Across New York City, a mob of breakdancers recently took to the streets to tell the city that it needs to move "beyond coal."
The dancers, who wore masks and had "beyond coal" written across their chests, were part of the Sierra Club's campaign to raise awareness of the dangers of coal pollution, according to a press release.
The Sierra Club explains, "smog and soot, major byproducts of burning coal, contribute to high asthma rates in New York and other cities." According to the New York City Department of Health, 17% of the city's children have had asthma at some point in their lives.
The CDC reports that the national average of childhood asthma is only 14%.
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg recently announced a partnership between his philanthropic organization and the Sierra Club's Beyond Coal campaign, including a $50 million contribution over the next four years.
On August 30, the city of Alexandria, Virginia and GenOn Energy announced that they would close an older coal-fired power plant on the banks of the Potomac River next year.
A month ago, the Sierra Club took over all of the ad space in one Washington, D.C. Metro station to raise awareness of the dangers of coal-fired power plants.
For more information about the Sierra Club's Beyond Coal campaign and how you can get involved, check out the campaign's website and follow them on Twitter.
WATCH:
--
