Pollution Guardians

Taking action against air pollution, with Colchester Prep & High School

Design Nature’s co-director, Mark, visited Colchester Prep & High School on Thursday 16th June #CleanAirDay2022, to run a session with the pupils in the Eco Club (the school has recently been awarded an Eco-Schools Green Flag, for their approach to climate education, the engagement of the pupils across the whole school setting, and the successful running of the Eco Club), to explore the area of air pollution.

In The Classroom

The session, delivered as part of the #CleanAirDay2022 initiative, began with a short presentation and interactive discussion in the classroom, before moving outside to conduct a ‘live’ experiment. Using two portable air quality sensor devices, the pupils set off around the school’s surrounding streets to discover what levels of air pollution were present.

Gathering Data

The pupils recorded their findings using a data sheet that was created by Colchester Borough Council as part of their CAReless Pollution campaign that the school has been actively taking part in over the past two years.

One of the devices allowed the collection of data via an app, enabling the pupils to capture the outcomes. A map of the route walked, the data collected, and the hotspots identified, were all able to be visually represented.

Following the experiment, we are working with the school to help identify where the students can take action, explore ideas and create solutions to mitigate the effects of air pollution and improve their health and wellbeing.

If you’d like to know more about our work with schools, and our efforts to raise awareness around climate change and how to contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals through design and creativity, please contact us for more information.