
 

For years Colorado’s Front Range has repeatedly failed to meet the EPA’s national air quality standards, putting local policymakers and regulators under pressure to fix the air pollution affecting us all. Now air monitoring and data gathering are slowly starting to catch up to the reality that many communities experience living in proximity to industries, highways, railroads, and other sources of pollutants. 
But what made us care about air quality in the first place? From the Brown Cloud that hung over Denver in the ’70s and ’80s to the landmark Clean Air Act, we break down the science and policies that propelled us to start to clean up our air.
Learn more about the podcast at clearingtheair.org.
Sign up for the Institute for Science & Policy’s mailing list.
Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube.
If you like our work, consider making a tax-deductible donation. 
The Institute for Science & Policy is a catalyst for thoughtful dialogue, working toward solutions to society’s greatest challenges with scientific thinking, empathy, and inclusivity. The Institute is a project of the Denver Museum of Nature & Science. 
Episode Credits:
Reporting, writing, hosting: Kristan Uhlenbrock
Writing, marketing: Tricia Waddell
Additional reporting and fact-checking: Nicole Delaney and Kate Long
Sound design: Seth Samuels with tracks from Epidemic Sounds
Audio engineering: Jesse Boynton 

There is a long history of disproportionately impacted neighborhoods, which are predominately communities of color and low income, experiencing the unequal impact of pollution. This has been the case for many communities in Colorado when it comes to air quality. And while there are competing interests, values, and needs when it comes to deciding what to do, it’s critical to consider who gets represented and heard. Do the policies truly address the issue? And who bears the cost?
We all have the right to clean air, no matter where we live. But safeguarding our air is about making hard decisions. It’s about changing our thinking and our behaviors. It’s about looking at the issues from multiple angles. People often want there to be a single source or single industry to blame for air pollution, but unfortunately, the air doesn’t work that way. 
 
Learn more about the podcast at clearingtheair.org.
Sign-up for the Institute for Science & Policy’s mailing list.
Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube.
If you like our work, consider making a tax-deductible donation. 
 
The Institute for Science & Policy is a catalyst for thoughtful dialogue, working toward solutions on society’s greatest challenges with scientific thinking, empathy, and inclusivity. The Institute is a project of the Denver Museum of Nature & Science. 
 
Episode Credits:
Reporting, writing, hosting: Kristan Uhlenbrock
Writing, marketing: Tricia Waddell
Additional reporting and fact checking: Nicole Delaney and Kate Long
Sound design: Seth Samuels with tracks from Epidemic Sounds
Audio engineering: Jesse Boynton 
 

An estimated 4.2 million premature deaths are associated with outdoor air pollution each year. And traffic emissions are one of the leading contributors, with those living within a quarter mile or so of a busy road at greatest risk. But statistics and facts will only get you so far.  To change perceptions and policy, the issue must be brought to a human level. And while our air quality has improved over the years, there is still work to be done, especially with communities most at risk.
Learn more about the podcast at clearingtheair.org.
Sign up for the Institute for Science & Policy’s mailing list.
Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube.
If you like our work, consider making a tax-deductible donation. 
The Institute for Science & Policy is a catalyst for thoughtful dialogue, working toward solutions on society’s greatest challenges with scientific thinking, empathy, and inclusivity. The Institute is a project of the Denver Museum of Nature & Science. 
Episode Credits:
Reporting, writing, hosting: Kristan Uhlenbrock
Producing, marketing: Tricia Waddell
Additional writing: Meredith Sell
Additional reporting and fact-checking: Nicole Delaney and Kate Long
Sound design: Seth Samuels with tracks from Epidemic Sounds
Audio engineering: Jesse Boynton 
 

Whether you’ve had a direct experience with bad air, followed the air quality index on your phone, or formally learned about the importance of clean air, awareness can be a key driver for change. But once we know how poor air quality can impact our health, what does it take to change our behaviors — either to reduce our exposure or how we contribute to it?
Learn more about the podcast at clearingtheair.org.
Sign-up for the Institute for Science & Policy’s mailing list.
Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube.
If you like our work, consider making a tax-deductible donation. 
The Institute for Science & Policy is a catalyst for thoughtful dialogue, working toward solutions to society’s greatest challenges with scientific thinking, empathy, and inclusivity. The Institute is a project of the Denver Museum of Nature & Science. 
Episode Credits:
Reporting, writing, hosting: Kristan Uhlenbrock
Producing, marketing: Tricia Waddell
Additional writing: Meredith Sell
Additional reporting and fact-checking: Nicole Delaney and Kate Long
Sound design: Seth Samuels with tracks from Epidemic Sounds
Audio engineering: Jesse Boynton 
 

Colorado is the fifth largest oil-producing state in the country, and the state’s economy benefits from keeping the industry running. But oil and gas are also a major source of emissions to local air quality and climate change. And we all have a vested interest in reducing emissions, which has economic and social costs to our health and environment. So how do we balance the demand for energy with the realities on the ground? What does the dance look like between the speed to clean up operations, the transition to new innovation, the limitations of business models, the standardization of data, and the need to protect the health of each other and our planet?  
Learn more about the podcast at clearingtheair.org.
Sign-up for the Institute for Science & Policy’s mailing list.
Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube.
If you like our work, consider making a tax-deductible donation. 
The Institute for Science & Policy is a catalyst for thoughtful dialogue, working toward solutions on society’s greatest challenges with scientific thinking, empathy, and inclusivity. The Institute is a project of the Denver Museum of Nature & Science. 
Episode Credits:
Reporting, writing, hosting: Kristan Uhlenbrock
Producing, marketing: Tricia Waddell
Additional writing: Meredith Sell
Additional reporting and fact-checking: Nicole Delaney and Kate Long
Sound design: Seth Samuels with tracks from Epidemic Sounds
Audio engineering: Jesse Boynton