School children from across Caerphilly County Borough marked Clean Air Day last week (Monday, June 17 to Friday, June 21).
A five-day event was held at Caerphilly Castle, with pupils travelling there on electric buses.
The event, which was run by Caerphilly County Borough Council and supported by the Welsh Government and the Global Action Plan charity, was aimed at teaching the next generation about air pollution.
There were a variety of interactive sessions and a theatrical show to engage with the pupils and boost their understanding of the environment and sustainability.
Minister for Environment, Energy and Rural Affairs, Lesley Griffiths AM, attended the events and said: “Caerphilly County Borough Council have done a sterling job supporting and celebrating Clean Air Day, helping teach schoolchildren how they can change their everyday life to make a massive impact on air quality for future generations to come.
“I welcome the high level of participation and interest in events and initiatives being held as part of Clean Air Day to raise awareness of this incredibly important issue and what we can do to tackle it.
“We must all think, individually, about what we can do differently at home, through our travel and elsewhere, to encourage people to reduce the amount of pollution we are all breathing in.
“I would urge everyone to pledge to support the clean air day campaign to ensure sustained improvements in air quality to protect public health and well-being, biodiversity and our natural environment.”
Deputy Leader of the council, Cllr Sean Morgan also attended the event and said: “Caerphilly’s Environmental Health Team have been working on an air quality project with schools over the last few months to raise awareness of the causes of air pollution and promote good practice in the hope that it will embed a cultural change which will benefit future generations.
“The event has seen more than 600 pupils attend over the five days, which was made possible as a result of key partnership working.
“We are committed to becoming a carbon neutral authority and we are taking positive steps to support this change.”
Chris Large, senior partner at Global Action Plan, said: “Our air pollution crisis is solvable and we should use Clean Air Day to also think about what we can do to breathe clean air every day.
“There are so many simple things you can do to protect yourself from air pollution, such as using quieter streets away from traffic, and one of the best ways you can help clear up our toxic air is to walk or cycle instead of using the car.
“It’s so important to make cleaner choices about the way we travel.”