Even though you cannot see them, most of the air we breathe is packed with particulates. So, a few local groups have teamed up to test our air quality across the Grand Valley.

On April 18, Citizens for Clean Air launched a new way to monitor air quality, because they believed there was a need to collect more data on particulates. “What can we do about our air quality? And one of the things that we discovered was there really wasn’t a lot of data on exactly what the pollutants were, and where they were coming from, and what parts of the Valley might have more or less pollution,” said Kristin Winn of Citizens for Clean Air.

They have placed several Purple Air Monitors throughout Mesa County already. “We have purchased 25 of these monitors, we have the first 11 already mounted on residences around town,” said Winn.

The Purple Air Monitors have been made possible by several agencies, including Citizens for Clean Air, Conservation Colorado, and Alpine Bank. Alpine Bank will be using five of those monitors to place one on each of their locations. “What it means to the bank, simply, is that we’re providing a mechanism to help all of us, individually and collectively, stay healthy,” said David Miller, the senior vice president and green team chair for Alpine Bank.

Read more: New Air Quality Monitoring System