Of the more than 3.8 million people who commute to work each day in the Baltimore and the Washington metropolitan region, more than 71 percent drive alone. With vehicles accounting for 30-40 percent of air pollution, summer can be a dangerous time to breathe, especially in hot, humid areas where pollutants cook in the sun and create harmful levels of ground-level ozone. Clean Air Partners, a public-private partnership chartered by the metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (MWCOG), designed Air Quality Action Days (AQAD) to educate the public on how to take action to reduce air pollution. MWCOG contracted PRR to orchestrate a marketing and media outreach campaign to raise awareness about air quality in the region, and educate the public about easy and effective actions to reduce air pollution year-round.

PRR created a comprehensive, targeted radio campaign during AQAD, May 1-September 30. The campaign carried the message of awareness regarding air quality Code Red Days, and featured creative prizes, mentions of Top Ten air quality action steps, and contests such as Funniest Carpooling Story, to encourage alternative commuting. PRR also developed a media outreach plan to educate residents about the link between air quality and health. PRR pitched stories to print and broadcast media outlets offering air quality facts, interviews with air quality officials, employers and commuters; and provided visuals including hundreds of individuals biking to work on May 6, 2005. Additionally, PRR arranged meetings with MWCOG representatives and TV meteorologists and encouraged them to report air quality and provide Air Quality Action Steps, especially on high-risk days. PRR played an instrumental role in MWCOGs efforts to educate the public about air quality issues and alternative commuting. The radio campaign leveraged the initial budget by 289 percent, with a buy valued at over $330,000. PRR secured Bike to Work Day event coverage in the Baltimore Sun, SpinSheet, The Capital, City Paper, APG News, Towson Times and others, and secured coverage on stations such as WBFF-TV, WMAL-TV, WEAA-TV, and WEAA-FM that illustrated how simple actions like biking to work can dramatically improve air quality. As a result of PRRs efforts, MWCOG accomplished its goals of raising awareness about air quality and AQAD and educating the public on the benefits of alternative commuting, helping make the region a place where people can breathe a little easier.