Clean Air
Clean air is essential for our health and the health of the planet.
Air pollution affects every organ in the body and results in over 36,000 deaths in the UK each year. It also impacts people unequally: the young, the old, people in deprived communities and people with existing health conditions are most at risk.
To clean up our air we need to make rapid changes such as: cutting the use of polluting vehicles, slashing industrial and business emissions, and avoiding wood burning in our homes.
Kickstarting the Clean Air movement
Change at this scale requires us to work as a movement. Our aim is to mobilise the Clean Air movement by working at two different levels. We are working with organisations to influence behaviour change as well as exerting pressure on governments to bring about systemic change.
The issue: Air pollution is the biggest environmental threat to people and planet.
Our vision: We have a vision of a world with clean air, where people and planet are prioritised over pollution and profit.
The goal: By 2030 people can breathe clean air in urban areas.
What change is required? The elimination of the use of fossil fuels (and wood) in transport and home heating in urban areas.
How will we achieve this? By working with changemakers across the country to drive behaviour change, and by exerting pressure on the UK government and major polluters.
Our approach: To achieve this, we are working with schools, health organisations, businesses, community groups and local authorities to:
- Reduce air pollution from their own practice.
- Influence their stakeholders to cut pollution and protect health.
- Come together to advocate for legislative and policy changes.
What we're up to
Impact on Urban Health Domestic Burning Project
Domestic burning is the largest source of harmful small particle air pollution in the UK, but the public and key decision makers are not aware of its harms for our health and the planet.
We are raising awareness of this lesser-known air pollution source with the public and defining the system changes needed to decrease domestic burning over time.
We have collaborated on a stakeholder toolkit for communicating about wood burning, piloted a NextDoor social media campaign on domestic burning in London, and produced economic research analysing the cost of wood burning compared to other heating methods. We are also currently developing a set of policy pathway recommendations to decrease the harms of domestic burning.
Funded by Impact on Urban Health
Saffron Walden Clean Air Project
As part of the DEFRA-funded Saffron Walden Clean Air Project, Uttlesford District Council wanted to raise awareness of the harms of wood burning in the local area.
We created tailored messaging based on local audience insights and our national campaign Clean Air Night, sharing the facts about wood burning through posters displayed by local businesses, content for the Council’s digital channels, and local media coverage and advertising.
We also conducted small particle air pollution monitoring in wood burning households in Saffron Walden, demonstrating a clear correlation between wood burning and increased indoor particulate matter pollution levels.
Funded by Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs through the Air Quality Grant Scheme
Buckinghamshire Council Electric Vehicles Project
Buckinghamshire Council is currently supporting large employers in the region to transition any company fleets to electric vehicles (EV) and encourage employees to consider purchasing or leasing EVs.
This project supported the EV transition journey by offering bespoke advice, resources and signposting to other relevant services.
The project has engaged local business membership-based organisations as partners to ensure information on electric vehicles reaches businesses with over 100 employees.
Funded by Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs through the Air Quality Grant Scheme
Clean Air Day
In 2017 we got together with a number of UK city councils to launch Clean Air Day. Since then, our campaign has gone from strength to strength and is now the UK's larget air pollution campaign. In order to bring about the system change that will result in clean air, it is critical to improve people's understanding of the issues and their determination to take action. As a result of Clean Air Day, 91% of people in the UK think air pollution should be a priority, an increase of 20%. 68% of people now choose to walk or cycle instead of using a car for short journeys - an increase of 26%.Funded by: Health Equals, Scottish Government; Welsh Government
Clean Air Night
Clean Air Night is a new sister campaign for Clean Air Day this winter to shine a light on the uncomfortable truth about wood burning. Up to now, it’s been easy to associate the glow of a fire or wood burner with comfort. Pressures on household finances may have tempted more people towards burning wood in the belief that it’s cheaper or more environmentally friendly. However, we want to help protect people and planet by looking these myths and letting you know that in fact, wood burning hurts your wallet, your health and the planet.Funded by: Hertfordshire County Council
Cleaner Air for Communities
More than 4,000 Londoners die prematurely each year from causes related to air pollution with deprived, black and brown communities suffering disproportionately from the poorest air quality.
Whilst national and regional policy on tackling air pollution is beginning to strengthen, the level of commitment to tackle pollution varies widely among policymakers. Those in more deprived communities tend to have weaker pollution-busting policies.
The people who are most affected by air pollution in London need a stronger voice, to help champion faster and stronger progress.
Cleaner air for communities empowers representatives of polluted neighbourhoods to raise their voices in shaping policy. We are supporting community groups in three London boroughs through a ‘cycle of action’ from listening to the community and collecting air pollution data through citizen science to developing and implementing a local action plan and engaging decision-makers.
Our work has increased the involvement of people with lived experience of air pollution in campaigning, finding solutions and advocating for better air quality.
Funded by: Trust for London
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Clean Air Hospital Framework
Air pollution in and around hospitals has multiple sources from transport to and from the site for patients, visitors, staff and deliveries to the materials used to build the hospital and keep it clean. Hospitals care for the most vulnerable in society, including the most vulnerable to impacts of air pollution. The Clean Air Hospital Framework is a free resource being used by hospitals across the UK to clean up their air. It is a self-assessment tool designed to improve air quality across the hospital site, and in the local community.
Funded by Great Ormond Street Hospital
Clean Air Hub
Air pollution isn’t the easiest topic to understand, plus you can’t see it. But people to understand the full picture on air pollution and be supportive of urgent national and local action to improve air quality. To do this we need consistent and reliable information to help us work together to develop and live a clean air future. The Clean Air Hub is the UK's go-to-public information source on air pollution, bringing together reliable, easy to understand facts and advice in one place.
Freedom to Breathe
Breathing clean air is vital to help children realise their full potential and live long healthy lives, yet access to clean air is not included among children’s rights as defined by the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC). This campaign provides an opportunity for children to call for their right to clean air to be acknowledged by the UNCRC. To date, nearly 30,000 children have made their voices heard and informed the development of General Comment No 26 – new UN guidance on children’s rights and the environment.Funded by Blueair
Understanding the impacts of air pollution from gas stoves in the UK
Gas cooking appliances release air pollutants into our homes that are harmful to human health and the environment. We are working with the European Public Health Alliance (EPHA), CLASP, and Parents For Future to inform UK government policy discussions that support the phasing out of new sales of gas cooking appliances by 2025.Funded by CLASP and EPHA
London Schools Pollution Helpdesk
Air pollution impacts everyone, but children are particularly vulnerable and particularly in Urban areas like London. The London Schools Pollution Helpdesk is a free service that supports schools in London with advice, resources and practical measures to improve air quality in and around the school to protect children's health. Funders: Mayor of London and Impact on Urban Health.
Funded by Mayor of London and Impact on Urban Health
Sustainability in Singapore
Singapore has an ambition to reduce its carbon emissions and become net zero. This will require lots of innovative technical approaches, but progress can also be made by getting people involved in sustainability in buildings, helping to change behaviours to become more sustainable.
Sustainability in Singapore is an employee engagement training programme to help organisations in Singapore develop their own reduce their carbon impact, improve their overall sustainability and employee well-being through behaviour change.
After working with twelve organisations, a total of 23,000 staff were reached through training, experiences, games, signage, and induction; 180,000 kWh of energy and 18,000kg of CO2 were saved on average.
Funded by: Singapore Building and Construction Authority, Singapore Green Building Council
What we've done
Clean Air for Schools Vision
The Clean Air for Schools Vision outlines what would need to happen both outside the school and inside the school to reduce air pollution for pupils and staff.
Funded by: Islington Council
Integrated Care for Cleaner Air
Approximately 30% of preventable deaths in England are due to non-communicable diseases which relate to air pollution, putting a significant burden on the NHS. The Integrated Care for Cleaner Air initiative was established to improve air quality and health outcomes across England by supporting every Integrated Care System (ICS) to become a Clean Air Champion. As part of this, the ICS Clean Air Framework, a free tool enabling ICS leaders to act, was developed. The Framework can be used to develop a stand-alone Clean Air Action Plan, or to integrate and prioritise clean air actions in a Green Plan.
Funded by: Boehringer Ingelheim
Lambeth Schools Air Quality Programme
Lambeth borough in South London, is one of the most polluted boroughs and children are particularly vulnerable to the impacts of air pollution. The Lambeth Schools Air Quality Programme worked with three schools in Lambeth to design and implement a combination of education, behavioural change and technical solutions to help improve air quality – and then share these learnings with other schools across the UK. Interventions improved air quality and individuals’ knowledge benefitting the health of 700+ children, as well as school staff and the wider school community.Lambeth Schools Air Quality Programme
Funded by Impact on Urban Health
Mobilising National GPs
Health professionals, and GPs in particular, are valued as trusted members of society and this means they are well placed to deliver important public health messages. Patients who suffer from respiratory and cardiac conditions are particularly vulnerable to the effects of poor air quality and, as a group, make more frequent visits to their GP. The Mobilising National GPs project provided online teaching on the causes and health impacts of air pollution to 40 general practitioners across England. Co-design workshops with GPs and other health professionals provided insight into the structure, content and design of the teaching sessions and materials for patients.TRAINING GPS AS CLEAN AIR CHAMPIONS
Funded by Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Sparking the call for clean air workplaces
Air pollution impacts everyone, but those in the manufacturing industry are at greater risk as they are exposed to more dust, toxic particles and pollution in their workplace.
This project presented a renewed case for tackling air pollution in manufacturing industry workplaces with a whitepaper, webinar and policy briefing bitesize series, which captured the key points raised in the whitepaper.
We mobilised Trade Union Health & Safety reps, educated workers and employers about the state of air quality at seven different workplaces and supported H&S reps and wider workers to call on their employers and government to act.
Funded by Zehnder UK