LEEDS, 19 November: A West Park primary school has become the first in the UK to take part in a campaign which aims to tackle air pollution by raising awareness about the benefits of electric vehicles (EVs).
Under the Electric Schools campaign, St Chad’s Church of England Primary School has benefited from the installation of a free Pod Point EV chargepoint, worth over £1,000. The chargepoints are being offered to schools located in cities identified by the World Health Organisation (WHO) as having fine-particle air pollution levels that exceed the WHO’s safe limit of 10 micrograms per cubic metre. According to WHO data, Leeds is one of 30 UK places that exceeds this limit, with 12 micrograms per cubic metre [1].
Pod Point’s Electric Schools campaign aims to raise awareness of the many benefits of transitioning to EVs, not least in terms of how they can help fight air pollution – which has been described as a public health crisis – and climate change. The campaign also strives to inspire young learners on how EV technology will revolutionise the way we travel and use energy, by paving the way for driverless cars and energy management systems like vehicle-to-grid.
Helen Pratten, Deputy CEO and Executive Principal, at Abbey Multi Academy Trust which St. Chad’s C of E Primary School is part of, said: “Taking part in the Electric Schools initiative is a great way to boost staff understanding of electric vehicles and demystify this technology. Having a chargepoint on site really helps bring this topic to life.”
As part of the wider Electric Schools campaign, Pod Point’s in-house experts are visiting schools nationwide to introduce the technology and deliver guest speaker sessions on EVs.
All primary schools that want to introduce the topic of EVs can benefit from an educational toolkit that Pod Point has created as part of its Electric Schools campaign.
The toolkit, which has been developed in line with Key Stage 2 curriculum guidelines, is packed with activities and resources for teachers and children, along with a factsheet for any parents that want to learn more about EVs.
Erik Fairbairn, Pod Point CEO and Founder, said: “It’s exciting to welcome St Chad’s to the Electric Schools campaign. We hope many other schools will be inspired by this example. As air pollution affects children the most, schools can play a huge role by helping educate parents, staff and children about poor air quality, climate change and cleaner transport.”
Visit www.pod-point.com/electricschools or email electricschools@pod-point.com to find out more.
[1] https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-43964341
