News Releases from Region 05

EPA Installs New Village Green Air Monitoring Bench at Jane Addams Elementary School in Southeast Chicago

For Immediate Release: April 13, 2016 16OPA-010

(CHICAGO) --U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Acting Region 5 Administrator Robert Kaplan today joined students and teachers at Jane Addams Elementary School on Chicago's Southeast Side to showcase EPA's newest Village Green Station - a wind- and solar-powered air monitoring bench. EPA has installed Village Green Stations at six other locations across the nation to help people learn more about local air quality issues. Students at Jane Addams School will also pilot EPA's new AirMapper -a small, portable air sensor kit.

"EPA's Village Green Station and the new AirMapper are great tools to help Jane Addams students and Southeast Side residents learn about local air quality issues," Kaplan said. "The more people know about the air they breathe, the better-equipped they are to take steps to protect their health and their community."

EPA's Village Green Stations are park bench structures with built-in air monitors which measure ozone and particle pollution along with weather conditions. The bench is made from recycled materials and features solar panels and a wind turbine. Current data about local air quality is displayed on a sign next to the bench and reported to www.airnow.gov/villagegreen. EPA's AirMapper uses miniature sensors to gauge particle pollution and weather conditions such as temperature and humidity. Air quality data collected by the AirMapper can be explored on EPA's REal TIme GeOspatial data viewer (RETIGO) at www.epa.gov/retigo. Students will be able to design their own field studies using the AirMapper.

More information about the Village Green project: www.epa.gov/villagegreen.