Master of Science (MS), Ohio University, 2015, Journalism (Communication)

Air pollution has become a serious problem of the Chinese government in recent years. In 2013, the pollution level hit a historic high record. As the official website of China Daily, the largest English newspaper in China, how ChinaDaily.com frames this issue to global readers is of great significance. This thesis content analyzes all air pollution related news stories published in 2013 by ChinaDaily.com from text elements and visual images aspects. The results show that the consequence and responsibility frame are the two main frames ChinaDaily.com uses in its coverage of the air pollution. Compared with these, contradiction and human-interest frames are used much less.

Master of Science, Miami University, 2013, Geology and Environmental Earth Science

The section of the GMR which flows through the city of Hamilton, Ohio is representative of many post industrial cities throughout the Midwest. Sediment samples were collected along the banks of the river and analyzed by ICP-MS, SEM, TEM and STEM. Bulk chemical analysis indicated that anthropogenic metals were concentrated in the less than or equal to 40 µm size fraction. SEM analysis identified multiple pollution particulates including lead, barium sulfate, antimony, PbCrO4 and coal spherules. Additional complexity in the sediment is observed in STEM where correlations between anthropogenic metals and Mn and Fe were observed on clay particles. Statistical analysis of the sample set further confirmed the higher concentrations in the fine fraction of the sediment and identified six metals which were significantly above the concentrations observed in the reference materials: Zn, Sn, Sb, Cu, Pb and Sr. Overall, this study lays the groundwork for a more extensive investigation into the source and extent of pollution within the GMR.

Master of Science (MS), Ohio University, 2023, Environmental Studies (Voinovich)

Agricultural nutrient pollution is a significant cause of impairment in American surface waters. Wetland restoration projects in agricultural watersheds can provide an effective sink for excess nutrients and potentially improve downstream water quality. Ohio University has partnered with The Stream and Wetlands Foundation to conduct water quality monitoring during the restoration of Bloody Run Swamp, a wetland in a former agricultural field near Columbus, Ohio. This thesis serves as an analysis of the initial water quality impacts of this restoration project. The restoration of Bloody Run Swamp did not significantly impact total dissolved phosphorus, orthophosphate, TKN, or ammonia concentrations. In contrast, both nitrate/nitrate and total dissolved nitrogen concentration and loads were significantly reduced during construction. This may have been due to the dry weather during construction and the removal of drainage tiles from Bloody Run Swamp. Future water quality monitoring is needed to determine the long-term impacts of this restoration project.

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2021, Food, Agricultural and Biological Engineering

The egg production industry is an integral part of the US economy and has substantial economic impacts on various states and regions throughout the United States. In recent decades, there has been increased recognition of critical challenges facing the egg production industry, namely air emissions and environmental quality, bird health and biosecurity, worker health and safety, and public health and welfare, particularly for residents of communities near these large-scale commercial egg production facilities. Emissions of particulate matter (PM), a major air pollutant, from the egg production facilities strongly contributes to the aforementioned challenges. PM emissions from egg production facilities have been shown to impact local vegetation, spread odors, and potentially contribute to the formation of haze. High PM concentrations and emission rates at poultry facilities are also known to potentially decrease bird performance, increase bird mortality, spread potential pathogens, and lead to increased rates of respiratory illnesses among workers at these facilities and residents of nearby communities. Unfortunately, the PM mitigation methods currently utilized at poultry facilities, most notably filtration, have many limitations that prevent them from being economically viable while achieving highly efficient removal of airborne PM, especially the more dangerous fine particles (PM2.5). There is a critical need for PM mitigation technologies at commercial egg production facilities that can achieve high PM removal efficiencies while remaining feasible in terms of practical application and economic viability. This dissertation addresses this critical need through development, optimization, testing, and economic analysis of electrostatic precipitators (ESPs) and an electrostatic spray scrubber (ESS). The seasonal, spatial, and diurnal variations of PM concentrations and emission rates at commercial poultry facilities were measured to determine the conditions under which (open full item for complete abstract)

Master of Science in Engineering, University of Akron, 2020, Civil Engineering

Lake Erie is a drinking water source for millions of people and therefore requires protection from anthropogenic impacts. Nine percent of Lake Erie's freshwater comes from its tributaries. These sources should deliver clean water to the lake and thus warrant stewardship. Today, nonpoint sources emanating from agricultural and urbanized tributary watersheds are responsible for nutrient pollution loads to the lake and its tributaries. This thesis focused on the existing water quality parameters (nutrients and water chemistry) throughout the Euclid Creek watershed, an urbanized Lake Erie headwater tributary east of the Cuyahoga River. Field sampling was conducted from March 2019 to March 2020 at 14 sites with 23 dry weather collections and 11 wet weather collections. Results suggest that the 2019 annual phosphorus load entering Lake Erie was 22,600 pounds, over four times the target of 5000 pounds. Multiple upstream sites were the major nonpoint sources of nutrient pollution. Four locations averaged phosphorus levels 12 to 15 times the target of 0.05 mg/L, with two in the East Branch and two in the Main Branch. The main cause of the pollution pointed to leaky sanitary sewers. Like many urbanized areas throughout the United States, the original headwaters have been replaced by underground stormwater infrastructure. Due to the high level of connectivity between the creek and the storm sewer network, Euclid Creek responds rapidly to rainfall. There was evidence of Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) and Sanitary Sewer Overflow (SSO) activations during storm events downstream of the confluence of the two branches and in the East Branch. Seasonally, spring storms contributed the most pollution during the monitoring period. The presence of the Cleveland Metroparks significantly reduced [p<0.05] nutrients during dry weather. Residential areas contributed more pollution than the three golf courses and the regional airport located within the watershed. The East Bran (open full item for complete abstract)

MS, Kent State University, 2019, College of Architecture and Environmental Design

An unplanned demolition of a building is either natural such as an earthquake or human-caused disasters like terrorist attack and wars. Unplanned building demolition generates a considerable amount of dust cloud and demolition waste comprising Particulate Matter (PM) of various sizes. A significant body of evidence relates chronic and acute adverse health effects to increased exposure of PM to the public. However, the literature review reveals a limited number of studies addressing the impact of unplanned demolition on local air quality. This is primarily due to the post-disaster situation is chaotic. The study focuses on investigating neighborhood environmental morphologies that reduce pollution dispersion at pedestrian levels. The primary objective of this research is to investigate the pattern and characteristics of pollution dispersion due to unplanned building demolition in a neighborhood. CFD-based air quality model ENVI-met was used to simulate the pollution dispersion in selected ten types of neighborhood morphologies. The research compares simulated pollution blooms resulting from a building collapse amid of ten different neighborhood morphologies. For each neighborhood configuration, the simulation produced thirty-six horizontal and forty-eight vertical dispersion measurements. The analysis confirmed that the dust plume generated during unplanned building demolition dispersed 200m beyond the source at almost of the neighborhoods. However, the concentration levels were different depending upon the type of neighborhood morphologies. The research identifies the sensitivity of an area to human health in the neighborhood facing unplanned demolition. The thesis concludes with proposing few design recommendations for the street canyon, wind flow, building design, vegetation placement, and overall safety to help urban designers minimize the impact of unplanned building demolition and air pollution dispersion. The findings of this research are significant to urba (open full item for complete abstract)

Master of Science, University of Akron, 2015, Geology

The sediment in Rex Lake, a kettle lake in Northeast Ohio, preserves a record of modern sedimentation processes and past anthropogenic impacts to the lake and its watershed. Rex Lake is connected to a series of kettle lakes and human-made reservoirs that forms the Portage Lakes System, a popular recreational area. Rex Lake is affected by sediment focusing processes and has a wave base of 2 m. Sands and gravels having high dry bulk density and low organic content are present in water less than 2 m deep. Organic mud and calcareous mud are present in water depths greater than 2 m. The acoustic properties of the lakefloor were used to remotely determine differences between sands/gravels and muds. Because of differences in matrix lithology and pore geometry of the organic muds and calcareous muds, this study shows that caution must be exercised when using acoustics to remotely sense lakefloor sediment grain size. The upper 4 m of mud, from the middle of the lake, was cored and measured for physical properties, sedimentology and trace metal content. Four time periods having distinct sediment characteristics were identified and related to changing anthropogenic activities. The Pre-settlement Period characterizes organic mud below 135 cm core depth, having low sediment density, magnetic, and trace metal content. This sediment is inferred to have accumulated while the watershed was forested prior to Euro-American settlement of the area in 1805. In the Settlement Period, between 135 and 70 cm core depth, organic content decreases, magnetic content and sediment density increase slightly, and trace metal content remains low. These sediment changes are inferred to reflect increased erosion as the watershed was deforested for agricultural activities. In the Recreation Period, between 70 and 20 cm core depth, organic content decreases to its minimum value whereas the trace metal, magnetic content, and sediment density increase greatly. During this period increa (open full item for complete abstract)

Master of Science (MS), Ohio University, 2014, Environmental Studies (Voinovich)

Great Lakes beaches have a high number of beach action days (advisory or closure of beach) each swimming season, many of which are inaccurate. Sampling design and data analysis methods therefore need to be optimized to improve pollutant source identification and accelerate remediation efforts. The effect of sampling frequency (once-weekly versus four times-weekly), sampling duration (one to three years), and spatial representation (individual transects versus an average of all transects) of routine beach sanitary survey data was investigated at three beaches in Racine, Wisconsin to determine differences in microbial pollutant source identification. Virtual Beach 3.0, primarily utilized for predictive modeling, was found to have limitations for routine beach sanitary survey data analysis, but is the best current option. This study determined that more frequent data collection, for longer duration, at the maximal spatial representation provided more consistent and increased microbial pollutant source identification.

Master of Science in Civil Engineering, University of Toledo, 2011, Civil Engineering

This study presents a comprehensive three year trend analysis of the indoor gaseous pollutants in public transit buses running on bio-diesel (B20) and ultra low sulfur diesel (ULSD) in the city of Toledo. Additionally, mass balance modeling of carbon dioxide pollutant inside the public transport buses has been conducted. The pollutants monitored in this study are carbon dioxide (CO2), carbon monoxide (CO), sulfur dioxide (SO2), nitrogen oxide (NO), and nitrogen dioxide (NO2). Two comfort level parameters of the passengers: temperature and relative humidity are also measured inside the buses. Yearly variations of the five gaseous pollutants are studied and the accumulation of pollutant concentrations inside the bus was observed to be a result of variation in different parameters and not due to variation of a single parameter. The in-vehicle pollutant concentration trends are observed to be highly influenced by heavy traffic on the road. Over the three study period, relatively higher pollutant levels are observed for all the pollutants during winter season. Regression analysis has been used to identify the various factors that influence pollutant concentrations inside the bus. It was found that the pollutant levels are affected mainly by ventilation conditions of the bus, passenger activity inside the bus, vehicular traffic around the bus, and ambient meteorological conditions. The study identifies the important variables that affect in-vehicle pollutants in each season across different years. For example, ambient temperature, wind speed, passengers, trucks, and run/close are identified as influential factors affecting the in-vehicle CO2 concentrations in winter 2009. A mass balance approach was used in modeling the levels of carbon dioxide (CO2) inside buses running on B20 and ULSD fuels. The model was tested over different seasons for one year period. The mixing factors for the model were calculated for both B20 and ULSD buses using a reverse approach on a seasonal (open full item for complete abstract)

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2011, Agricultural, Environmental and Developmental Economics

This dissertation consists of three applied econometrics essays. These essays focus on Environmentally Friendly Organic Food and Voluntary Environmental Programs. In Essay 1, the Almost Ideal Demand System (AIDS) is used to investigate empirically the purchasing patterns of suburban and inner-city residents for conventional and organic milk. Conventional milk products are disaggregated into four classes based on fat content: whole, 2%, 1%, and skim; organic milk is disaggregated into these same classes, but missing observations for some classes required the aggregation of classes for empirical estimation. Descriptive statistics show that suburban consumers, relative to inner-city consumers, purchase more organic and lower-fat conventional milk. These same consumers pay higher prices for conventional and organic milk, save for conventional 1% and skim. Econometric results indicate that suburban consumers are price insensitive toward the purchase of all conventional and organic classes of milk; inner-city consumers are price sensitive toward conventional whole and 2% milk –products that constitute 89% of their milk expenditure; these same consumers are price insensitive toward all other classes of conventional and organic milk. Essays 2 and 3 explore empirically the nature of the relationship, if any, between voluntary pollution reduction programs (VPR) and environmental innovation. Several papers, both theoretical and empirical, have explored the causal effect of mandatory pollution reductions on environmental innovation. While mandatory regulations remain the central tenet of US environmental policy, the regulatory landscape has changed in recent years with federal and state agencies seeking to employ VPR programs. Two of the most popular VPR programs are 33/50 and Energy Star. Consequently, Essay 2 seeks to test the independent effects of both voluntary and mandatory pollution reductions on environmental research and development using an unbalanced panel of 105 US (open full item for complete abstract)

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2011, History

California took the lead on environmental protection and regulation during Ronald Reagan's years as governor (1967-1974). Drawing on over a century of experience with conserving natural resources, environmentally friendly legislators and Governor Reagan enacted the strongest air and water pollution control programs in the nation, imposed stringent regulations on land use around threatened areas like Lake Tahoe and the San Francisco Bay, expanded the size and number of state parks, and required developers to take environmental considerations into account when planning new projects. This project explains why and how California became the national leader on environmental issues. It did so because of popular anger toward the environmental degradation that accompanied the state's rapid and uncontrolled expansion after World War II, the election of a governor and legislators who were willing to set environmental standards that went beyond what industry and business believed was technically feasible, and an activist citizenry that pursued new regulations through lawsuits and ballot measures when they believed the state government failed. The environment had a broad constituency in California during the Reagan years. Republicans, Democrats, students, bureaucrats, scientists, and many businessmen tackled the environmental problems that threatened the California way of life. Their solutions inspired other states and the federal government to follow California's lead.

Master of Environmental Science, Miami University, 2007, Environmental Sciences

The purpose of this report is to describe the activities and accomplishments of my internship with the Butler Soil and Water Conservation District (Butler SWCD) from February to August 2006. This internship focused on natural resource conservation, primarily through erosion and sediment control, stormwater management, and water quality protection in urban and urbanizing areas of Butler County, Ohio. Applications of natural resource management in an urban setting are fully discussed as well as primary position responsibilities such as stormwater pollution prevention plan reviews and development site inspections to ensure compliance with local and state regulations. Strategies to enhance existing natural resource management, such as the revision of County erosion and sediment control regulations and the creation of a riparian setback ordinance, in addition to the implementation of best management practices (BMPs) of the Butler County Phase II Stormwater Management Plan are explained.

Ph.D., Antioch University, 2024, Antioch New England: Environmental Studies

There is no quiet way to churn water. Noise pollution caused by ships is increasing in the Arctic Ocean as sea ice melts, creating more open channels for vessels. This study provides a glimpse into the sources and balance of sounds in a portion of the Arctic Ocean soundscape surrounding the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard. Characterization of the soundscape provides essential data as the region quickly transforms. This study also considers human perceptions of underwater ocean noise and its impacts in the region, and it reviews current ocean policy, suggesting mitigation strategies and ways forward. Before the rapid development of industry, prominent sounds in this underwater soundscape came from geological and biological sources. As vessel traffic increases, primary sound sources may be shifting from wind to ship noise. Sea ice extent has decreased in all months and in almost all regions of the Arctic, impacting Arctic marine mammals (AMMs) as their rapidly contracting habitat fills with unfamiliar anthropogenic noise. Noise in the ocean's underwater soundscape degrades acoustic habitat. This study helps fill a gap in knowledge that has limited our understanding of how much underwater noise the eleven AMMs are exposed to and its effects, especially in consideration of the unique hearing and communication capabilities of each species. AMMs spend much of their lives in deep darkness and have evolved to depend on sound as their principal sense. They rely on sensory cues to learn and thrive in their environments. Hydrophones were deployed at 44 locations between 13 °E and 19 °E and 69 °N and 79 °N in April 2023. Wind, waves, and ice (geophony) dominated the soundscape's acoustic signature in remote locations, while human-caused sounds (anthrophony) were significant near Arctic shipping routes, fishing areas, and in fjords. Marine mammal vocalizations were detected near the ice edge, at fjord mouths, and in fjords. Collecting and interpreting data that help explain th (open full item for complete abstract)

Master of Science (MS), Ohio University, 2024, Environmental Studies (Voinovich)

Growing human population has led to an accelerated rate of degradation of natural resources. One of the most alarming impacts is water quality impairment globally as a result of nutrient pollution from agricultural and other non-point sources. This study assesses the efficiency of wetland restoration project in mitigating nutrient pollution in the Bell Run-South Fork Licking watershed in Ohio. Nutrient pollution, primarily stemming from nitrogen and phosphorus runoff from agricultural activities poses water quality challenges to the region. The restoration of an 80-acre portion wetland aims to ultimately improve the water quality of the Soth Fork Licking River by reducing nutrient loading into Bloody Run and its tributaries. Through pre- and post-construction assessments, the study evaluated changes in nutrient concentrations and hydrological inputs. Results indicate significant reductions in nitrogen species loading postconstruction. However, there was an increase in phosphorus loading following the construction period. Hydrological inputs' to the site influences on nutrient dynamics were evident, with storm events leading to higher nutrient discharge. Continued monitoring during high-flow periods is recommended to improve understanding of nutrient dynamics within the restored site and inform management strategies for optimizing the wetland's nutrient retention capacity over time.

BS, Kent State University, 2024, College of Public Health

Air pollution disproportionately affects minoritized populations, which has been studied extensively in environmental justice, public health, and environmental policy research. However, due to the complex nature of air pollution management, it is especially difficult to keep under control. While strides have been made since the environmental protection agency (EPA) was formed in 1970, current air pollution levels are still accelerating climate change and those who are producing the most emissions are experiencing the least of their effects. For this research, I examined what is currently hindering progress in air pollution management. I looked at where siloing, or the separation between fields, exists in current air pollution management, and how communication between air pollution experts, community members, and industries can be improved to reduce emissions. After analyzing historical newspaper articles from Northeast Ohio between the years 1870-2020 and conducting interviews with air pollution experts in the fields of environmental justice, environmental policy, and public health, I examined how siloing has evolved over time, and how it shaped the siloing that exists today. I found that siloing is a complex issue with extensive historical context, and that it is faced in nearly every aspect of air pollution regulation. With these findings, I propose strategies to more effectively manage air pollution.

Master of Science, The Ohio State University, 2024, Environment and Natural Resources

Nearly 30 years have passed since Executive Order 12898 put environmental justice (EJ) issues on the policy agenda. Since this time environmental justice has technically remained a policy priority at all levels of government. However despite this apparent commitment to EJ, research has shown over the decades after the passage of the Executive Order, we still see persistent trends in inequality of air pollution exposure by race (Ard, 2015). This begs the question: are environmental justice policies actually working to create environmentally just outcomes? This research seeks to evaluate this question by examining the impact of state environmental justice policies on disproportionate exposure to air pollution, with the goal of understanding what types of state actions, if any, are associated with decreases in pollution inequality.

Master of Science in Engineering, Youngstown State University, 2023, Department of Civil/Environmental and Chemical Engineering

This study spatio-temporally evaluates the water quality parameters of the lower Mahoning River for the years 2012-2015. Furthermore, the effects of precipitation and land use on the river water quality were studied. Principal component was performed on the water quality parameters (DO, pH, TDS, TSS, Cl-, SO42-) and heavy metals (As, Ba, Cd, Cu, Fe, Pb, Mn, Ni, Se, Zn) of the lower Mahoning River. The first three components explained 83.7% of the variance in the dataset. PC1 (46.2%) indicated that TDS, Cl-, SO42-, Ni, Mn, Cu, and Zn influenced the river's water quality possibly suggesting a mixed source genesis including lithological, and land use pattern. PC2 (26.0%) is marked by high loadings for TSS and Fe which could indicate that the genesis of Fe is through surface runoffs as confirmed by high TSS. The first 3 principal components were then transformed into composite scores and extrapolated using the inverse distance weighted technique to analyze the relative water quality in spatial domain. The inverse distance weighted maps of the composite scores show that in 2012 to 2015, the water quality degrades as it flows downstream. However, the water quality improved downstream of the last stretch of the river. The patterns in water quality could be connected to the land use patterns. The lower Mahoning River is more urbanized in the downstream than the upstream, except for the last stretch of the downstream of the river where the area is more forested and comparatively less urbanized. A group wise comparison was made to understand the association between heavy metal concentrations and precipitation levels. In the upstream region, TSS (0.64) and Cu (0.64) were highly correlated with rainfall. TDS (- 0.57) showed a highly negative correlation with rainfall events which is indicative of the fact that rainfall could act as dual characteristics i.e., contributing in TSS and Cu concentration and decrease TDS through dilution. In downstream region, a strong correlation ex (open full item for complete abstract)

MS, Kent State University, 2023, College of Arts and Sciences / Department of Biological Sciences

Cyanobacterial Harmful Algal Blooms (CyanoHABs) are prevalent in both freshwater and marine environments and are notorious for producing cyanotoxins and forming dense, visible blooms. Specifically, MCs, which are primarily synthesized by Microcystis, Anabaena, and Planktothrix, stand out as cyclic peptides characterized by a unique amino acid, ADDA, that is pivotal for their toxic effects. Despite robust monitoring and mitigation strategies, incidents related to surging MC concentrations occur frequently. Moreover, conventional water treatment facilities might fall short of completely eliminating MCs, potentially leaving traces in drinking water distributed globally. This poses specific public health risks, making the ramifications of cyanotoxin exposure a subject of ongoing research and heightened public health alertness. Gut microbiome, a diverse community of microorganisms inhabiting the gastrointestinal tract, is a crucial component of human health. With trillions of bacteria contributing to these processes, it is involved in vital processes like digestion, immunological control, and nutrition synthesis. However, this intricate system could be disturbed, leading to several health issues, especially if disturbed by the exposure to MC-LR exposure. Guided by this idea, the primary aim of this thesis was to dissect the potential dynamics of gut microbiome alterations in mice during MC-LR exposure through drinking water. This thesis aimed to understand the relationship between consumption or exposure to MC-contaminated water and changes in the gut microbiome. The first part of this study focused on short-term (weeks) exposure to low MC concentrations. Here, we hypothesized that even brief MC exposure would cause significant alterations in the gut microbiome community and its structure. However, our short-term study found no significant changes in gut microbiome diversity or community structure after MC-LR exposure. There were changes in the microbial taxa but (open full item for complete abstract)

Master of Science (MS), Ohio University, 2023, Environmental Studies (Voinovich)

Intensive farming practices have led to the release of sediments and nutrients, primarily nitrogen and phosphorus, into the environment, which account for nearly half of all water pollution issues in the United States. Among the affected areas is the Bloody Run Swamp in Ohio, an historical swamp drained for agricultural purposes. A restoration project being undertaken by the Stream and Wetlands Foundation aims to retain water, sediments and nutrient on the 80-acre site by restoring the former wetland and constructing a natural channel design channel to replace the ditch to the north of the site. In this study, the pre-construction and during-construction hydrology and sediment concentration at seven sites were assessed to see the impact of the stream restoration and wetland construction aimed at reducing nutrient and sediment pollution. Water samples were gathered and assessed for total dissolved solids (TDS), total solids (TS), and total suspended solids (TSS). While the construction period was wetter than the pre-construction period, there were periods of sediment transport. Most sediments were transported at TDS rather than TSS, with TSS concentrations increasing with large runoff events. The results suggest that the restoration project aimed at reducing nutrient and sediment pollution in the Bloody Run Swamp has the potential to be effective.

Master of Environmental Science, Miami University, 2023, Environmental Sciences

Northwest Indiana has a long history of industrialization, especially within the automobile and steel sectors. Due to its geolocation, the Indiana Dunes National Park is at the receiving end of these industries' emissions, particularly from Technogenic Magnetic Particles (TMPs). This study investigated sand from Mount Baldy as a potential collector of TMPs emitted from steel facilities within and near Indiana Dunes National Park. Representative samples of sand were collected on Mount Baldy and the Lakeshore, while street sediments were collected in Michigan City and Gary, Indiana, for comparison. Sample analysis was done using Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) and Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) techniques, both equipped with Energy-Dispersive X-ray Spectroscopy (EDS). Results revealed the presence of Fe, Ti, Va, Zn, Cr, and Mn among heavy metals, rare earth elements (REE), and Mn-rich Spherules. The results mainly showed the presence of Fe-oxides particles in the sand, which may be attributed to industrial activities in the surrounding area. These findings provide relevant information on the capacity of sand to capture pollutants and suggest further studies to quantify TMPs, mitigate the potential impact of industrialization, and raise awareness of the need to strengthen pollution standards to protect the environment, visitors, and residents.