Air Pollution in Bristol

COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT

Air pollution in Bristol

Written by Annali Grimes, Creative Producer at Knowle West Media

Are you concerned about the air you breathe in Ashley? Two innovative projects are looking for Ashley

residents to get involved. The air we breathe gets affected by many factors like temperature and humidity, as well as pollutants and irritants released into the air from urban activity.

What is air pollution?

There are two major components of air pollution: Nitrogen Dioxide and Particulate Matter. Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) emissions are released when fossil fuels like diesel and petrol are burned, for example in cars and lorries. It can lead to asthma and other respiratory diseases. Particulate matter are tiny bits or droplets in the air, released by smoke, dust and the burning of fuels. Particulate matter can travel deep into the lungs and enter the bloodstream. It is especially dangerous for vulnerable people, children and older people.

Why is air pollution bad?

Air pollution impacts our health steadily over our lifetimes and the effects on our health is not immediately noticeable. If someone has underlying health conditions, and they are regularly exposed to poor air quality, their health can get worse. Children whose lungs and hearts are still developing are also very vulnerable to poor air quality. Because we don’t see the air pollution and can smell and feel it only in the worst cases, we are slow to realise that our health is being affected.

What do people in Ashley think?

According to the Statistical Ward Profile for Ashley for 2021, 81% of Ashley residents think air quality and traffic pollution is a problem.

Source: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/health-matters-airpollution/health-matters-air-pollution

The Air We Breathe

Written by Olivia Sweeney, Green and Black Ambassador

Bristol has and continues to have, along with many cities around the UK and the world, illegal levels of dirty air. This fact shocked me, as air gives us life – the thought that the very thing we need to live, that the unconscious act of breathing could be harmful to our health or killing us couldn't be true. This was just the start – the more I learnt, the more I was shocked. I felt I had to do something to build on the hard work, share the knowledge and bring the change needed.

My project ‘to breathe: community solutions for clean air’ aims to do this by raising awareness, sharing knowledge, asking what people think, feel and what ideas they have for change. I'm building a picture of clean air in Bristol through photos, questions, and discussions around the themes of lived experience, perception, power and action.

Clean air is about more than NOx, PM 2.5 and pollution, it is about our health, both mental and physical, it is our ability to find space, refresh and reconnect. Clean air means different things to different people and different communities and is more than the legal scientific measurement of clean. The changes we want to see to ensure everyone can breathe clean air are broader and richer than the conversations which currently focus on transport. I have been asking people . . . Where do you go to breathe? I go to. .. . Lords woods, Eastville Park, Church, my garden in Montpelier, Royate Hill Nature Reserve, to the sea, Felix Road Adventure Playground, St. Pauls Park, Victoria Park, Greville Smyth Park, Troopers Hill, Netham Park, Newton Park, the forest...... to breathe fresh clean air.

We go to green open spaces, that are connected with people, nature and faith. How do you feel when you are there? I feel. . . . calm, grounded, surrounded by tranquillity, peaceful, light, free, invigorated, uplifted . . . when I breathe here. We feel serene, protected and free. To breathe I need...nothing but me, natural air so that I can function mentally in a stable safe place, space, to be safe, to have knowledge, for others to want to make things better, awareness, to make lifestyle changes, to have clear guidance from government, to trust, to know companies and corporations are trying to make things better, to make small changes, to consider negative implications before acting. To breathe we need to be safe, to have naturally clean air, to have space, trust and knowledge. Everyone should be able to breathe clean air, and changes for clean air should work for everyone. Communities of colour around the world are suffocating from a system that tries to take power and agency, not only this but we are breathing toxic air that can take our lives. Clean Air is an issue of environmental justice, of racial justice and of social justice, and it is a fight for our lives.

To be part of building a picture of clean air all you need to do is answer these three questions… I go to breathe at (your special place here) I feel (how you feel) when I breathe here To breathe I need… … and send a photo of that place (don’t worry you don’t have to be in the photo if you don’t want to be!) with your response to me: olivia@blackandgreenambassadors.co.uk

Slow The Smoke

Written by Annali Grimes, Creative Producer at Knowle West Media Centre

Bristol City Council has received funding from Department for Environment Food & Rural Affairs to do a project in Ashley to research emissions from an important and growing source of pollution: domestic solid fuel burning, which means the burning of wood or coal inside homes. This will be done through the installation of an air quality monitor in the area and engagement with citizens through surveys, workshops and citizen science. The partners in the project are the Air Quality Management Resource Centre at the University of the West of England and Knowle West Media Centre (KWMC) – a Bristol based organisation with over 20 years experience in community engagement, supporting people to make positive changes in their lives and communities, using technology and the arts to come up with creative solutions to problems and explore new ways of doing things.

source: https://www.cleanairforbristol.org/slow-the-smoke/ A major part of this project will involve local residents through citizen sensing. Residents will get an opportunity to build their own sensors to install at their homes. They will then be part of the research to get a better understanding of the impact of solid fuel burning locally. Mayor of Bristol Marvin Rees said: “We have a moral, environmental and legal duty to clean up Bristol’s air. This project shows that we must all contribute, and is an opportunity for people to get involved and reduce the impact of burning solid fuels on the air we breathe.” KWMC will run fun and engaging workshops in Ashley over the coming months. We aim to bring people to the heart of innovation through a process called The Bristol Approach. The workshops will explore people’s experiences of air quality and by creatively using technology and understanding data, we will look at finding solutions which are people and issue led. “The Bristol Approach comes at the problem from the citizen’s point of view, and gives old tools and approaches new life.” (participant) Get in touch if you want to build and install a sensor at your home, take part in workshops and stay updated with the project. Email: slowthesmoke@kwmc.org.uk