Congrats to CoPIRG’s Kirsten Schatz for her Clean Air Champion recognition

Congrats to our Clean Air Advocate Kirsten Schatz for receiving a 2025 “Clean Air Champion” award from the Regional Air Quality Council (RAQC). The RAQC is the lead air quality planning agency for the Denver metropolitan area and North Front Range region. 

The award acknowledges Kirsten’s work to raise awareness about the ozone pollution problem that is harming Coloradans’ health and quality of life, and to pass policies to address the problem.

Because there are so many sources of ozone-forming pollution in our state, it is important to continue to cut emissions from as many of those sources as possible, as quickly as possible. 

One unnecessary source of pollution is gas-powered lawn and garden equipment. Kirsten has co-authored a ground-breaking report, guides and other resources about the absurd amount of harmful pollution and noise produced by gas-powered lawn mowers and leaf blowers.

Her research not only sounded the alarm but also identified the advancements in cleaner, quieter electric lawn equipment so we no longer have to accept polluting our air when we mow our lawns. 

Our research and Kirsten’s advocacy helped pass a law that established a statewide 30% discount on cleaner, quieter electric lawn equipment and a state rule that restricts the summertime use of the dirtiest gas-powered lawn equipment on public property. 

Kirsten also helped pass a policy to cut emissions from pneumatic controllers and pumps at oil and gas facilities across the state. Her testimony and written comment as well as over 1200 petition signatures CoPIRG gathered helped make the case for this decision.

Everybody wants clean air to breathe. 

As Kirsten said, “Nobody wants to wonder whether letting their kids go out to play will do more harm than good on a poor air quality day. Coloradans just want to live lives free of the harmful impact of air pollution on their health and quality of life, so it’s important to keep finding ways to bring together people from across our state, from across the political spectrum and the political divide, to solve this problem and clean up our air for good.”

Congrats to Kirsten for her tireless work to clean up our air!