Topics Related to Air Quality

NC's 'Carbon Footprint' takes steps toward lower emissions

Air Quality Awareness Week is the perfect time to celebrate the progress North Carolina is making toward a cleaner, healthier future! DEQ’s Division of Air Quality produces a statewide inventory of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions that represents the state’s “carbon footprint.” The 2026 update to the GHG emissions inventory provides a detailed look at emissions from human activity since 1990, along with projections of what North Carolina’s emissions could look like through 2050. 

7th Grade Students Show Their Air Quality Smarts in AQ-IQ Contest

For 20 years, North Carolina 7th grade students have been showing off their air quality knowledge in the annual AQ-IQ contest.

Asthma Resource Guide: Tools for Monitoring Air Quality 

Air pollution can make asthma worse, so it's important to be air aware.

Smoke in the Air! How DAQ Shares Information with the Public about Wildfires

In this blog post, we explore how wildfires start, how smoke affects our health, and how the Division of Air Quality keeps residents informed and safe.

What Salamanders and Lichens Can Teach Us about Air Quality in North Carolina

DEQ Secretary Elizabeth Biser visits Purchase Knob and learns how salamanders, lichens and other native species respond to improvements in air quality.

A Ride on the Electric School Bus

When Gov. Roy Cooper in 2017 designated the Department of Environmental Quality as the lead agency to administer the state's share of the Volkswagen settlement mitigation trust funds, I knew we would be embarking on a journey to “do a lot of good."

Six DEQ employees earn Certified Public Manager certificates

After months of intensive training and completion of projects relevant to their job duties, six DEQ employees – two each from the divisions of Air Quality, Waste Management and Water Resources – have graduated from the Certified Public Manager (CPM) program.

Two dozen employees honored as DAQ Team of the Year for Western Wildfire response



 



The Asheville Regional Office and 14 additional Division of Air Quality employees were honored June 14 as DAQ Team of the Year for efforts related to air impacts from wildfires that consumed more than 80,000 acres of state and federal forest land in November.

Tim Skelding named 2017 DAQ Employee of the Year

With three nominations detailing his extraordinary service in 2016, Tim Skelding has been named Division of Air Quality Employee of the Year.



Skelding, an environmental specialist with the Raleigh Regional Office, was honored by colleagues during the division’s annual appreciation event Wednesday at the N.C. Museum of History. He has worked at DAQ since 2003.