Main Aim

Aim

Our aim is to reduce carbon by 50% by 2030 by facilitating community action by focusing on air quality improvements. Key objectives will be achieved through two vehicles: an organisation structure that channels expertise and funds and a community centre to facilitate the interplay between strategic community engagement, scientific expertise and local policy makers. The aims supports our local councils which have encouraged the community to become more engaged and this project is a means to bring together the local climate action innovators and residents, scientists, technologist, medical specialist, business and community many engaged in best practice. Currently we lack the coordination to harness this in improving air quality. The intended action research will provide solid evidence of how to secure lasting behaviour change leading to carbon reduction through the efficient deployment of best practice in air quality improvements. By 2021 we will be able to upscale effective community driven work across the fields of air quality through carbon reduction and food choices and use.

Key activities

  • Establish a local centre for improving air quality and a mobile unit for it. Both the centre and the mobile unit will gather information on and display existing efforts locally to reduce carbon footprint and measures to reduce pollution targeting specifically air quality improvements. The ‘air monitoring at Breathe London initiative’ mobile unit will be adapted using the world’s most advanced technology to monitor level of pollutants and analysing the impact around local schools and on the environment in general. The information will be displayed at school sites and at the centre and by the mobile unit but also through a rigorous programme of dissemination by all concerned but specifically by the local councils and academic/innovation centres through all forms of media including at local, national and international forums and conferences.
  • Agree Climate Action/behaviour change targets with households, business and organisation including schools in our target area with green champions innovators. Air quality measurements around schools will change parents’ behaviour and the intended schools air quality regular assignments, based on air quality issues and climate change will help to change pupils/students behaviour. Reducing heating in winter months and other well-known actions will lead to changing the current mindset in energy use and air pollution.
  • Adapt several cutting edge idea generation and project evaluation tools developed by the members of C&W AQPC for use in the proposed project. Examples of these tools will be provided once the initial application is successful. The tools will be provided free of charge. An innovative capacity and resource exercise will be carried out when assigning selected ideas/projects. For example see University Business and Policy and Challenge University Business Collaboration Platform projects at http://www.marifuture.org/Projects/Projects.aspx and platforms for idea and project selection and implementation and evaluation – see http://www.c4ff.co.uk/extremefactories.aspx
  • Initial budget requested: 200k over 18 months
  • NB: To achieve these aims several work packages have been developed. A draft quality assurance and control system has been established and a dissemination plan and a sustainability plan are in place.
  • NB: The main success factor in achieving the above aims is the use of Science Based and Technology Based energy saving schemes and use of greener and cleaner energies through a comprehensive and robust set of measurements, display and dissemination.