<< Back 10/23/02 Canary Coalition gains clout SMN Three more prominent members of the community have joined the advisory board of the Canary Coalition, an organization working to build a broad-based clean air movement in the Appalachian region. Ted Prosser, of Landmark Realty, who owns many of the downtown Asheville buildings surrounding Pack Square; Mark Leonard, the chief executive officer of WestCare, the largest healthcare provider west of Asheville; and Arthur Dougherty, owner of Solar Guys, a company that designs and installs custom solar, wind and micro-hydro energy systems based in Horseshoe, have joined the board. “I have chosen to join the Canary Coalition because I believe that this organization is doing an effective job in alerting our community to the health hazard that is posed by air pollution in our region,” said Leonard. “In recent years there has been a dramatic rise in the incidence of asthma, emphysema and other respiratory diseases in Western North Carolina. There is every reason to believe that poor air quality is a major contributing factor to this trend. By joining the Canary Coalition, I hope to help in the effort to reverse the air quality crisis and bring clean air back to the mountains.” “We are continuing to grow and get stronger,” says Canary Coalition Executive Director Avram Friedman. “Prosser, Leonard and Dougherty are valuable additions to our organization. We welcome their input and the resources they bring with them.” Since Gov. Easley signed the Clean Smokestacks Act into law last June, the Canary Coalition has been involved in several other activities related to addressing the air pollution crisis in the region. The group has participated in negotiations with utility companies, the state, environmental organizations and other stakeholders in developing a “green energy” pricing program that would provide the option for North Carolinians to purchase electricity generated by renewable energy sources when they pay their power bills every month. The organization has had input into the state’s Energy Policy being developed by the North Carolina Energy Office. The Canary Coalition has been networking with statewide and nationwide environmental and health organizations to develop a unified strategy for passing clean smokestacks legislation in other states and on the federal level. The group provides speakers and a PowerPoint slideshow presentation on air quality issues for presentations to classrooms, civic organizations, churches, business associations and local government officials. For more information about the Canary Coalition and its activities visit the website at www.canarycoalition.org or call toll free at 1.866.4CANARY or 828.586.4620.