BETHEL — The town’s public school district is on a mission to fix the high school’s dysfunctional heating, ventilation and air conditioning system — but doing so could cost much more than experts initially expected.

Bethel High School’s HVAC system — which was not updated when the school was renovated in 2007 to 2009 — has posed problems for several years.

“We’ve been having kind of like a battle with a lot of the units,” Superintendent Christine Carver said Tuesday. “They’re kind of in constant need of repair.”

Freezing temperatures in January 2018 caused the heating and air conditioning unit in the school’s gym, as well as other systems across campus, to fail — forcing the school to move some classes and install temporary heating systems until permanent repairs could be made. A large rooftop unit above the gym was so badly damaged that it had to be completely replaced. 

Now, the school district has received a preliminary cost estimate of more than $9 million to fix these and other similar problems. The superintendent hopes this cost can be reduced. 

In the spring of 2020, Carver said engineering consulting firm Kohler Ronan conducted “an extensive study” of the high school’s HVAC system, which identified “the biggest priorities in terms of repairs to the system and providing air conditioning in all the spaces.”

“We did it because we wanted to use part of our district’s ESSER (Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief) funds because we knew there were units that were having issues — plus, we wanted to see what it would take to air condition the un-air conditioned spaces in the high school,” she said, noting that there are 35 spaces in the high school that lack air conditioning.

With around $1.5 million already allocated to updating the high school’s HVAC system — $700,000 from the school district’s ESSER grant money and $855,000 from the town’s American Rescue Plan Act funds — the school district is seeking more funding through the state HVAC Indoor Air Quality Grants for Public Schools program.

The grant program — overseen by the Department of Administrative Services Office of School Construction Grants and Review — was established earlier this year to encourage public school districts to install, replace or upgrade heating, ventilation or air conditioning systems in order to improve indoor air quality.

As Finance and Business Operations Director Jennifer Variale said during the Board of Education’s Nov. 17 meeting, different parts of Bethel High School have different HVAC-related needs.

“We have some sections that were never air-conditioned and … there are other parts of the building where we have existing air conditioning but there are air quality issues and noise issues,” she said.

The administrative offices, media center and adjoining classrooms are among the school’s priority areas.

Variale said the way the system is set up now is “like having one thermostat for a huge area, where it really needs to be broken down into smaller areas so that they can have sufficient climate control.”

An engineer from Kohler Ronan who worked on designs for the school’s HVAC project said system adjustments would improve climate control, increase ventilation and improve indoor air quality in those areas. 

Carver says there is one problem — the latest cost estimate for the HVAC work was “significantly higher” than Kohler Ronan had initially anticipated.

“Preliminary cost estimates came out at over $9 million, which is much, much more, and I think that’s an indication of a lot of things lately in terms of supply chain, escalations of cost and just general inflation,” Carver said Tuesday.

The estimated cost may change, as Kohler Ronan has expressed interest in reviewing the latest estimates to identify any inaccuracies and reduce costs and contingency. 

Carver said “better estimates” will be available Nov. 29, when school administration meets with the boards of selectmen and finance to discuss the state HVAC grant application.

“We’re having a joint meeting to determine what they would like us to apply for in the grant and to what dollar amount,” she said.

Even though the cost estimates are higher than originally anticipated, Carver said she thinks they will still be able to take care of all the priority areas that Kohler Ronan originally identified in its 2020 study.

“At the end of the day, I think we’ll end up taking care of the biggest priorities,” she said. “We may not get all of the space air conditioned, but we’ll make another dent at it and address some of the infrastructure issues that weren’t done as part of the original (high school) renovation.”

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South Wales-based air quality consulting firm Think Air and SUEZ, a global player in the environmental services sector, have agreed an alliance of their working objectives to provide innovative joint service offerings to address the UK’s indoor and outdoor air quality issues. 

Launched in mid-2021, Think Air is a leader in the analysis and understanding of relative risk of public health impacts of exposure to a wide range of indoor and outdoor air pollutants. It is also a UK leader in diagnostics, modelling and solutions for indoor and outdoor air quality. The company’s research and development division is headed by Swansea University Professor Emeritus Dr Paul Lewis ­– a regional Clean Air Champion in the UK and a driving force behind the Welsh government’s Clean Air Act for Wales.

SUEZ, a major player in environmental services for over 160 years, offers a broad portfolio of air quality services and solutions, which seek to address air quality agendas, such as odour, public health, and climate change. It is committed to working with communities and industry leaders in the UK and worldwide, especially in strengthening its approach and interpretation of air quality datasets.

Think Air and SUEZ will jointly work on public health-related projects, such as indoor air quality studies and outdoor air quality assessments. Think Air’s expertise at making parallels with available public health and air quality data will be valuable in strengthening the innovative technologies and offerings by SUEZ. This is especially crucial when integrating innovative remediation solutions that are known to have public health benefits.

Speaking on the alliance, Craig Lewis, Business Development Manager of SUEZ Air & Climate Division said: 

“It is our key priority to provide a full value chain air quality service with the capacity to comprehensively diagnose, monitor, survey, and integrate solutions that address public health impacts associated with poor air quality.

“Think Air’s integration of its air quality data management service and corresponding public health expertise will prove to be complementary to SUEZ’s existing air quality portfolio. This will encourage correct decisions for the benefit of public health.”

Graeme Thomson, Think Air’s Managing Director added: 

“Improving the lives of the millions affected by air pollution in the UK and beyond is why we launched Think Air. This alliance with SUEZ now enables us to reach new public sector and private clients currently grappling with urgent environmental issues.”

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The MI Healthy Climate Plan (MHCP) that Gov. Gretchen Whitmer unveiled just over seven months ago is Michigan’s long-range plan to fight climate change, create good jobs, and build a better and healthier future for all Michiganders. Perhaps the most important number in the plan is 100% — representing the goal of a fully carbon-neutral Michigan economy by 2050.

Solar panels on the roof of the Corner Brewery in Ypsilanti.

To boost your Michigan climate literacy, here are plenty of other significant numbers in the mix:

Three: In degrees Fahrenheit, the rise in Michigan’s average temperature from 1900 to today.

$4-$11: The savings Michigan will realize in avoidance of future damages for each dollar it commits to climate adaptation, according to a study by the National Institute of Building Sciences.

Five: Sectors of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions sources and their percentage by which they affect Michigan’s total GHG emissions in 2019 (updated from 2005 figures in the MHCP as released):

• Energy production, 29%
• Transportation, 25%
• The built environment (homes, businesses, and other buildings), 17%
• Energy-intensive industries, 14%
• Agriculture and waste: 8%
• Natural lands, -7%

Six: Action areas in the plan’s “Roadmap to 2030” for reducing GHG emissions 52% from 2005 levels:

• Electric grid: Generate 60% of the state’s electricity from renewable resources, and close remaining coal plants. Limit the energy burden from powering and heating homes to not more than 6% of annual income for low-income households.
• Electric vehicles and public transit: Build infrastructure to support 2 million EVs. Increase access to clean transportation – including public transit – by 15% per year.
• Home and business repair and decarbonization: Reduce heating-related emissions by 17%.
• Clean-energy jobs and industrial innovation: Support clean innovation hubs, triple the recycling rate to 45%. Reduce food waste by 50%.
• Land and water: Protect 30% of lands and waters to naturally reduce GHGs. Improve access to recreational opportunities, and protect biodiversity. Support climate-smart agriculture.
• Environmental justice: Direct 40% or more of the benefits of climate funding and initiatives to disadvantaged communities. Provide a just transition for all workers through proactive engagement, job training, and workforce development.

Seven: Plan objectives:

• Mitigate the worst impacts of climate change.
• Spur economic development and well-paying jobs.
• Protect and improve public health.
• Make Michigan a climate action leader.
• Protect our natural resources and wildlife.
• Make Michigan energy independent.
• Address environmental injustices.

Eight: Outcomes envisioned for every Michigander by 2050:

• Clean air to breathe and water to drink.
• Affordable, reliable, clean energy.
• Good-paying, sustainable jobs to support families.
• Clean, affordable transportation.
• A healthy, sustainable, efficient home.
• Healthy, affordable, local food.
• Safe natural spaces to enjoy.
• Community resources for resilience to impacts of climate change.

11%: Current approximate amount of Michigan’s total in-state electricity generated from renewable sources.

13: Number of other U.S. states with economywide climate action goals at the time the MHCP was announced.

16: As of 2022, the number of Michigan communities with goals to be carbon neutral or to reach 100% renewable energy by 2050.

40%: Energy use reduction goal for state-owned buildings by 2040.

73%: Decrease in particulate matter pollution from power plants since 2005 as the state has transitioned from coal to cleaner energy sources.

100%: Renewable energy goal for powering state-owned facilities by 2025.

1,929: Number of public comments received during the drafting of the MHCP, at listening sessions and via email and regular mail.

$6,000-$10,000: Amount owners of electric vehicles are expected to save over the life of the vehicle, compared with a gasoline-powered vehicle, because charging is half as expensive as the equivalent amount of gasoline and electric vehicles require half as many repairs and cost half as much to maintain.

More than 113,000: Growing number of clean energy jobs in every region of Michigan – the majority in manufacturing (57%) and construction (21.7%) – paying up to 25% more than the national median wage.

For the full picture, dig into the complete MI Healthy Climate Plan online. It’s about 50 pages long and includes photos and informational graphics.

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Courtesy MoMA Design Store

Hand-Quilted Christmas Stockings, $95

Quilting is having a moment and that is made clear with Brooklyn-based artist Krista Marie Young’s hand-quilted stockings for MoMa Design Store. A graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design, Young’s playful designs are inspired by her Nordic background and childhood memories.

Courtesy Afternoon Light

Janie Korn Exclusive Challah Menorah, $475

Janie Korn’s limited edition Challah Menorah for Afternoon Light is a whimsical edition to any holiday table. “My favorite carb on my favorite holiday!” says Korn. The Menorah is numbered in an edition of 8, candles not included.

EAT/DRINK

Courtesy Kalon Studios

Kalon Studios Tableware, $75-$275

Inspired by the organic quality of traditional American woodcraft, Los Angeles-based Kalon Studios has reissued its tableware collection. Each piece is made with sustainably harvested Maple and includes plates, bowls, cups, and serving vessels.

Courtesy Coming Soon New York

Resin Table Mates Coaster Size by Gaetano Pesce, $30.00

Designed by Gaetano Pesce and handcrafted by Corsi Design for Fish Design, each piece features a unique shape and are sold in pairs of colors including purple/turquoise, pink/black, lavender/lime, orange/fuschia, and more.

Courtesy Areaware

Serving Friends by Selena Liu, $40.00

Designed by Selena Liu for Areaware, these wooden spoons are sure to bring joy and whimsy to any dining table. The oiled beech spoons are available in three designs: Hands, Wavy, and Flowers.

WORK

Courtesy Michael Ferraro & Conor Coghlan

Shantell Martin Desk Organizer, $295

Designed by artist Shantell Martin for Hoek, this 3-piece design organizer can be used together or separately to organize work spaces. The 50-unit limited edition run of the organizer comes with a signed and numbered Certificate of Authenticity.

Courtesy Tortuga Living

Dumbo Bookends by Ciszak Dalmas, $30-$40

Designed by the Madrid-based studio, Ciszak Dalmas, these bookends are slim, lightweight, and help maximize shelf space. Available in three sizes and multiple colors, the bookends are sturdy enough for the everyday paperback to the bulky museum catalog.

Courtesy Vitra

Locker Box, Small by Konstantin Grcic, $310

For Locker Box, Small by Konstantin Grcic, the designer teamed up with Vitra to produce a compact, portable caddy that can hold work tools, such as a laptop, keyboard, papers, pens, cables, hard drives, headphones etc.

TECH

Courtesy OneClock

OneClock, $299

OneClock is an alarm clock designed to help you wake up better. The no-frills (including no WiFi, Bluetooth, or snoozing technology) clock features science-backed sounds that gently lift one out of sleep.

Courtesy MoMA Design Store

OP–1 field synthesizer, $1,999

Updated with the latest technology, the new Teenage Engineering Portable Synthesizer OP-1 Field is louder and thinner than the previous model. The synthesizer features better sound quality through a new speaker system with passive driver, extended battery life of 24 hours, and multiple tapes and tape styles for recording.

Courtesy Galanz

Galanz Personal Air Purifier, $59.99

Ideal for an office desk, Galanz’s new Personal Air Purifier provides portable, powerful air purification, featuring 360-layered filtration, three fan speeds, and an aroma pad. The device can cover up to 175.2-square-feet.

PLAY/MAKE

Courtesy Kehinde Wiley

Grace Deck of Cards by Kehinde Wiley, $30

This standard deck of 54 playing cards features Dacia Carter II (2012) by artist Kehinde Wiley in a linen embossed finish. Net proceeds of the deck go to supporting the artist in residence program Black Rock Sénégal, founded by Wiley in 2019.

Courtesy FLW Foundation

DS Darwin Martin House Atom Brick, $168

This Atom Brick set highlights the Prairie Style design of Frank Lloyd Wright’s National Historic Landmark, the Martin House.

Courtesy LikeMindedObjects

T-SHIRT WASTE LOOM +Edu ToolKit Pre-Order, $200

Created in collaboration between the design studio LikeMindedObjects and artist Francesca Capone, this T-Shirt Waste Loom and Educational Toolkit allows individuals to utilize their own discarded t-shirts to bring new function to textile waste.

WEAR

Courtesy Adam Nathanial Furman

Postmodern Architecture Organic Bucket Hat by Adam Nathaniel Furman, $40

Architect and designer Adam Nathaniel Furman‘s merch store features tons of bold and sassy architectural clothing designs perfect for any design lover with a sense of humor.

Courtesy Gelato Pique

EAMES x Gelato Pique Hoodie, $179

EAMES and Gelato Pique have released an exclusive collaboration of comfy loungewear perfect for getting cozy in this holiday season. The collection includes pants, shirts, and slippers.

Courtesy Areaware/Dusen Dusen

Pattern Umbrella by Dusen Dusen, $41

Stay dry this holiday season with Dusen Dusen’s Pattern Umbrella designed for Areaware.

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Goaso — African leaders must invest in efficient and zero-carbon transport and energy systems, and technologies to minimise air pollution, Mr Desmond Appiah, the Ghana Country – Lead, Clean Air Fund (CAF), has said.

According to him, transport and energy systems powered by renewable energy could save lives, and reduce cost in vulnerable countries hardly hit by the climate crisis.

He noted that air pollution had impacted Africa’s fastest growing cities namely: Accra, Cairo, Johannesburg and Lagos, due to the uncontrolled activities of human and other related factors.

Mr Appiah disclosed this on Friday at Goaso in the Ahafo Region, in a briefing with the Ghanaian Times on the topic, “shaping the 27th Conference of Parties (COP 27) around African climate, health and transport priorities.”

The Country-Lead noted that the world’s poorest populations made most of their daily journeys by walking, often on dangerous roads, which exposed them to high levels of air pollution, coupled with limited access to healthcare facilities.

Mr Appiah said a study on the aforementioned four African fastest growing cities had projected a total cost of USD$ 115.7 billion between 2023 and 2040, relating to air pollution, if nothing was done urgently.

“These giant African cities could save 125,000 lives, unlock USD$ 20 billion and cut greenhouse gas emissions by 20 per cent.

“In Ghana, air pollution was reported by the World Bank to be costing the economy close to USD$ 2.5 billion every year. The amount can be used to invest in other sectors of the economy,” he stressed.

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The Country-Lead entreated policy makers in the African continent to prioritise safe and active public transport, and clean energy in planning and infrastructure decisions to reduce emissions, and increase health benefits.

Mr Appiah told African governments to recognise that transport and energy problems were also public health, and must develop joint policies on climate change, clean energy and sustainable transport to save the continent.

He said the private sector played a crucial role in combating air pollution while businesses engagement with the menace was minimal, adding that individuals and institutions must contribute their part.

The Country-Lead stated that CAF, a philanthropic initiative tackling global air pollution through grants and projects, needed more funding and closer collaboration to clean air for the benefit of mankind and the environment.

Mr Appiah indicated that, Clean Air Fund would continue to promote air quality data, build public awareness and influence policy-making, saying that “we invest in partners globally who are ready to make impact on the ground.”

“I am overseeing the implementation of CAF’s strategic plan in Ghana to build collaborative partnerships for research, policy development and support actions to promote clean air for all,” he emphasised.

The Country-Lead was optimistic that building sustainable transport and energy systems would free up billions of dollars from associated negative health impacts,for investment in other areas of the continent.

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It is important to keep your home free of visible dust and dirt, not only for your own eyes, but also for your comfort. But what about what you can’t see?

Your home has many particles floating in the air you breathe. Pet dander can aggravate allergies and asthma, while cigarette smoke causes cancer. Even if you’ve never picked up a cigarette, breathing in secondhand smoke can have negative consequences.

So it’s obvious that keeping the atmosphere in your home clean is crucial. One effective way to keep the indoor air clean is to use an air purifier. These come in all sizes, so today we focus on the best air purifiers for the whole house.

Advantages of Air Purifiers for the Whole House

Better Productivity

In the event that you spend a lot of time at home – perhaps working from home or staying at home – a clean atmosphere can help.

As indoor air pollution levels get too high, you can quickly become exhausted and sluggish. You may find that you feel sleepy most of the time or suffer from frequent headaches. All of these could be indications of a poor indoor environment.

Improved health

If you suffer from allergies or asthma, air conditioning can have a significant impact on your well-being. Indoor pollutants such as dust, dander, hair, etc. are most likely the culprits of your symptoms.

Since most HEPA whole house air purifiers can efficiently remove particles as small as 0.3 microns, they can improve your symptoms. If the machine employs the right filter, much better – it can collect 99.97 percent of airborne pollutants.

Superior sleep

Poor indoor air quality can disturb your sleep. Dust and other particles can cause snoring and affect the efficiency of your rest. For babies, polluted air can cause sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) in severe cases.

How to Choose the Best Whole House Air Purifiers: 4 Things to Look at

If you’re looking for a product that will continue to keep the air clean throughout your home, here are the features to look for.

Coverage

Whole house air purifiers can cover a lot of area. You can get the ones that connect to your HVAC system or the ones that you put on your floor (a.k.a portable air cleaners) which produce enough airflow (CADR) to cover the whole home. In this article we will focus on portable units that can cover a whole house.

Calculate how large your home is and buy accordingly. For the best air filtration results visit this page and get yourself one of their best whole house air purifiers.

Remember: for best results, select an air purifier that can cover a few extra square feet more than your home. This will guarantee the unit can cover the whole area of you home.

Noise level

Owning a noisy unit is troublesome, especially one that runs 24/7. However, not all air purifiers are quiet and the larger models also tend to produce more noise.

Virtually all air purifiers will tell you their noise level from the bottom to the maximum setting. If it’s not in the description, scroll down to the reviews and other users will surely let you know how loud it is.

To combat a noise problem, it’s a good idea to buy a larger unit.

It may seem like contradictory advice, but you can often run larger units in a lower and quieter environment. In contrast, smaller machines in large homes have to operate at a higher speed. Unfortunately, this usually means more sound.

Filter

The filter is what effectively makes the machine do the job. If the filter is of poor quality or simply does not have enough filtration stages, the air will not be cleaned from dust particles, smoke, allergens and odors. The best filters to look for are HEPA and activated carbon.

HEPA filters remove the very small pollutants in the atmosphere. Pollutants that HEPA filters can remove are dust, dust mites, pollen and mold.

However, for odors, you need an activated carbon filter. These can collect chemicals, gas molecules, formaldehyde, and more, in addition to odors.

Fortunately, most whole house air purifiers use both. The downside, however, is that they eventually require replacement, which is expensive. For comparison, an average filter replacements are $30 per piece.

Warranty

Warranties allow you to replace defective components or even the entire unit if something fails. When manufacturers put a warranty on their products, it usually means they know their product works. Therefore, a great product usually means that the product is worth its price. Avoid air purifiers that do not have any warranty period.

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The roof of the Thorold Community Activities Group (TCAG) is in need of repairs so they want to install a ‘green roof’; ‘We’re hoping to raise about $40,000’

Time to raise the roof! The Thorold Community Activities Group (TCAG) has launched a ‘Green the Roof’ fundraiser.

As ThoroldToday reported, the roof of the TCAG is in desperate need of repairs so the group is hoping to install a new green roof.

Green roofs have a layer of vegetation on top that is supposed to provide environmental benefits, such as air purification and urban heat island amelioration.

Because of the costs of the project, the TCAG is looking towards the local community for help.

“The entire cost of the roof is well over 300,000 dollars,” the TCAG’s executive director Megan Gilchrist told ThoroldToday in a recent interview. “There is grant money available that we’re applying for but most of the grants require that we raise a certain percentage ourselves to show that there is community support. We’re hoping to raise about 40,000 dollars.”

The TCAG is encouraging people to donate in the spirit of Giving Tuesday which takes place on Nov. 29. Giving Tuesday is a global movement to counter Black Friday, in which people are encouraged to donate money to a good cause of their choice.

The TCAG takes up an important part in the Thorold community. The not-for-profit charity was founded back in 1981 by a group of Thorold volunteers who wanted to provide recreational, cultural, and educational programs for the local community.

These days, an important part of the TCAG’s programming is their licensed childcare and their day-camps for kids.

To make it easy for people to donate money towards the ‘Green the Roof’ fundraiser, the TCAG has set up a donation page through CanadaHelps. Any additional funds raised will be put towards other greening initiatives at the TCAG.

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On September 12, 2022, a judge revoked fourteen permits issued by the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality (“LDEQ”) for a new plastics manufacturing facility under the Clean Air Act.

The permits were issued in 2020 to Formosa Plastics Group but were immediately challenged by citizen groups on environmental justice, public trust, and administrative procedure grounds. The court noted that EPA’s screening tool, EJSCREEN, “shows that the communities closest to the [proposed] site are in the 95-100th percentile for cancer risk associated with exposure to toxic air pollutants from industrial sites” and found LDEQ’s failure to consider cumulative impacts in making its permitting decision to be unlawful. According to the court, LDEQ incorrectly determined the facility demonstrated it would not “cause or contribute to” air pollution violations, and that by approving the permits, LDEQ was “allowing the chemical complex to participate in violations of federal air standards.”

This ruling comes as EPA is placing an emphasis on EJ considerations in permitting nationwide. The Formosa challenges are likely a preview of further permitting challenges to come across the country.

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Photo by Boehringer Ingelheim.

This advertorial was funded, reviewed, and approved by Boehringer Ingelheim Limited UK&IE

A lot has changed in the past ten years. Climate change and sustainability are now top priorities for policymakers – and healthcare is no different. Within the NHS, the appetite for transitioning to net zero is stronger than ever. Greener NHS, NHS England’s climate change programme, is doing a fantastic job of embedding climate emergency action into the work of this country’s largest employer. Today, every NHS Trust has an executive director lead for net zero and a board-approved Green Plan, with sustainability professionals increasingly employed to help deliver these. NHS England has set ambitious targets of reaching net zero by 2040 for all the emissions we can control, and 2045 for all the emissions we can influence, ahead of the UK government’s target of 2050.

Here at Newcastle Hospitals, we declared a climate emergency in 2019 – the first healthcare organisation in the world to do so. With a vision to be a global leader in sustainable healthcare services, we know that the climate emergency is a health emergency. We have set even more ambitious targets of net zero by 2030 for the emissions we control, and 2040 for those we can influence.

As associate director for sustainability at the Trust, I am highly focused on these aims. When I first joined 12 years ago, I was the lone environmentalist in an organisation of 15,000. My role involved looking at waste, recycling and efficiencies. But since then my remit – and our team, now with six other people – has expanded to far broader thinking on sustainability.

Today, I look at the sustainability of our estates – energy, waste, water, the design of our hospitals and green spaces – as well as journeys to and from hospitals, the embodied carbon in our procurement, and implementing clean air principles in our work. We also have a strong focus on our people and patients – how do we empower our staff to deliver more sustainable care, and keep our stakeholders committed, too?

Clean air is one of the three long-term goals in our Climate Emergency Strategy. Poor air quality is a public health issue. Some 30 per cent of preventable deaths due to non-communicable diseases are connected to airborne pollutants. One in three GP practices and one in four hospitals in England are in areas that breach World Health Organisation guidance levels for fine particulate matter (PM2.5), one of the most common and dangerous pollutants.

There is an economic price, too. It is estimated that the social and health impacts of air pollution could cost England £18.6bn by 2035.

And there are many different players in the fight for better air, so any action on air quality needs to involve businesses, policymakers and the wider public. As a result, we helped create, and are early adopters of, the ICS Clean Air Framework. After we declared a climate emergency in 2019, we knew that air pollution was one of the biggest environmental threats to public health. It became clear that action on clean air is as key for population and planetary health as getting to zero carbon and zero waste.

We teamed up with Global Action Plan (GAP) and Boehringer Ingelheim to trial this on an Integrated Care System (ICS) level, building on GAP’s earlier work with Great Ormond Street Hospital. The initiative, and the findings of our pilot study, published in April’s Levers for Change report, represent a commitment to improving air quality at all healthcare access points, not just hospitals.

We had concerns about achieving this. The North East & North Cumbria (NENC) ICS covers a vast geography, from the east to the west coast and from the Scottish border to Yorkshire. It includes 13 local authorities and doesn’t benefit from one single mayoral combined authority or integrated transport system. Coupled with a similar number of NHS provider Trusts, we knew cohesion and capacity would be tough.

We started collaborating with our sustainability leads across NENC and challenged the then ICS management board to prioritise this work. The NENC is a huge patch and there are many different parties and Trusts within that – so we came together to collate best practice. Knowing that the NHS couldn’t do this alone meant bringing together provider Trusts extending into local authorities, businesses and third sector and voluntary organisations.

On the back of this came the North East England Climate Coalition – and with that, the huge ambition to become England’s greenest region. Of course, this has come with its challenges. Given the geographical spread, there’s variation in political priorities – and affiliations – competing interests, and populations with varying challenges.

But it’s been worth it. Public health leaders and local authorities now share our obligation to improve population health. Collaboration is integral to this and aligning the work with acute, mental health, and primary care providers makes the partnership incredibly effective.

We have had many successes, including a significant increase in digital healthcare appointments, education on the health impacts of air pollution, no idling campaigns, and nature-based solutions aligned with green and social prescribing.

If you work with, or are part of, your local ICS you should absolutely consider signing up to the ICS Clean Air Framework, which you can access for free online. You can see how important it is, how easy it is, and you can advocate for your ICS to sign up. Once more ICSs get involved, we will be able to see improvements in clean air nationwide.

In fact, Boehringer Ingelheim and its partners, us included, would really like to see the Greener NHS team make action on clean air a mandatory part of the Green Plans that all ICSs are required to produce. Targeted plans against air pollution across the country would be mutually reinforcing and beneficial. We would see real results in reducing ill health and the burden on services. Despite the NHS’s strong commitments, not all ICSs have an established sustainability lead delivering this work. Change has to be a cohesive effort that is championed from the top, with clear accountability.

The air pollution that we breathe every day is largely undetectable to the human eye, but it is killing us across all stages of life, from the womb to old age. It’s on the rise, and we can’t be complacent. Our NHS staff see the worst of it, and it’s putting a huge strain on an already pressurised health service. This needs to be a priority for all healthcare professionals, local authority leaders and community partners – and this initiative is the perfect place to start.

[See also: Air pollution is the biggest environmental risk to the UK’s health – here’s why]

Job code: NP-GB-103373

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