+44 1865 259200
Aether, in partnership with London Sustainability Exchange (LSx), Surrey Air Alliance and Surrey County Council, has helped to create and implement a Cleaner Air for Schools Programme in Surrey. The programme aims to teach children about local air quality issues and what they can do to help reduce air pollution at their school through a series of workshops and learning resources. Aether was responsible for creating and adapting the learning resources, including a data visualisation which enables school children to learn about air quality.
The challenge
There are 26 Air Quality Management Areas (AQMA) in Surrey. These relate to levels of nitrogen dioxide (NO2) which are over legal limits. There are a number of schools which fall either in or within 2 km of these AQMAs and may therefore be exposed to air pollution.
The solution
Through this DEFRA funded project, LSx and Aether have created and implemented a Cleaner Air for Schools Programme in Surrey which aims to educate children of all ages on the causes and impacts of air pollution and ways in which it can be reduced. The programme included a series of workshops, diffusion tube surveys at each selected school and the creation of learning resources including teaching notes and an interactive data visualisation. The programme conducted diffusion tube surveys and workshops in 30 schools in Surrey.
The result
Aether’s online, interactive data visualisation can be seen here. The visualisation allows children to explore information and data on air quality in a fun and engaging way. It helps them to learn about air pollution, how it can be monitored, levels of air pollution at their school (from diffusion tube surveys) and actions they can take to reduce air pollution.
Kathryn Hampshire
Associate Director
Related case studies
Luton Council Net Zero Roadmap and Climate Policy and Action Plan
Category: Cities and Local Authorities
Aether, alongside SE2 and associate Joanne Wade, developed a Net Zero Roadmap and Climate Policy and Action Plan to support the council in its vision of a net zero town by 2040.
Read case studyAdaptation and Mitigation Planning for Tamworth Borough Council
Category: Cities and Local Authorities, Emission Inventories, Policies and Measures
Aether, in partnership with SE2 and Mesh, delivered a package of work to support Tamworth Borough Council to develop an evidence-based climate change adaptation strategy and mitigation action plan.
Read case studyOxford Sustainability Index
Category: Cities and Local Authorities, Policies and Measures
Aether was appointed to develop a Sustainability Index for Oxford, comparing the city’s performance with others.
Read case studyNews
Latest news
Posted on: 19 June 2026
NECD Review Week in Brussels
Aether spent a week at the European Commission in Brussels as part of the review of air pollutant inventories submitted under the EU’s National Emission reduction Ceilings Directive (NECD).
Read full storyPosted on: 18 May 2026
Power Query Workshop in Estonia
Aether travelled to the Estonian Environmental Research Centre (EKUK) in Tallinn to deliver a two-day training workshop for the inventory team to build capacity on the Excel power queries used in the GHG inventory templates previously set up by Aether in 2022.
Read full storyPosted on: 30 April 2026
Capacity Sharing in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Aether delivered a three-day GHG inventory capacity building workshop in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, towards development of the BTR1.
Read full storyPosted on: 17 March 2026
Central Asia Study Tour: Air Quality Workshop
Aether provided representatives from Central Asia (Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan) who were visiting the UK on a study tour with an introduction to air quality management.
Read full storyFilter news by category
Aether Blog Air Pollution Air Quality Assessments Barriers to Net Zero Capacity Building Carbon Footprint Climate Emergency Climate Equality Climate Finance Consumption COP28 Culture Data Visualisation Economic Status Emissions Reporting European Topic Centre GHG Infrastructure Inventories Local Government Mitigation MRV National Government Net Zero Oxfam Paris Agreement Policy Recruitment Society Stakeholder Engagement Waste Sector Wider Impacts
Testimonial
