Photo: Emma Friedman/WBZ NewsRadio
BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — The City of Boston’s Environment Department Announced the six recipients of the 2025 Community Clean Air Grant Program at Rita Hester Green Park on Monday.
The grants will go to the Allston-Brighton Health Collaborative, Olin College of Engineering, Neighborhood of Affordable Housing Inc, Chinatown Main Street, GreenRoots, and The Trustees if Boston University.
$1,117,296 will be distributed to these awardees over the next two years to fund various projects that are meant to reduce air pollution and improve public health.
According to a press release from Mayor Michelle Wu’s office, the funds will be distributed and used in the following ways:
- Allston-Brighton Health Collaborative- $199,985 to deploy sensors and air purifiers to measure and mitigate traffic-related air pollution from the Massachusetts Turnpike and to develop air quality education materials.
- Chinatown Main Street- $159,230 to launch a youth-led air quality education campaign and administer a microgrant program supporting indoor air quality improvements in Chinatown’s restaurants and small businesses.
- GreenRoots- $200,000 to expand community-informed air quality monitoring in East Boston, including the deployment of new ultrafine particulate monitors.
- Neighborhood of Affordable Housing- $184,050 to expand a youth-led, bilingual initiative combining indoor air quality monitoring, mitigation, and community education.
- Olin College of Engineering, in partnership with the Fairmount Indigo CDC Collaborative- $179,340 to measure public transit-related air pollution exposure along the Fairmount Corridor using backpack-based sensors, implement indoor air quality mitigation in nearby communities, and share findings through education materials.
- The Trustees of Boston University, in partnership with Boston Public Schools- $194,691 to pilot and evaluate a novel school-based air pollution monitoring and action plan to reduce student and staff air pollution exposures.
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Director of Environmental Quality for Boston Alice Brown expressed her excitement in awarding this year’s money.
“It is my pleasure to mark the start of this new grant cycle and this important moment celebrating the start of these projects that will have a lasting impact on the health and quality of life of our community,” she said.
Boston Chief Climate Officer Brain Swett shared this enthusiasm.
“Your work is helping us build a more equitable, healthier, and more resilient Boston for today and for generations to come. The projects we’re celebrating today will make schools healthier, will reduce air pollution exposure for restaurant workers, will expand air quality monitoring in our neighborhoods,” he said. “Cleaner air means healthier children, stronger families and more vibrant and active neighborhoods.”
Mayor Wu also offered her own words of encouragement for the program and the community-led projects supported by it.
“From investing in effective air purifiers to advanced air quality monitoring systems, these Community Clean Air Grants allow Boston to take action on the ground – continuing to improve public health and strengthen our neighborhoods against the impacts of air pollution and climate change,” she said. “I’m grateful to all our contributing partners and look forward to our continued collaboration on the meaningful work ahead.”
WBZ NewsRadio’s Emma Friedman (@EmmaFriedmanWBZ) reports.