Pigeon Air - Teaching Pigeons to Tweet About London Pollution
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Well, a British company called Plume Labs have found a way to use them to spread a message about keeping London clean. They attach air quality sensors to the birds in question and send them out across the city skyline. The readings are then tweeted by the company on an account called @PigeonAir.Pollution is high in Westminster right now - Tweet us your area of London for a local #PigeonAir reading pic.twitter.com/1aIHe0AE5o— Pigeon Air Patrol (@PigeonAir) March 14, 2016
The birds are sent to specific neighborhoods, and people can tweet Plume to request locals scans if they feel the need. Aside from their homing abilities, pigeons are also surprisingly fast, when the need arises, reaching speeds of up to 80mph, allowing them to cover a remarkable amount of ground in a relatively short space of time.
So far they've scanned Westminster and parts of central London, revealing high pollution levels in the former and moderate ones in the latter. This is a big deal, even moderate pollution levels are harmful if you remain exposed to them for long periods, and supposedly all 50 of the worst affected areas in the UK are in London. Air pollution is thought to kill thousands of people on a yearly basis in London alone, and directly contributes to the spread of respiratory diseases and infections.Our backpacks measure Nitrogen Dioxide, Ozone and other volatile compounds in the air as we fly. #PigeonAir pic.twitter.com/0fsrX1qv9R— Pigeon Air Patrol (@PigeonAir) March 14, 2016
Of course, all Plume can really do with the pigeon project is raise awareness, but by using Twitter as a means of propagating that spread, they're all but ensuring further engagement and involvement from London's population, which will hopefully lead to more pressure on the government to make more steps to cleaning the air.Our #PigeonAir patrol are all roosting and we're signing off for tonight. Goodnight London - see you in the morning! pic.twitter.com/R8MkU1Gz1V— Pigeon Air Patrol (@PigeonAir) March 14, 2016
The cleanest cities in the world, like Calgary, Oslo, Ottawa and Zurich all champion clean, low waste public transport systems and traffic reduction measures. Currently, London is the 8th most congested city in Europe, and while initiatives like the rented bikes and the gradual improvements to the underground have helped, there's still plenty more to be done.
Callum is a film school graduate who is now making a name for himself as a journalist and content writer. His vices include flat whites and 90s hip-hop. Follow him @CallumAtSMF
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Pigeon Air - Teaching Pigeons to Tweet About London Pollution
Reviewed by Unknown
on
Tuesday, March 15, 2016
Rating:
Reviewed by Unknown
on
Tuesday, March 15, 2016
Rating:
Unknown
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