Clean Air Community Applications

The Clean Air Communities designation is intended to reward communities that have demonstrated a commitment to improving air quality in the Chicago metropolitan region.

It was developed and is overseen by the municipal members of the Clean Air Communities Campaign in cooperation with the Metropolitan Mayors Caucus, the City of Chicago Department of Environment, and Councils of Government representatives. There are four (4) levels of participation.

4 Participation Levels

Choose PLATINUM and make the highest commitment. Apply   Choose GOLD and demonstrate your leadership by implementing a comprehensive policy to reduce emissions. Apply   Choose SILVER and commit to reduce emissions through simple measures to improve air quality. Apply   Choose BRONZE and raise community awareness of air quality problems and how to combat them. Apply

Interested in becoming a Clean Air Community?
Read what strategies other area municipalities have implemented to join the Campaign.

Current Clean Air Communities:
Please feel free to view the list of current Clean Air Communities participants.

General Criteria
This spells out the requirements relating to the applicability and relevance of various clean air projects. Read this section carefully to ensure that the projects you have chosen meet the criteria for designation.

• All activities must be performed by or within the control of the local government unit applying for the designation.
  
• For designation at the Commitment and Leadership levels (silver and gold), all activities must be completed or substantially complete by the time of application.
  
• Only projects implemented after 2003, or those that produce new emission reductions after 2003, will be counted toward designation. Existing projects expanded after 2003 may be eligible.
  
• The project/activity scope must be appropriate to the size of the community applying for the designation. For example, an energy retrofit of 2 to 3 municipally owned buildings in a community in which the municipality owns 20 buildings will not be considered appropriate to the size of the community.
  
• Communities applying for the Commitment and Leadership designations must show that they have a demonstrated impact on ozone precursors and specifically volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Additional emissions impacts such as greenhouse gas reductions will be considered as additional benefit but can not be the sole emission reduction benefit
  
• Where specified in the application, communities must include reporting forms or quantification forms to aid in quantifying emissions reductions.
  
• Reductions achieved as a part of a state or federal mandate are not eligible nor are reductions resulting from a state or federal enforcement program even if the municipality carries out the activity.