Clean air for schools
Activities that support the local community take a special place among the core values that drive us at Umicore. We believe that through initiatives for the improvement of our local community, we positively impact their development and wellbeing. One of such initiatives was our recent cooperation with local schools in improving air quality.
Since 2018, students from local schools can rely on Umicore’s support. Our cooperation includes sharing professional knowledge and assisting them with material needs. It enables students to receive scholarships and allows them to work on highly specialized equipment to develop their key competencies. Last year, as part of our donation, we provided local schools with professional equipment that significantly improved their education during the Covid virus pandemic; you can read more about this initiative in our article.
Our commitment to the environment and sustainable development is crucial to support local communities. We try to implement a sustainable approach in all we do. Therefore, we do not stay passive towards the significant deterioration of air quality during winter. Smog is hazardous to children, who first suffer from respiratory diseases. Therefore, as part of the fight against pollution in Nowa Ruda and its surroundings, and in support of local education, we decided to make a difference for two nearby schools. At the beginning of January 2022, we donated ten air purifiers to the Complex of Technical Schools in Kłodzko and Primary School No. 7 in Nowa Ruda.
One purifier works effectively on an area of 60m2 and will exchange as much as 500m3 of air per hour. Thanks to the 5-layer True Hepa filter, it removes up to 99.9% of harmful airborne particles. The advantage of purifiers is also an ultra-quiet mode of operation, so they will not generate noise during the classes.
"We struggle with the problem of smog in Nowa Ruda every year. We know how much it affects our health, especially the children’s health. I am glad that as Umicore, we were able to contribute with our air purifiers - so that the pupils of local schools can breathe clean air," says Stephan Noll, Plant Manager Umicore in Nowa Ruda.
Considering the problem of poor air quality and the Covid-19 pandemic, we believe that the equipment we donated to schools will fulfill its purpose and bring many health benefits to both teachers and students.