A3.02 - Oral Session: Reducing Emissions, Raising Awareness: Shelby County’s Rideshare and Air Quality Approach

Brief Abstract Summary: Learn how the Shelby County Health Department’s Air Quality Improvement Branch is reducing air pollution and promoting cleaner commuting through innovative, community-based strategies. This session highlights how transportation demand management and public education can work together to address ozone formation and health disparities.

Explore initiatives such as the Memphis Area Rideshare Program (MARS), Air Quality Flag Program, Stop at the Click campaign, and the Employer Rideshare Toolkit, which empower residents, schools, and employers to take action on high-pollution days.

Participants will engage in a hands-on activity, analyze real-world outreach scenarios, and gain practical tools to connect transportation, air quality, and behavior change within their own communities. Walk away ready to replicate proven strategies that embed sustainability, health equity, and measurable impact into local public health practice.

Detailed abstract description: Gain firsthand insight into how a local health department is transforming air quality education and transportation behavior change into measurable, community-driven results. This session is designed for professionals seeking real-world strategies that combine sustainability, public health, and equity in action.

Attendees will learn how to connect transportation demand management with air quality education, using simple, replicable tools that inspire participation and accountability across sectors. Through the lens of Shelby County’s Air Quality Improvement Branch, participants will see how cross-collaboration—between government, employers, schools, and residents—can drive measurable environmental and health outcomes.

You’ll discover proven programs such as the Memphis Area Rideshare Program (MARS), Emergency Ride Home (ERH), and the Employer Rideshare Toolkit, developed to help organizations reduce single-occupancy vehicle use and create cleaner commuting options for their employees. You’ll also explore the Air Quality Flag Program and Stop at the Click campaign—two accessible community education efforts that make air quality literacy actionable and relevant. These initiatives show how small, informed choices—whether it’s carpooling, riding in a vanpool, or stopping fueling at the automatic click—can significantly reduce emissions and ozone formation.

This session goes beyond theory. Attendees will engage in an interactive exercise using real Shelby County data and outreach scenarios. Working in small groups, you’ll assess neighborhood conditions, identify key air quality and transportation needs, and develop short action plans that can be adapted to your own community. You’ll leave with a clearer understanding of how to turn education and awareness into measurable outcomes.

By participating, you will:

Learn how to design rideshare and outreach programs that are data-informed, equity-centered, and community-focused.
Gain practical examples of partnership-building between public agencies, employers, and schools to advance sustainability goals.
Recognize new approaches to engaging residents on ozone awareness and air quality behavior change.
Walk away with ready-to-use resources, including strategies from the Employer Rideshare Toolkit and outreach templates that can be adapted locally.

Most importantly, you’ll see what success looks like when a health department goes beyond messaging to implement programs that reduce vehicle emissions, improve air quality, and promote environmental justice. This session will leave you inspired and equipped to replicate similar strategies—helping your community breathe easier and move toward a cleaner, more sustainable future.