Airdrie & Coatbridge Advertiser
Something in the air for eco-friendly kids
Improving air quality and tackling pollution was on the minds of eco-friendly Coatbridge High pupils.
The youngsters enjoyed a programme of activities as part of national Clean Air Day.
All 198 first-year pupils carried out science experiments and traffic counts on local roads to compare traffic flow and emissions levels.
They also designed artwork to highlight the dangers of drivers allowing their engines to idle when parked.
The best design will be made into a banner and displayed outside the school entrance, encouraging parents to turn off their engines while they drop off and collect pupils.
Staff from North Lanarkshire Council’s environmental health team also gave a demonstration of vehicle emission testing to show the contaminants in car emissions.
Pupils then saw the benefits of electric cars in helping reduce emissions and improve air quality, with a chance to see one of the council’s fleet of electric cars.
Fiona Maguire, the council’s senior environmental health officer explained: “Throughout the day, pupils learned about air pollution and how each of them can take steps to reduce this in their own community.
“The science experiments demonstrate the impact of acid rain and individuals’ contribution to air quality based on their daily activities, and using our on-line learning package, pupils saw how the council monitors air pollution across the area.”
The council has an air quality action plan in place to tackle the issue across Monklands, including pledges to improve air quality in the air quality management areas at Chapelhall and Coatbridge.