The student club, "Condit Kids for Clean Air," at Houston Independent School District, Condit Elementary School educates its members and the immediate community about ozone air pollution using children as teachers and a child-run ozone flag monitoring/warning system displayed for the community. The club members are 4th and 5th grade students at Condit. The monitoring/warning system began in August of 2001 and is ongoing. This project is important because ozone air pollution is the biggest air pollution problem facing this community and the United States. Community education, awareness, and understanding are essential in protection of the health of the community and ultimately, in finding a solution to the problem. This project is exceptional in that it is the first model of its kind for other schools who have expressed interest in receiving training from Condit.
The objective of the club project is to educate children regarding ozone air pollution, and in a unique teaching approach, to use children to educate the community.
The club members learn about ozone from the club sponsor, and operate an outdoor ozone lab monitoring/warning system for the community each day, all school year. Using the information gathered throughout and knowledge gained from the routine analysis of ozone data, each child member becomes an educator of an adult community member. The goal, ozone education and awareness, is measured by comparing the results of a test given before and after ozone education.