You can’t do citizen science on your own

CurieuzenAir is an initiative of the University of Antwerp, the urban movement BRAL and the Université libre de Bruxelles, in close collaboration with Bloomberg Philanthropies, Brussels Environment, De Standaard, Le Soir and BRUZZ.

CurieuzenAir is part of the Brussels Clean Air Partnership, an initiative funded by Bloomberg Philanthropies, which brings together universities, NGOs and local authorities to develop a coordinated and science-based approach to improve air quality throughout the Brussels-Capital Region.

Within the framework of the Brussels Clean Air Partnership, CurieuzenAir cooperates with other Brussels projects on air quality such as Chercheurs d’air and Babel’Air. CurieuzenAir is inspired by the CurieuzeNeuzen projects, which have been previously conducted to great acclaim in Antwerp in 2016 and Flanders in 2018.

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Citizen science is part of our DNA

The University of Antwerp believes in science close to the public. CurieuzenAir is a project for and by citizens. We are convinced that the impact of our collective knowledge is greater by sharing it with as many people as possible. Far greater than if we did not step outside the walls of the university.

Clear communication is crucial. The university is a hotbed of ideas, a lab for the society of the future. With CurieuzenAir, the University of Antwerp wants accelerate the debate on air quality. Facts matter. The better we understand the local impact of traffic, the better we can formulate our ambitions for clean air.

www.uantwerpen.be

BRAL, an urban movement for Brussels

BRAL wants to create a healthy and environmentally friendly city where people take care of each other. From mobility to urban planning, we place the people of Brussels at the heart of our work. We inform them and put their initiatives in the spotlight. We defend our common interests with the government – from the discussion table to the streets. We are critical but constructive, a bit rebellious but always nuanced.

BRAL works in the Brussels metropolitan region, in all its social and cultural diversity. Better air quality is one of our top priorities. We have been working for years with the citizens of Brussels to improve the air quality in our beloved city. CurieuzenAir is the next, important step after years of work for us. After putting air quality on the map, we will continue to fight with Brussels’ citizens for more ambitious regulations so that everyone can breathe better.

www.bral.brussels

Université libre de Bruxelles

The francophone Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB) has a longstanding tradition of excellence in research and teaching. ULB is a multicultural and internationally oriented university, at the image of the cosmopolitan city-region of Brussels. For us this is a daily reality: one third of our students and researchers are from abroad. Ever since its creation in 1834, ULB has been defending the founding principles of the independence of reason and free enquiry, rejecting all dogmas. ULB is a firmly committed institution serving society.

Convinced that sustainability is a necessity, ULB has committed itself to ongoing renewal. We are creating a university for tomorrow, in light of the contemporary ecological, social and economic challenges. ULB is involved in the CurieuzenAir project covering the sociological angles of the project.

www.ulb.be

Bloomberg Philanthropies

Bloomberg Philanthropies invests in 810 cities and 170 countries around the world to ensure better, longer lives for the greatest number of people. The organization focuses on five key areas for creating lasting change: the Arts, Education, Government Innovation, Public Health, and Environment. The Environment program leads efforts to fight climate change and protect the environment by driving the transition to clean energy, supporting climate action in cities, and preserving ocean ecosystems. CurieuzenAir is supported by Bloomberg’s Brussels Clean Air Partnership, a collaboration with the Brussels-Capital Region Government, Brussels Environment, universities, research centers, and NGOs to help curb air pollution in the Brussels-Capital Region.

Bloomberg Philanthropies encompasses all of Michael R. Bloomberg’s giving, including his foundation, corporate, and personal philanthropy as well as Bloomberg Associates, a pro bono consultancy that works in cities around the world. In 2020, Bloomberg Philanthropies distributed $1.6 billion. For more information, please visit bloomberg.org or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Twitter, and TikTok.

www.bloomberg.org

Leefmilieu Brussel

Brussels Environment is the administration responsible for the environment and energy in the Brussels-Capital Region.

As a public service, the mission of Brussels Environment is to study, monitor, manage and provide expertise in the fields of air, nature, water, soil, waste and noise. One of its main priorities is the permanent monitoring of air quality in the Brussels-Capital Region by the Brussels Air Quality Laboratory.

Within the framework of Brussels Clean Air Partnership, which brings together academia, non-profit associations and governments in the fight against air pollution, Brussels Environment encourages the participation of citizens and its partners in the largest ever citizen survey on air quality in Brussels.

environnement.brussels

Brussels Hoofdstedelijk Gewest

The Brussels-Capital Region is the Belgian federated entity responsible for spatial planning, urban development, housing, mobility, the economy, employment, the environment, energy, local authorities, scientific research and external relations on the territory of the nineteen municipalities that make up the Region.

The Government of the Brussels-Capital Region supports the citizen survey carried out by the CurieuzenAirs, within the framework of the Brussels Clean Air Partnership.. This initiative brings together a large number of different actors (universities, associations, citizens’ groups, administrations, etc.) to better understand and combat air pollution in Brussels.

be.brussels

Le Soir

The air quality in Brussels has slowly improved over the past few years. However, air pollution remains significant. Unevenly distributed over the territory, it seriously harms the population’s health. Together with other forms of nuisance, such as noise pollution, it is one of the main concerns of the inhabitants of Brussels. Just as it is a concern for other city residents in our country.

Le Soir is the leading French-language newspaper in the capital and is fully committed to covering this issue. Our participation in this large-scale measurement campaign is an additional opportunity to bring in-depth journalism and contribute to the resilience and knowledge of the people of Brussels. Measuring is knowing. Knowing is essential to avoid harm. It is a crucial process to ensure a better quality of life in the city.

www.lesoir.be

BRUZZ

Since 20 April 2016, BRUZZ has been the media brand of the non-profit Vlaams-Brusselse Media. BRUZZ manifests itself online, on radio and TV and in print as the reference for Brussels.

As the successor to Agenda Magazine, Brussel Deze Week, brusselnieuws.be, FM Brussel and tvbrussel, BRUZZ wants to respond quickly to innovative media use. Not only through its own channels, but also on external platforms.

BRUZZ’s central editorial offices and media units are located in the historic Flagey building in Ixelles. From there we make BRUZZ together with everyone who is active in Brussels and we want to serve media users inside and outside the city even better with a contemporary media offer.

Discover BRUZZ Radio (98.8FM), BRUZZ.be, BRUZZ Magazine and BRUZZ TV.

Translated with www.DeepL.com/Translator (free version)

www.bruzz.be

De Standaard

CurieuzeNeuzen is breaking loose. After Antwerp and Flanders, Brussels will as well measure the air quality. The horizon extends even further. The European institutions and other capitals are interested in rolling out the CurieuzeNeuzen citizen science model, developed by the University of Antwerp.

De Standaard is again a partner in Brussels, together with the French-language newspaper Le Soir and the Brussels news medium BRUZZ. Air quality is an important social issue, where environment, climate and health converge. As obvious as it is that water from the tap should be pure and drinkable, the struggle to make the air we breathe as pure is still difficult. Clean air is a collective right, therefore De Standaard focuses heavily on this theme. But CurieuzeNeuzen is also a unique investigation in journalistic terms. The newspaper is at the source of the data collection. We literally help make the news. The measurements in Brussels will provide new insights. For example, about the impact of commuter traffic. But also about the way air quality coincides with the socio-economic stratification of the city. In the coming months, De Standaard will be reporting extensively on this, as well as on the search for solutions by the inhabitants of Brussels.

www.standaard.be

DPD

At DPDgroup, we fight climate change for every parcel delivered. We do this by measuring our carbon footprint for each parcel, reducing it in every way possible and compensating the remaining emissions by investing in clean and renewable energy projects.

This way, we can deliver our parcels 100% carbon-neutral in Europe. In addition, we invest in green, clean vehicles and buildings, promising to also reduce our CO2 emissions per parcel by 30% by 2025! Read all about our CSR approach here.

We are therefore delighted to work with a like-minded partner such as CurieuzenAir and thus contribute to the sustainability of their parcel deliveries. Moreover, using our 70 DPD Pickup parcel shops in Brussels, we reduce the number of kilometres driven compared to home deliveries!

Want to send a carbon-neutral parcel yourself?

During this project, with code CN2021 you get a one-time 25% discount when you buy your shipping label at www.dpd.be.