i-Change day in the Hasselt living lab
Wednesday June 5th was World Environment Day and also i-Change Day! IMOB is a partner of this ongoing H2020 citizen science project and manages the Hasselt Living Lab. We organised a workshop for citizens living in the Hasselt Living Lab, introducing them to the project and the problems of climate change in our own environment.
After a short presentation about the project and citizen science, we introduced the participants to the MeteoTrackers. These very userfriendly devices allow citizens to collect data about the temperature and the humidity. We went out in 2 groups, one by bike and one by foot, to collect data in the Hasselt city center and also in the outskirts of the city.
After a short break, we interpreted the collected data to gain insight into the effect of climate change in our own environment. Especially the differences in temperature between green or shady areas and city areas with a paved surface were striking. Even on a day with moderate temperatures (18 C°) the differences were striking.
To conclude the workshop, we also tried to understand the impact of CO2 emissions. Therefore, we calculated the number of trees we need to compensate for the daily car trips in Flanders. The result was shocking. To conclude, we also introduced the participants to CO2 calculators to measure their personal footprint. It was a very informative afternoon and hopefully we have been able to inspire participants to inform their networks about the opportunities we have as individuals to address climate change in our own environment.
Many thanks to Avansa Limburg for collaborating with us to organise this workshop and reaching out to the general public in the Hasselt Living Lab.