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uggested Classroom Activities
1. Hold class discussions on an air pollution issue, for example ask students:

How do you feel about air pollution?

What words can you think of to describe it?

What words can you think of that describe how you feel about air pollution?

Who do you think owns the air? Does anyone? Why does it matter?

Why do you think much of what we do on a daily basis impacts on air quality and the rest of the
environment so much?

What can we do to change this?

Make a poster or web page to display in the class/school corridor or on the schools computers for
each of these questions.

2. If there is an air monitoring station close to your school, visit it with the class. It may be a good introduction to
further activities. For this activity you could visit the site and walk around the outside of the air monitoring
station or contact EPA office closest to your local area for a tour.
3. Hold a class debate on an air pollution issue, for example:

Should polluters be penalised?

Should motor vehicles be banned?

Should I care about the air environment?

Should I put up with other people who pollute the air?

Is prevention better than a cure?

4. Use the Transport Survey spreadsheet (Microsoft Excel file, 28 KB) to conduct a student survey to discern
how many students:

Walk to school;

Ride a bike to school;

Catch public transport to school; or

Are driven to school.

Once this data is collected:

Discuss what impact the different forms of transport may have on the air environment and how
negative impacts can be minimised;

Report findings in the school news letter;

Give students a copy to pin up at home.

5. Contact AirWatch to arrange Air monitoring in your school.

6. Celebrity Heads:
Celebrity heads is a fun way to learn about air pollution.
Select three or four students to sit up the front and become the celebrity heads. For this activity write a
word/draw a picture to indicate what each child up the front is representing. This is then stuck on the black
board above the childs head. Students ask questions to help determine what they are. When asking a question
that is correct, students are granted another question. When students ask a question that is incorrect it
becomes the next students turn to ask a question.
For example a student who is a CAR might ask...
Do I have wheels ? Yes
Do I pollute the air? Yes
Am I a bike? No
This proceeds until each student guesses what they are. Rotate students as Celebrity Head rounds are
finished.
There are many words that can be used in this game. Some key words you might like to use are
Air Monitoring Station

Smog

Particles

EPA

Pollution

Summer Smog

Winter Smog

Tram

Gases

Car

Truck

Bike

Lungs

Asthma

Air

Molab

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What Can You Do To Reduce Our Air Pollution?

Some People may say but how can I make a difference? How much can one person really do?
The truth is that everybody has the power to make a difference to the quality of the air and the environment.
To improve the quality of the air we breathe we must think about our individual contribution to pollution. We all
add to air pollution in one way or another.
Take action:
It is important to:

Think for yourself

Communicate with others

Get involved

You can act personally, at home or at school, or by doing something with others in the community.
Walk or ride your bike instead of getting a lift in a car.
Use products made close to your home: This reduces pollution from the transportation of goods.
Where possible, use public transport instead of riding around in your parents car.
Suggest that your class holds a discussion on air pollution. You could discuss the main sources of air pollution
in your area, and how they could be reduced.
Get a guest speaker to come to your school and talk about air pollution.
Join a local environment group. You can find out about these by contacting your local council.

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Reducing Car Pollution

Think about the types of trips that you and your family take in cars, and avoid driving when it is unnecessary.
Think about walking or riding your bike when you are taking very short trips and don't have to carry much
luggage. And think about how much fitter and healthier you will be!
What about car pooling? Often there are people in the same area as you and your family who travel in the
same direction at about the same time of day. Also, think before you drive. Plan trips so they are multi-purpose,
for example pick up all the shopping and in the same trip visit the bank and library! This is also much more
time-efficient for the busy person.

How about public transport! Travelling on trams, buses and trains is a quick and relaxing way to reach our
destination. It gives us time to read books and catch up with friends who might also be travelling the same way!
Just remember, for every kilometre you and your family don't drive the air is made a little healthier for you to
breathe.
So exactly how often do you and your family use cars? Is there any way to change car use to reduce pollutants
being pumped into our air?

What Can We Do?

Sometimes there is no choice and we just have to drive. But there are things you and your family can do to
make sure your car pollutes less.
First of all, buy the most fuel efficient car that meets your family's needs. This will lead to fewer emissions.
The most important thing you can do is keep your family car well maintained. That means making sure it gets
an oil change and is tuned regularly!
You should also make sure that you:

have a well fitted fuel cap on your car to avoid the unnecessary release of fumes from your petrol tank
into the air where they can be breathed in and contribute to photochemical smog

think about converting to Liquid Petroleum Gas (LPG). This will not only reduce your contribution to air
pollution, but is also more cost effective

remove any extra wind resisting items from your car, such as the roof rack, you will save on fuel and at
the same time improve air quality

keep tyres inflated to the specified pressure to reduce resistance

resist the temptation to hot up' your car - research has shown that cars altered beyond manufacturers'
specifications do not run as well and are considered worse polluters. Besides, in Victoria it's ILLEGAL
to modify a vehicle. So, if you are caught, you will not only be fined, but you will have to change it
back!
Top of the page

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What Can I Do At Home?

There are many sources of indoor air pollution. With some minor changes to our activities in the home you and
your family can improve the quality of your indoor air.

For instance, talk to your family about using water-based, rather than oil-based, paints. Open your doors and
windows regularly - simple and yet very effective. Placing floor rugs and bedding out in the sunshine to air on a
regular basis will also mean helping to reduce the number of dust mites, fungi and bacteria. Make it your
preference to use natural products both in the furniture, fitting and cleaning products you use.
Make sure the gardener in your family uses a lawn-mower with an electric motor they are much cleaner (and
four stroke systems are better than two stroke systems). Hand mowers are another option as is replacing some
of the lawn with mulch (no need to mow!).
Always store any volatile substances, like paint, thinners, petrol and pesticide, in containers with firm fitting lids.
If you see them anywhere else, consult the person who looks after them.
Make sure your family does not burn off. Composting garden materials or taking them to the tip is much
cleaner. Use gas BBQs, not wood-fire ones. Do not burn treated or painted wood at any time and ensure your
wood fire is burning efficiently and correctly to avoid smoke and ash blowing into the house.

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Pollution From 'Lifestyle' Activities

Think about the types of activities you do.
Some forms of recreation, like bushwalking and rock climbing contribute little or no pollution. Other hobbies can
affect the quality of our air, like trail bikes, jet skis and power boats.
This does not mean we can not continue to enjoy all forms of recreation. It just means we have to think about
ways to help improve our air quality. For example, new technology currently being used to build outboard
motors will result in the engines producing fewer emissions.
There are lots of ways we can reduce air pollution on a community level, such as car pooling, cycling to work or
catching public transport.
Some workplaces encourage workers to be more environmentally friendly by providing bike lockers and shower
facilities for people who ride.
EPA forecasts and announces smog alert days, allowing people to make appropriate decisions about the
activities they have planned for the day. On these days everyone should make a special effort to reduce their
personal contributions to air pollution!

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Community Schemes

One of the largest challenges in addressing the air pollution issue is motivating the entire community to
contribute to air pollution solutions.
EPA information resources (like this one) and educational campaigns aim to raise people's awareness of the
issues, and to encourage them to take individual action to help improve air quality. In recent years, these have
focused on themes such as motor vehicle emissions, wood fire emissions and alternative transport options, like
'Ride to Work' with Bicycle Victoria.

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Town Planning
Melbourne is a large city, surrounded by many suburbs. Melbourne's many suburbs are often referred to as
urban sprawl'.
Over time, residential developments in Melbourne have moved further and further away from the central
business district. This means that a lot of people have to travel long distances from their homes to their place of
employment.
There is a benefit in making sure you and your parents live close to school or work. If you do not live far away,
your car emissions will be reduced and you may even be able to walk or ride there!
Urban Villages provides a model for future urban development in Melbourne.
It takes into account the commercial, industrial, social, cultural and environmental characteristics of Melbourne
and its position in relation to the rest of Victoria.
Urban Villages have a lot to say about moderating car usage and identifies many key areas for action,
including:

integrating land development with transport systems

encouraging efficient use of land and infrastructure and greater housing choice

investing in public transport to increase personal mobility, reduce congestion and making Melbourne's
assets more easily accessible

ensuring all transport services are customer-focused and conform to world best practice standards.

Initiatives like this aim to moderate the growth in car usage by reducing the need to travel long
distances and by offering alternative modes of transport.

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Student Project Topics
(Further topics will be developed to specifically deal with researching the air motoring data available on
the site)

Draw a picture, make a poster or design a web page about ways you can help improve the air
environment. This can be done individually or in groups.

How do you think people travelled in the 1800s, before the invention of the car? What pollution
problems did those ways of travel have? Create a poster (or story board) to explain your ideas
and research. What suggestions for travel do you have in the next 50 years?

Conduct an observational study. Are there certain times of day when there are more cars on the
road? What do you think this means for our air environment? What do you recommend should
be done about this? Report on your findings.

Does your local council have an environmental officer? Find out who they are and conduct an
interview with them to discover what they think about air pollution

Investigate what is good or bad about burning wood at home for cooking or heating? What
alternatives are there?

Is there such a thing as a non polluting car? Find out about electric cars. Do these pollute the air
at all?