This spring, MyRWA partnered with A-VOYCE (Asian Voices of Organized Youth for Community Empowerment) on an educational project to explore air quality in Malden.
A-VOYCE youth learned about different air pollutants and designed a study to collect data about PM2.5 in Malden. “In air quality research, we tend to focus on Particle Sizes of 1 micron, 2.5 microns, and 10 microns. We focused on particulate matter of 2.5 microns (PM2.5), because these are the particles that get in people’s lungs and affect our health” - Amy Pham, A-VOYCE member.
Credit: Emma Ishida
The youth chose four areas in Malden to survey with AirBeam sensors that connect to their phones: 1) the Bike Path (Holden St. to Bryant St.), 2) Malden Center, 3) Salem & Bowdoin Apartments, 4) Mystic Valley Charter, Fellsmere Park & Devir Park. “As a group, we collectively brainstormed areas that are of concern and serve as common spaces for Malden residents. These areas are significant in terms of their importance to the community and the potential impact they can have on the well-being and experiences of Malden residents” - Elina Yang, A-VOYCE member.
In addition to quantitative data, the youth surveyed local residents aged 13-25 to ask questions about “their familiarity with extreme heat, rising sea levels, air quality, public trash, and extreme weather.” Participants were also asked about “their concerns and involvement in environmental justice issues” (A-VOYCE presentation).
A-VOYCE youth created flyers to advertise the survey in English, Chinese, Portuguese, and Spanish.
They found that overall, the air quality in Malden is at a healthy level as defined by the Environmental Protection Agency. Additionally, here are some of the trends they noticed:
Poorest air quality areas tended to be parking lots, schools around rush hour, and historically industrial areas
Ex. Downtown Malden & housing authority neighborhoods
The highest PM, upward of 20 PM, was recorded in the housing authority neighborhood
In contrast, other neighborhoods averaged 7 PM
Better air quality areas tended to be green spaces averaged 0-1 PM
Ex. the bike path, Denvir Park & Fellsmere Park
Trend of poor air quality in low-income and BIPOC neighborhoods
In the survey, the A-VOYCE youth found that “despite being very familiar with environmental justice issues and groups, few youth are involved in making change.” They are hoping to “explore what the barriers are for youth to be involved, and create more opportunities that will target student engagement in environmental justice initiatives” (A-VOYCE presentation).
On May 24th, A-VOYCE youth presented their findings and suggestions to the Mayor of Malden and members of the community. You can view their slides here and a recording of their presentation here. We are incredibly inspired by these young advocates and are so grateful for the time and passion they’ve invested into improving environmental health in their community.
A-VOYCE with the Mayor of Malden, Gary Christenson, at Malden City Hall. Credit: Emma Ishida
Special shoutout to the Museum of Science for lending us these sensors and helping with understanding and analyzing the data!
