Clean Air Ambassador Spotlight: The Goodwins
Eric, Cara, and Colm Goodwin – MV Clean Air Ambassador @ Lower Studhorse, Winthrop
Cara and Eric live with their six-year-old son Colm approximately 300 feet above the Methow River Valley on Lower Studhorse Mountain.
What motivated you to become a Clean Air Ambassador? Well, because of our son Colm’s asthma, we track air quality closely. We previously tried to use our own sensor and relate it to the WA Department of Ecology’s sensor in Winthrop at the library, but it was difficult to compare because Ecology’s didn’t report real-time data.
Is air quality something that impacts your life on a daily basis? Yes, we were already somewhat conscientious but then Colm had breathing problems as a baby which later we learned was asthma, and it just heightened everything. So, we're very aware of dust and fire and smoke. We have indoor air quality sensors too and watch how things like cooking affects the air quality inside. We probably track it more than your average person. Having real-time data from a sensor placed right outside our house helps a lot in knowing what might be safe for Colm to do on a given day. Plus, since there are so many sensors to look at both in the ambassador network in the valley or across the whole state it informs whether we can we go somewhere else, or can you go away for the day. For example, this morning we went for a bike ride in Mazama because the air wasn’t very good here. During wildfire season when sometimes the air quality is bad everywhere, it just helps us understand that OK, it’s time to stay indoors. The feature I like the most on the purple air displays is how it will show in colored rings around the air quality number what the quality has been in the last 24, 12, and 6 hours.
You mentioned Colm has asthma, putting him in the “sensitive” to poor air quality group. Yes, Colm has asthma, and I feel like Eric and I don't technically fall into that category but, we notice it, like I get headaches when it starts to get into the orange color. Some days my eyes will burn a little bit, or I'll feel it in the back of my throat. But Colm thinks he's going to be a fire fighter when he grows up and I'm like, not with your asthma! I mean obviously some people can handle smoke more because I can’t even imagine how the fire fighters do it.
What do you plan on doing with information from the sensor in the future? It’ll be interesting through the winter to watch the numbers because we are typically above the inversions, but I wonder if our air quality is a lot better or just somewhat. Having the sensor just helps to know because it seems like before we were guessing and I feel like sometimes your nose doesn't always match up - sometimes you just get used to the smoke smell, sometimes it's super sensitive. I like having the sensor here to match a reading and number to what I’m experiencing.
We’re so glad to have you as part of this citizen science project and network of ambassadors! Any visions for the future of the ambassador program? I think it's fantastic. It would be helpful to incorporate elevations of each of the sensors on the purple air map. Getting the word out so people can begin to pay attention to the sensors close to where they live, and work is great. It would also be nice to get more up the Chewuch, maybe like Cub Creek. On Studhorse, we get everything coming down both valleys and I think yesterday if there had been one up somewhere up the Chewuch we would have seen that the smoke was coming down the Chewuch valley because Mazama was so clear and we were so red (i.e. unhealthy air quality). and then I hope we could just get more. I hope the word spreads so that people support this project.