Last week, whilst our P7s were at High School, our P6s were invited to be part of a nation wide initiative at Deaconess Gardens.

Thursday, 20th June, marked Clean Air Day (CAD) – a red letter day for air quality throughout Britain. Many organisations come together for the annual event to raise awareness of the difference we can all make to the air we breathe.

CAD 2019 helps to educate people on effective steps we can all take to reduce pollution and recognise the health benefits of smarter travel choices. These are just some of the ways in which local authorities and people like you and me can get involved:

* Getting people to sign pledge cards which are available for download from the Clean Air Day Scotland website to catch a train, bus, the Subway, tram or bicycle (or even a combination of these options!) for the daily commute. 
* Families could walk or cycle with the children or grandchildren to and from school. 
* Encourage people work from home on June 20th 2019?
* A community walk like the one organised by a GP surgery in Inverness on Clean Air Day 2018 is also a tremendous way of encouraging people to come together socially and improve their fitness and overall health. 
* Councils could reward staff who cycle or walk to work with free fruit and people can wear a CAD t-shirt to show their support for the event and health boards could reinforce their existing messages around active travel initiatives.
* Local authorities, other public sector organisations and private companies can raise awareness of active travel options and the grants available for cycle schemes and the travel routes available. 
* Encourage people travelling on foot or by bicycle to cut their exposure to air pollution by choosing quieter routes. A study for last year’s event found primary and nursery school children were being exposed to 30% more particulate pollution compared to adults when walking along busy roads compared to quieter routes.
* Councils can utilise messages around vehicle engine highlighting, to discourage the practice and draw attention to the fines that can be imposed.
* This year’s Clean Air Day will also highlight how purchasing an electric vehicle or joining a car club cuts emissions and congestion

We participated in 5 exciting activities which included the following:

1. A physiology lesson on what air pollution does to our respiratory system.
2. A science experiment involving different colours of water highlighting the impact of air pollution.
3. A tour and demonstration of Deaconess Garden air pollution station.
4. An opportunity for our pledge cards to be handed to the Scottish Parliament.
5. A demonstration of a proposed project where low emission vehicles can travel throughout the city.

As you can see from the photos below, we had an informative and fun morning.