We are delighted that BREATHE, our green barrier project, has won a Tes Award. Our partner in this project, Hunters Bar Infant School, has been awarded environment champion of the year.
For BREATHE, Grantham Scholar Maria del Carmen Redondo Bermudez works with Hunters Bar to reduce air pollution.
The project started because the school was worried about the effect of air pollution on children, who are especially vulnerable to it. So they teamed up with Maria, local companies, and various volunteers to make a solution. After a lot of research, they created the green barrier.
The green barrier is formed of specially selected plants. In order to best reduce air pollution for kids, the green barrier has been planted around the playground. Once in place, it lowers air pollution in various ways, for instance trapping pollution particles on bark or leaves. If you want to know more about how the green barrier works, then you can read this interview with Maria.
Talking about the project, lead judge for the category Steve Brace, said: “It showed me what a school can do in terms of identifying a problem, presenting a solution, working with their wider community to deliver it and then being able to share results.”
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