Have you spotted the new poem adorning West Norwood yet?

Thanks to the amazing people behind PoetrySlabs, London’s first catalytic poem is up at the Bzz Garage. “A Rare Bee” by poet laureate Carol Ann Duffy has been put up on the bus garage wall (corner of Ernest Avenue/Knight’s Hill SE27).

Coated in magical nano-titania spray, the poetic banner silently converts noxious exhaust fumes into water that gently waters the bee friendly garden below. An innovative solution to London’s air quality crisis!

Lambeth is helping local businesses cut CO2 emissions from supply chains

As part of a wider strategy to improve the air quality in one of the most polluted areas of the UK, Lambeth LBC is working in partnership with Wandsworth, Southwark and Croydon LBCs to improve air quality by reducing the number of delivery vehicles travelling into each borough.

Lambeth launches two new air quality projects

1. Engine Idling Action Days – http://www.projectdirt.com/project/17108/

City of London has received widespread praise for its anti-idling campaign. As part of the Mayor’s Air Quality Fund, this project is now being rolled out to 11 other boroughs, including Lambeth. Citizens and councillors are being asked to volunteer two hours a month to go out in pairs to selected air quality hot spots and talk to drivers and pedestrians about unnecessary engine idling and its impact on air quality.

Citizens and councillors can register interest here or email Paula paula@greengumption.co.uk who has been appointed to carry out this project on behalf of Lambeth. The project will be launched on 17 October in Windrush Square between 12 and 2pm and the dates for action days for the rest of the year will be decided with volunteers, when we know who is interested in working with us. A workshop will also be organised for anyone interested in volunteering.

To register for 17th October launch:
http://www.projectdirt.com/apps/event/43164/

2. Love Lambeth Air – http://mappingforchange.org.uk/

Measure air quality outside your home or office. Lambeth council, in partnership with Mapping for Change, is providing diffusion tubes to residents and businesses to measure nitrogen dioxide outside their home or office. There will also be workshops for citizens to explain how diffusion tubes work and to discuss ways to help improve air quality and reduce personal exposure to air pollution. To register your interest please email Louise at lovelambethair@mappingforchange.org.uk by 14 October 2016.

Lambeth Air Quality Action Plan – open for consultation

Lambeth has drafted a new Air Quality Action Plan, which details proposals to improve air quality, raise awareness, and reduce exposure to air pollution during 2017-2022. The plan will be presented to Cabinet for approval, but first an open consultation on the plan will run until 15 November.

For more information about the consultation and to see a copy of the Air Quality Action Plan, please visit www.lambeth.gov.uk/AQAP. To give your comments on the plan, please complete our online feedback form or email sustainability@lambeth.gov.uk.

On average, air pollution in Thurlow Park ward is lower than in many other parts of the borough. However, air pollution knows no borders, and also this does not mean that there are no air quality hotspots, ie local areas where air pollution is above limits. As a rule of thumb, the closer to any main or busy road and the less natural air flow, the more likely it is the air pollution will be higher in any place in London.

Meet Sadiq’s new deputy mayor for the environment

Sadiq Khan has appointed Shirley Rodrigues to be the Deputy Mayor for Envrionment. She has previously worked in senior environmental policy roles, helping to implement the London Low Emission Zone and developing programmes to retrofit the capital’s buildings.

Ms Rodrigues has said that her priority is to make London one of the world’s most environmentally friendly cities, and is keen to tackle air pollution. Around 9,500 Londoners die from long term exposure to air pollution every year, and Sadiq Khan has said that tackling this is one of the biggest health emergencies facing the capital. Ms Rodrigues will be driving forward ambitious plans for a T-Charge for the most polluting vehicles, expanding the Ultra-Low Emission Zone and creating green bus zones.

Cleaner greener bus for Brixton

The Labour Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, has confirmed his plans for Low Emission Bus Zones across London. These will identify the most polluted routes and prioritise them for the greenest buses in order to clean up our toxic air.

From October 2017, this will see big improvements to the A23 route between Brixton and Streatham. This route will be served exclusively by hybrid or diesel buses with top of the range anti pollutant systems whoch meet or exceed European standards. Lambeth is one of the two first schemes to benefit from the new plans and it is expected to reduce NOx emissions by over 80%.

Cllr Jennifer Brathwaite, Lambeth’s Cabinet Member for Environment & Transport said: “This is great news in the fight to improve London’s air quality. Brixton and Streatham see a huge amount of buses travelling through and it has had a real impact on air quality in the area. In Lambeth, we are determined to see our air quality improve and we welcome the new low emission bus zone – it is something that we have been lobbying the Mayor for and it is encouraging that he seems as determined as we are to make a difference. We will continue to work with the Mayor and TfL to make Lambeth a cleaner and safer place to live.”

See more information from the Brixton BID here.

Help us make our air cleaner

London is suffering from a clean air crisis: 10,000 people lose their lives prematurely every year and Lambeth’s inner city location means that we need urgent action to make our borough’s air cleaner and safer.

The Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan is currently consulting on plans to improve London’s air. Lambeth Council and Lambeth for a Cool Planet have launched a campaign to support the Mayor’s efforts to take strong action to address London’s appalling air quality and make sure that big improvements are made in Lambeth.

We are asking for –

Make the A23 one of the first Clean Bus Corridors. The A23 corridor linking Streatham and Brixton, which has recorded higher levels of air pollution, including NO2, than Oxford Street, should be in the first tranche of Clean Bus Corridors. Clean buses should be introduced to the London bus fleet as a matter or urgency. Buses on London’s roads should use either retrofitted or new, cleaner engines by 2020.

Extend the Ultra-Low Emission Zone to reduce the impact of toxic exhaust fumes. Implementation of the ULEZ should be brought forward to September 2019.

Invest in green infrastructure. The Mayor should roll out the bike hire scheme to Brixton, Streatham and Norwood, help plant hundreds of new trees and invest in freight consolidation centres to slash the number of journeys made by the most polluting vehicles.

Lobby the Government to take clean air seriously. Press the Government to take forward a diesel scrappage scheme at the earliest opportunity, lobby for the devolution of vehicle excise duty to encourage buying of less polluting cars, as well as the reinstatement of the Air Quality Grant.

You can sign our petition here – https://www.change.org/p/sadiq-khan-clean-air-for-lambeth

Please add your name and include in your comments anything you would like us to include in our response to Sadiq.