During the training, an educational programme was presented, together with specific lesson plans for implementation in Bolesławiec schools and preschools. “This project was written to introduce children (and, through them, their parents as well) to the concept of smog and air pollution in a simple way,” says the project’s author, Magdalena Bąkowska. “The issue of smog in Poland will not be resolved for at least the next several years. At best, at some point the problem will stop getting worse, but it will not disappear for a long time yet. That is why it is so important for children and their parents to be aware of this and to know how to protect themselves from smog. Institutions responsible for upbringing and education should also have such knowledge,” the author points out.
The smog project for teachers was preceded by a presentation by Krzysztof Smolnicki, president of the Ekorozwoju Foundation, who emphasizes that air pollution has a real impact on people’s health and their everyday quality of life.
The problem of smog—a term already in use in London in 1952, when 4,000 deaths were recorded between 5 and 9 December—the scale of the threat to life and health, the medical community’s growing knowledge about diseases caused by smog (e.g. cardiovascular diseases and allergies), the standards and regulations for stoves and fuel in force in other countries, as well as the possibility of purchasing outdated and substandard stoves in stores, whose sale is permitted in Poland—these are among the issues addressed in the presentation by the president of the Ekorozwoju Foundation.
Education from the earliest years can lead to a new approach to environmental protection. The catastrophic effects of the London smog 65 years ago changed the attitudes of not only the British, but also other nations, regarding air pollution; nevertheless, it remains a problem in many countries, including Poland.
Air quality measurement data for Bolesławiec are available on the City Hall website under the “Air Quality in Bolesławiec” tab. In addition to general information about smog, low emissions, ways to care for air quality and protect health from air pollution, users can check the current air quality parameters in Bolesławiec based on monitoring conducted by the WIOŚ station on Słowackiego Street. “Air Quality in Bolesławiec”—www.boleslawiec.eu.
More at www.boleslawiec.eu.