Air Quality Monitoring for Communities & Environmental Justice Groups
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Exposure to polluted air can lead to short-term and long-term health issues — particularly for those living in low-income and communities of color that are disproportionately impacted by air pollution from sources such as major highways, industrial operations, and ports with diesel truck operations.
These zones — sometimes referred to as air pollution hotspots — can benefit from implementing low-cost, high-resolution air quality monitoring networks.
Proven success with community air monitoring
Why Sensing-as-a-Service℠ for air pollution monitoring?
No separate software purchase. No add-on warranties. No unexpected expenses.
With one upfront service, we’re giving you the affordability, flexibility, and autonomy to eliminate all of your air quality blind spots.
Easily deployed air monitoring devices
Self-powered Clarity Node-S air quality monitoring hardware measures PM2.5 and NO2 and serves as a platform for additional modules that measure Wind, Black Carbon, and Ozone.
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Cloud data management & visualization
Air quality measurements and air sensor network status are easily accessible in real-time via Clarity’s user-friendly Dashboard, REST API, and OpenMap.
Learn more about Clarity Cloud
Expert air quality project support
An experienced Environmental Project Manager to help you define a project plan and guide you through Collocation and Calibration of your devices.
Community air quality monitoring success stories
“Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC) has achieved a historic milestone by launching a real-time air quality monitoring dashboard. City residents can access live air quality updates, location-specific AQI, and an interactive map with a color-coded system ranging from good (green) to hazardous (red). With 18 Clarity air quality sensors installed across the city, the system supports evidence-based policymaking and promotes public awareness to safeguard the health of all—especially youth and vulnerable groups.”
"The devices worked and the data was much better than other low-cost sensor data — Clarity pays attention to and cares about trying to get as accurate data as possible.”
"Success doesn’t stop at measurement. We engaged in community-based planning with our community partners. We worked with neighbors to have intimate environmental justice listening sessions. We also had a self-guided EJ Tour where folks could walk around their neighborhood, looking at our data map, and then mark down things that they saw in the neighborhood that might be concerning. And we had a couple of fun virtual block parties, too!"
"Clarity’s team helped facilitate our understanding of the air quality space as a whole. We are now checking in with the Clarity team about once a month to touch base about the network and learn how to use the Clarity Dashboard. Having all of our data available in a secure web portal is very useful, especially as we prepare data reports. Brightline wants to make sure we can take all these data streams and analyze them to highlight important air quality issues that the community should know about."
"We couldn’t have done it with any other air quality monitoring solution. With their unique ability to operate off-grid, Clarity’s Node-S provided the ability to site our air quality monitors in the locations that mattered most to community members in Richmond. The data are reliable, real-time, and hyperlocal, and our network is now being used as a blueprint for AB 617, a landmark regulation that empowers communities to take control of air pollution."
“Clarity’s state-of-the-art monitors are the backbone of our Environmental Justice work in Grand Rapids. Accurate data is critical to our team and our community.”
"Air quality is a hidden issue in the sense that it's become so embedded in aspects of urban life in San Francisco. It can be a challenge for residents who have been living in the neighborhood for a long time to articulate what their air quality issues are. Some have just accepted it as a way of life.”
"We couldn’t have done it with any other air quality monitoring solution. With their unique ability to operate off-grid, Clarity’s Node-S provided the ability to site our air quality monitors in the locations that mattered most to community members in Richmond. The data are reliable, real-time, and hyperlocal, and our network is now being used as a blueprint for AB 617, a landmark regulation that empowers communities to take control of air pollution."
The burden of air pollution on community & environmental justice groups
More than 40% of Americans — over 137 million people — are living in places with failing grades for unhealthy levels of particle pollution or ozone. According to the 2022 State of the Air report, some minorities and other disadvantaged social groups are more at risk than others:
People of Color
Are 3.6 times more likely than white people to live in a county with 3 failing grades.
People experiencing poverty
One in ten people exposed to unsafe air pollution live in extreme poverty.
Children and older adults
More than 90% of the world’s children breathe toxic air every day.
People with health conditions
Conditions like asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), cardiovascular disease, and pregnancy.
Accurate, timely air quality data can be a powerful tool to mitigate air pollution
Are you eligible for air quality funding?
Governments are regularly launching funding programs to offer financial support to communities. At Clarity, we can assist you in addressing these issues by providing you with real-time ambient pollutant measurements and obtaining government funding for your environmental justice initiatives.
Our partners have been awarded more than a dozen grants through various EPA funding opportunities and California Air Resources Board's AB 617. Get in touch with us to learn if you may be eligible for air quality funding opportunities.
Why monitor air pollution — you can't manage what you can't measure
Empower your community
by deploying a network of accurate air quality sensors
Build support
by communicating real-time pollutant levels & educating on appropriate actions
Protect your stakeholders
by helping them reducing exposure to extreme air pollution
Support
environmental justice
by taking action to drive positive impact in your community
Frequently Asked Questions
How can communities use air quality data to advocate for cleaner environments?
Air quality data empowers communities to make pollution visible, identify local pollution sources, and demand action from policymakers. With Clarity’s real-time Dashboard, OpenMap, and Air Quality Alarms, communities can show when and where unhealthy air is affecting residents—providing clear evidence to support campaigns for cleaner transportation, zoning changes, or emissions controls.
What support does Clarity offer for grassroots or community-led projects?
Clarity offers tailored Project Support Services to help grassroots groups with sensor siting, deployment, data interpretation, and public engagement. We’ve worked with NGOs, schools, and local coalitions to launch monitoring projects that drive awareness and local action. Our team helps ensure that data collection is accessible and meaningful, even for non-technical users.
Is Clarity’s solution affordable for small community organizations?
Yes—Clarity’s Sensing-as-a-Service model offers flexible, subscription-based pricing that makes professional-grade monitoring accessible without major upfront costs. Our solar-powered, plug-and-play Node-S air pollution sensors are easy to install and maintain, reducing the need for technical expertise or infrastructure investment.
Can air quality data help highlight environmental injustices?
Absolutely. Many frontline communities face disproportionately high air pollution but lack monitoring infrastructure. Clarity’s hyperlocal data can expose pollution hotspots and demonstrate disparities in air quality, providing a foundation for environmental justice advocacy. Community organizations often use our data to bring attention to overlooked neighborhoods and secure funding or policy change.
Are there success stories of environmental justice groups using Clarity?
Yes—groups like Brightline Defense in San Francisco have used Clarity sensors to monitor air quality in low-income housing during wildfire season, informing public health interventions. In the Breathe London project, sensors were deployed around schools and underserved areas to provide data for community-led clean air campaigns. These projects show how trusted, localized data can elevate community voices and drive impact.
