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Published: 13 December 2023

Guildford Living Lab join Car Free Day in Guildford for the third year

The GCARE team partnered with ZERO Carbon Guildford and the University of Surrey to actively engage the public in discussions on the importance of clean air and strategies to enhance urban climate resilience.

Credit: University of Surrey
People from GCARE stand in front of an information stand on Guildford High Street

The GCARE team on Guildford High Street

Credit: University of Surrey
Prashant Kumar and his wife with the Mayor of Guildford

Prashant Kumar and his wife met the Mayor of Guildford, who also visited the Guildford Living Lab stand

Credit: University of Surrey
Three people enjoy Car Free Day

Professor Prashant Kumar (right) and others enjoyed networking and inspiring others at Car Free Day

Credit: University of Surrey
A tablet screen shows hot and cold areas in different colours

Visitors to the stand experimented with the HeatCool tool, a hand-held and user-friendly thermographic setup

The team introduced their work to the public in the heart of Guildford’s town centre at the popular Car Free Day, now in its third year. Visitors explored the interactive displays, such as an air pollution quiz that predicted people's exposure to air pollutions during their commutes. They experimented with the HeatCool tool, a hand-held and user-friendly thermographic setup. This innovative device allowed users to generate thermal images, enhancing their understanding of thermodynamics concepts and how heat transfers between objects and the surrounding environment. This raised awareness about the pressing issues of global climate change and the warming of Earth’s surface.

Safer kitchens

Passers by also heard from the team about past and current projects, for example, the Kitchen Guidance, an informative guide which explored the various factors influencing air quality, including cooking methods and ventilation. People could take copies with them.

Working with schools

Another initiative highlighted was GCARE’s ongoing work on green infrastructures in schools, with a significant project currently taking place at Sandfield Primary School in Guildford. Funded by the RECLAIM Network Plus, this project showcases the benefits of green infrastructures in mitigating air pollution within a school environment.

GCARE’s attendance and support of the event was greatly valued and contributed to making this Car Free Day so successful. Car Free Day provided a great opportunity to engage with residents and visitors to the town. It has never been more important for us all to play our part in the face of a climate catastrophe. Guildford alone cannot solve all the problems, we need to understand how we can all play our part in dealing with the climate crisis. I’m very grateful for the support we received from the GCARE team. Cllr George Potter, Lead Councillor for Planning, Environment and Climate Change
I was delighted to receive support from the GCARE team at this year’s Car Free Day. The interactive displays and information they bought with them were very engaging and I was pleased to see so many visitors to the event stop to understand more about their work. Cllr Julia McShane, Leader of the Council
Our team at GCARE has been actively engaged for the third consecutive year in addressing the pressing issues of pollution and climate resilience. It has been a valuable opportunity for our team, including young researchers, to interact with the public and discuss practical solutions.

We have shared key findings that can empower individuals to make informed decisions in their daily lives, reducing their exposure to air pollution and making positive contributions to the environment. We extend our gratitude to the Guildford Borough Council, Zero Carbon Guildford, Institute for Sustainability and our numerous partners and organisations for their invaluable support. Professor Prashant Kumar, Founding Director of GCARE and the Co-Director of the Institute for Sustainability

The CoGreen Project is support by RECLAIM Network Plus. RECLAIM is a £1.45m EPSRC-funded Network Plus project (EP/W034034/1) that focuses on the UK’s ‘forgotten cities’ and acts as a ‘one-stop-shop’ for towns and cities to find the information and support they need to install green and blue infrastructure.

Find more information on the RECLAIM Network.

The kitchen guidance builds on studies carried out as part of the Clean Air Engineering for Cities (CArE-Cities) and Clean Air Engineering for Homes (CArE-Homes) projects. 

The HeatCool project is supported by the Ove Arup Foundation, LivGBGI (a project funded by the RECLAIM Network Plus) and GreenCities.

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Featured Academics

Professor Prashant Kumar

Prof Prashant Kumar

Co-Director, Institute for Sustainability, Professor and Chair in Air Quality and Health; Founding Director, Global Centre for Clean Air Research (GCARE)