Rev. Mark Johnston is a priest in the Episcopal Church and executive director of Camp McDowell. He helped found GASP and is the current board chair.

Rev. Johnston has long been an advocate for clean air, health and the environment, actively pursuing social justice issues in Alabama. In Winston County

Rob Burton grew up outside New York City, an area known for its poor air quality. Rob also has Cystic Fibrosis, a life-threatening genetic disorder that affects lung function.

When he moved to Birmingham, Ala., to be closer to family, he investigated the air quality compared

Edward Bowser is a community engagement specialist with the Alabama Media Group. In his column on al.com, he writes regularly about “agents of change” — folks who are doing work to make the Magic City a healthier, nicer and more compelling place to live. In his role as a voice

Clara Curtis lives in Sylacauga, Ala., and is the president of POET — Preserve Our Environment for Tomorrow. Several years ago she noticed that a plant in the area was emitting noxious odors. The pollution was making people, especially schoolchildren, sick.

Clara and other residents organized POET and began to

Harris and Cheri Stewart met in Asheville, NC, and moved to Alabama a few years later — only to fall in love with Birmingham. They decided to stay and opened Trim Tab Brewing Co. earlier this year. Cheri was diagnosed with asthma after moving to Birmingham, though. She

Bart Slawson is an Alabama environmental and business attorney and a voice for clean air. He helped start the Solar Test House with Alabama Environmental Council. He describes the STH as “a way of promoting solar power in Alabama in a way affordable to environmentally inclined citizens and small

The saying, “April showers bring May flowers,” typically conjures thoughts of nature’s most dramatic and long-awaited season change. Like clockwork, after a winter spent largely indoors, daydreams of outdoor adventures, beach trips and gardening capture our imaginations. But for those in our community with a chronic lung disease like asthma,