The air we breathe is essential to living a healthy life. This is why knowing about our neighborhood’s air quality is important. Air can be polluted by suspended microscopic particles, such as chemicals, smoke, metals, dust, soot, and allergens. The smallest particles are even small enough to enter our lungs and bloodstream. Air pollution can come from things such as wildfires, the burning of fossil fuels, manufacturing and industry, and transportation, and can be directly and indirectly affected by trees. Depending on where you live, you might be exposed to more or less air pollution than other neighborhoods. So how can we work together to make our air safer to breathe for everyone? 

Join us as we learn more from Dr. Ailene Ettinger’s air quality research across Tacoma. Find out how her research came to be, which are Tacoma’s most impacted neighborhoods, and what we can do to mitigate air pollution.

Can’t make it? This webinar will be recorded and posted on our YouTube channel two weeks after the event.

This event is possible thanks to Tacoma Creates

Speaker Bio

Ailene Ettinger is a senior research ecologist at The Nature Conservancy of Washington. She earned a Ph.D. in Biology from the University of Washington, focusing on community ecology, climate change, and urban ecology. She has worked in diverse systems ranging from Pacific Northwest forests, tropical bee communities in coffee farms to suburban vernal pool amphibians, and killer whales in the Salish Sea. Her research toolbox includes field experiments, observational monitoring, meta-analysis, and statistical models. Her research on applied conservation challenges, such as climate change and habitat loss, builds from foundational theory in ecology and employs rigorous analytical methods. Whether at work or at play, She loves being outdoors in Washington’s forests, mountains, and seas! Hiking, skiing, camping, and cooking with family and friends are some of her favorite ways to spend time.