Maui Tomorrow Foundation this week announced a new smart phone application: CleanAirMaui, as part of the foundation’s Clean Air for Keiki campaign. This free app for iPhone, Blackberry and Android allows members of the community to use their smart phones to report incidents of excessive cane smoke; ash; and fugitive dust to the state Department of Health’s Clean Air Branch (CAB); the Mayor’s Office; and the Environmental Protection Agency.

While links for reporting these issues have been available on the Clean Air for Keiki website (cleanairforkeiki.org) since early this year, not all reports include the information needed by CAB for accurate investigations. “To make complaints about violations, the department says they need complete information – time, location, photos,” says Irene Bowie, Maui Tomorrow’s executive director. “This app empowers the community with accurate reporting to push for better air quality.”

Maui Tomorrow launched the Clean Air for Keiki campaign in an effort to inform the community of air quality issues. According to Hawaii Health Matters’ indicators for respiratory disease, Maui County ranks second to Hawaii County in adults and children with asthma. The campaign is working with the state Department of Health for stricter enforcement of restrictions on HC&S burn permits (not burning fields on days with variable wind and/or vog), and better mitigation measures against fugitive dust from fields. The campaign’s ultimate goal is a move to 21^st century sustainable practices (converting the majority of HC&S fields to green harvesting, thereby eliminating smoke, increasing organic matter in the soil and protecting it from erosion), as Australia’s sugar cane industry has successfully done.

To download the app enter CleanAirMaui on your phone’s app store.