Cleaner Air 4 London's Communities
LSx Annual conference
“How can local
residents and
volunteers
across London
tackle air
pollution?”
14th November 2013
Redmond Centre, Manor House
Aims of event
The aim of LSx’s Annual Conference was to:
• Bring together stakeholders across London to increase understanding of
and engagement with air quality issues amongst communities
•
Facilitate shared learning, expertise and create new partnerships
•
Showcase success stories of community work around air quality,
regeneration and environmental inequality
•
•
Share barriers, opportunities and top tips to influence policy and planning
Identify critical next steps between business, the public sector and
voluntary groups to accelerate change.
Event Agenda
Registration and Lunch
Introduction and
objectives
Workshops 1
Why are we here?
Air Quality and
Transport in London
Solutions from freight
transport
Samantha Heath
Murad Qureshi
Chris Snelling
Citizen Science;
power of citizen
led research
Achieving
behaviour
change through
schools
Influencing Air
Quality through
planning
Influencing Air
Quality through
health &
wellbeing
Sasha Pratt
Ben Hudson
Samantha Heath
Jane Mulholland
Break and Technology Showcase
Workshops 2
Summary
Citizen Science;
power of citizen
led research
Achieving
behaviour
change through
schools
Influencing Air
Quality through
planning
Influencing Air
Quality through
health &
wellbeing
Sasha Pratt
Ben Hudson
Samantha Heath
Jane Mulholland
Reducing our exposure
to Air pollution
Feedback and next
steps
Ben Barrett
Samantha Heath
Close
Keynote speakers
Murad Qureshi – Chair of London
Assembly Environment Committee
• We need to measure and record our air
quality
• The Ultra Low Emission Zone needs to
be brought forward
• Transport infrastructure needs investment
Christopher Snelling Head of Urban
Logistics – Freight Transport
Association
• Investment is occurring public and private
sector in technology and infrastructure
• Policy needs to apply to public and
private sector alike
• Congested traffic cost business money –
this needs to be addressed
Workshop 1
Influencing Air Quality through planning
Aims of workshop
• To review how air quality can be
influenced by the planning
process
• To highlight that air quality is not
currently considered sufficiently
• To Initiate a flow of ideas around
how to increase the importance of
air quality in planning
Workshop 1
Influencing Air Quality through planning
Outcomes of workshop
• Developers were inspired to
Include air quality neutral and
public liaison from an early
planning stage, this new planning
requirement has yet to be tested.
• Some local authorities have a
range of requirements ( that could
be shared) from developers –
reduction of pollution in the
construction stage and specific
106 requirements.
• The community interest levees
(CIL) has yet to be deployed for
air quality – this is an opportunity.
Workshop 2
Influencing air quality through Health &
Well-Being Boards
Aims of workshop
• To support London’s communities
better understand the health
impacts of air pollution and what
actions can be taken to mitigate
these effects.
• Look at how the health agenda
can be influenced to incorporate
air quality concerns and begin to
tackle poor air quality
Workshop 2
Influencing air quality through Health &
Well-Being Boards
Outcomes of workshop
• There is a clear disconnect
between the environmental and
public health communities.
• High-level understanding linking air
quality and public health, coupled
with local authorities having
environmental health remit presents
us with a unique opportunity for
increasing pressure on authorities at
different levels for holistic planning
• Presenting well-documented,
quantifiable evidence highlighting the
costs of poor air quality for local
councils is essential.
Workshop 3
Achieving behaviour change through
schools
Aims of workshop
• To communicate LSx’s Cleaner Air 4
School (CA4S) work with primary
schools and explore educational and
community benefits of taking work out
of the classroom with citizen science.
• Attendees invited to comment on,
feedback and discuss implications of
the project.
• How can we achieve behaviour
change beyond the classroom and
engage the wider public?
Workshop 3
Achieving behaviour change through
schools
Outcomes of workshop
• Community leaders were inspired to
participate in citizen science ideas
including lichen observation.
• Discussions took place about new
approaches to reduce children’s
exposure to air pollution during their
journey to school.
• Power of young people – groups
suggested there is a role for young
people to play as advocates to
engage politicians and the wider
public directly.
• Create stronger links to health and
wellbeing and demonstrate effects in
Workshop 4
Citizen science: The power of citizen-led
research
Aims of Workshop
• To explore how citizen science
techniques can help communities
provide evidence to influence
behaviour.
• Why do we want to change our
exposure to poor air quality?
• What citizen science methods can
be used to gather evidence?
• Whose behaviour do we want to
influence?
• How can citizen science inspire
behaviour change in a community?
Workshop 4
Citizen science: The power of citizen-led
research
Outcomes of workshop
• Community groups were
inspired to learn more about air
quality
• A number of community
members are looking into the
possibility of carrying out a air
quality research project within
their communities.
Technology Showcase
Aims of the Showcase
• The Technology Showcase brought
a number of innovative products to
monitor, reduce impact on, or
exposure to air quality.
• The showcase aimed to offer
personal solutions to air quality
challenges faced by Londoners and
create connections between
innovative embryonic products and
the end users that need them
Testing the air quality route planner
Experiment to demonstrate how personal exposure to air quality
can be reduced through route planning
On the day of the conference Dr Ben Barrett and Andrew Grieve of King’s
College London demonstrated the impact of taking a different route to reduce
personal exposure to air pollution by wearing air monitors on two routes;
travelling by tube and along Seven Sisters road, and travelling by rail and
walking through Finsbury park.
It is clear that Ben was exposed to far greater concentrations of Black carbon
than Andrew, highlighting the importance of route selection in minimising
exposure. The full presentation can be found on the LSx website.
Next Steps
LSx asked conference attendees
what actions they would like to take
following the conference....
• 44% pledged to work with schools,
businesses, and communities
• 29% pledged to support ultra/low
emissions zones
• 31% pledged to campaign for
retrofitting or upgrading buses and
taxis
• 38% pledged to change their own
behaviours to help improve air
quality in their homes and local areas
Next Steps; policy actions
The causes of poor air quality are complex,
therefore responses to the challenge are not
simple,
however as a result of this conference we know
that we need to:
• Ensure that policies across London apply
equally to the public and private sector
• Seek to support well-documented, quantifiable
evidence highlighting the costs of poor air
quality for local councils - to present to H&W
Boards*.
• Planning instruments such as Air Quality Neutral
and CILs** are useful tools to invest in air
quality reduction, but considerable work in
developing tools for planners and community
alike.
• Technology has a role to play to meet the
challenge – TSB***, and the LEP**** could
support development in this area.
*H&W Boards – Health & Well-Being Boards
** CIL – Community Infrastructure Levy https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/6313/1897278.pdf
*** TSB – Technology Strategy Board
**** LEP - Local Enterprise Partnerships
Feedback from the event
Feedback from the event was positive and
constructive:
• 73% rated the event as excellent or very
good
• 54% rated their level of new learning as
excellent or very good
• 80% rated their opportunity to network
through the event as excellent or very
good
Feedback from the event
• “[It was helpful] meeting people and learning
about policies and case studies where air
quality policies work.”
• “[It was helpful] meeting others, and there
was a wide educational benefit for many who
attended. Putting air quality higher up the
agenda is very important.”
• “I enjoyed the factual presentations that
provided new information and insight into the
scope and nature of the [air quality] issue, e.g.
the transport logistics speaker.”
• “[It was helpful learning] that there are many
people across a range of disciplines who are
also interested and working in this area.”
• “Congratulations. Excellent event in so many
ways!”
Thank you Delegates
to all our attendees!
Age UK
AirQualityNews.com
Around the Block
Ayurved Consultancy
Battersea Society
Changing Minds
Citizen Sense
Clean Air in London
Close the Door
Cross River Partnership
Department for Transport
Emergent Research
Goldsmiths College
Greater London Authority
Groundwork London
Haringey Agenda 21/ other
organisations
Harrow Environmental Forum
Hayes Community Development
Forum
Heathrow Airport Ltd
Hollyfield School
Imperial College
In Mid Town
Investec Bank Ltd
Invisible Dust
Energy Saving Trust
Environmental Management
Publishing Limited
Esmee Fairbairn Foundation
LEAP micro AD, WRAP project
Lend Lease
Future Energy Strategies
Lightsource Renewable Energy
Limited
Living Streets
Global Action Plan UK
Lifeworld
London Borough of Brent
London Borough of Camden
London Borough of Croydon
London Borough of Greenwich
London Borough of Hackney
London Borough of Havering
London Borough of Hillingdon
London Borough of Hounslow
London Borough of Islington
London Borough of Merton
London Borough of Newham
London Borough of Richmond
upon Thames
London Borough of Southwark
London Voluntary Service
Council LVSC
Manor House Development
Trust
No to Silvertown Tunnel
Positive Choice
Putney Society
RAC Foundation for Motoring
Soho Housing Association
South West London
Environment Network
Sustainable Merton
Sustrans London
The Environment Agency
Transport for London
Trees For Cities
UK LPGas
University College London
Victoria Business Improvement
District BID
Whittington Agenda 21 Group