Kids Clean Air Zones

Did You Know?

• More than 167,000 children in New Jersey have asthma.
• Roughly 1 in 3 New Jersey residents lives near a mega-warehouse, where diesel truck traffic can increase exposure to harmful air pollution.
• In 2023 alone, pollution from freight trucks was linked to nearly 4,000 asthma flare-ups in New Jersey, along with other serious health impacts.

That's why we're working to create Kids Clean Air Zones—so children can learn, play, and grow up breathing cleaner air.

Why Clean Air Matters: 

Children are paying the price. Many port-adjacent and warehouse communities face:

• Higher rates of asthma and respiratory illness
• Increased exposure to diesel exhaust and truck traffic
• Environmental burdens that disproportionately impact low-income communities and communities of color
• Limited opportunities to influence transportation and development decisions

Children are especially vulnerable because their lungs are still developing and they breathe more air relative to their body size than adults. When diesel trucks pass schools, playgrounds, and homes every day, families are forced to live with pollution they did not choose.

Our Goals

Educate

Provide youth and families with information about diesel pollution, cumulative health impacts, and clean air solutions.

Engage

Bring together residents, schools, youth leaders, faith groups, and community organizations to identify local priorities.

Advocate

Advance local ordinances and policies that reduce pollution and protect public health.

Empower Youth

Center young people as leaders, storytellers, and advocates for change.

Youth Voices Can Drive Change

Young people are often the most impacted by air pollution, and they can be some of the most powerful voices for change.

Kids Clean Air Zones helps youth and families turn lived experience into action, building the public support and political will needed to create lasting protections for future generations.