Bourne Westfield’s Eco-Warriors will be taking on a new role in the weeks to come. They are to become Air Detectives thanks to the generous loan of an Eco-post from Mr Adrian Greenslade at Intecso (www.intecso.co.uk). The Eco-post monitors the quality of the air. Every day at two given times the children will record whether the air quality is good or polluted. Hopefully, the sensor will stay green but at the slightest detection of pollution it will turn amber, red or bright purple. Bright purple indicates dangerous levels of pollution. The Eco-post is currently being successfully used in councils in England, Wales and extensively in Europe. The Air Detectives will lead an assembly to announce to the school the condition of the air during Clean Air Day on Thursday 15th June 2023. There will be a presentation regarding the importance of clean air and strategies shared to reduce pollution.
Assistant Headteacher, Mrs Goodwin, expressed her thanks to Intecso, “This is a very exciting and important project that we wouldn’t have been able to do if it wasn’t for the loan of this expensive equipment. It is vital that we start teaching our children how pollution affects health and the strategies that can be used to protect our environment.” In previous clean air days the Guardian explained how tiny pollution particles, called PM2.5, are particularly dangerous as they not only harm the lungs but can pass into the bloodstream and affect many other parts of the body. Developing bodies are especially vulnerable, and dirty air has already been linked to increased asthma, obesity and mental disorders in children. The Eco-warriors are excited to start the project and intend to not only educate their classmates but to introduce a competition and begin to raise funds to buy an Eco-post for the school. The Air Detectives will be encouraging parents to turn off their car engines when stationary as idling engines contribute to car pollution.
