CLEAN AIR FOR THE ENDS
We are fighting for clean air for everybody, starting with clean air for the ends
Poetic Unity have been raising awareness of air pollution for two years with Live + Breathe. The 'Clean Air For The Ends' campaign aims to highlight the inequality in the air. Air pollution is a critical issue that is affecting all of us but because air pollution isn't visible it doesn’t always get taken seriously.
up to 43,000 people die every year due
to the effects of air pollution in the UK.
Although air pollution affects everyone, Lambeth and Southwark have some of the worst air pollution levels in London so Poetic Unity’s new campaign ‘Clean Air For The Ends’ promotes alternative travel such as riding bikes and roller skating for young Black and marginalised people from the ends.
Black residents are being exposed to more levels of illegal air pollution than any other ethnic group
Air pollution is a social justice issue. The people whose health is the most affected do the least to contribute to the problem. This is because they’re less likely to own a car or use it as frequently. As a Brixton based charity who predominantly supports young Black and marginalised people we felt called to make noise about this issue in the best way we know how, through poetry.
Ryan J. Matthews-Robinson, Founder and Chief Executive of Poetic Unity, said:
“We know the racial injustice attached to air quality and we want to ensure our young people have a fairer and cleaner quality of air for the future. Clean Air For The Ends brings the community together not only to highlight this important issue but to share joy, give purpose and tangible steps to find solutions together long term."
As much as making noise about air pollution is important, we want to see tangible solutions and opportunities for the community to come together to make a stand for clean air such as:
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Free annual community bike ride
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Free annual public transport day (on Clean Air Day 20th June)
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Make public transport and alternative transport significantly cheaper
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Make public transport free for all London resident’s, countries such as Luxembourg and Malta have already done this for their residents.
We know cars cause a high percentage of the air pollution in London but we can’t expect people to drive less if public transport and other alternatives are still expensive and unreliable. We believe making public transport free will make a significant difference to the air pollution problem in London.
CAMPAIGN END GOALS
How to get involved
In the near future we will put out a detailed plan and timeline of our how we plan to meet our goals but in the meantime you can sign up to our mailing list to hear about any upcoming campaign news and activities first. You can also donate to the campaign below which will contribute to covering overheads for the project.
If you are interested in sponsoring or funding this campaign email: info@poeticunity.org.uk with the title 'Clean Air Sponsor.' Thank you to Live + Breathe, Forest Bikes, Cano Water and Aromatherapy Associates London for sponsoring the campaign to date. Upcoming opportunities and updates will be regularly shared on our Instagram @PoeticUnity and we aim to be announcing exciting new partners for this project in the coming months.