Photo credit: Backbone Campaign licensed under CC BY 2.0
by Arline L. Bronzaft, Ph.D., Board of Directors, GrowNYC, Co-founder, The Quiet Coalition, and Honorary Chair, Quiet American Skies
The Sound Defense Alliance is an organization located in Washington State that has been diligently working to protect communities living around the Salish Sea, Puget Sound, and the Olympia Peninsula from the harms brought about by military aircraft noise, air pollution, and water pollution. To assist their efforts, they have produced a 12-episode series of podcasts that discuss these harmful impacts.
Episode 12, “Make Noise about Noise,” not only deals with the aviation noise of Northern Washington State but also notes that aviation noise is experienced by residents across the U.S. and the world. This episode features Jamie Banks, PhD, MSc, Founder and President of Quiet Communities, discussing the health impacts of aviation noise and Quiet Communities’ efforts to educate individuals who come to its site about these adverse mental and physical health effects.
The Quiet Communities’ site also informs viewers about what can be done by local groups to push for quieter airspace. Quiet Communities works actively with these anti-aircraft-noise groups in bringing about a quieter and healthier environment. And under Dr. Banks’ leadership, Quiet Communities is making a difference in combating aircraft noise, as well as noise from other sources. Listening to Dr. Banks on this podcast will give you a clear understanding of the deleterious effects of noise and the workings of Quiet Communities.
Very important to reducing noise in our communities is the ability to speak to your legislators in a way that will enlist them to join you as you advocate for less noise in your society. This podcast also introduces us to Tom Ewell and Teresa Purcell, two activists with much experience in speaking with public officials, and they offer listeners useful information on how to reach out to legislators.
I urge all our readers to listen to this podcast. I am confident it will have you thinking about becoming an advocate for less aircraft noise and less overall noise as well.
