oEPA
www.epa.gov/villagegreen
science in ACTION
INNOVATIVE RESEARCH FOR A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE
Village Green Station - Measuring Air Quality from a Park Bench
EPA partners with states and local organizations to provide communities new
ways to measure local air quality
Learn more at www.epa.gov/villagegreen
What is the Village Green
Project?
The U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA)
has developed an
innovative prototype air and
weather measurement
system, called the Village
Green station, to provide
new ways for communities
to learn about local air
quality.
Through partnerships with
cities and other
organizations, EPA is
installing the stations
across the country for use
by the public.
The system is built into a
park bench and measures
two types of air pollutants -
ozone and fine particle
pollution - along with
weather conditions. These
pollutants are regulated by
EPA because they can
cause health problems at
levels that exceed national
air quality standards.
The stations can be placed
in parks, near roadways,
schools or other locations
accessible to the public or
where there is interest in
local air quality.
The Village Green stations
are intended for research
and education on air quality
and are not for use as
regulatory monitors. The
prototype system, built by
EPA scientists, is being
tested to advance the next
generation of air quality
instruments.
While not yet available
commercially, the
development and
evaluation of the Village
Green station is expected
to provide more knowledge
about how to build and
operate local air quality
measurement systems for
use by communities.

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Village Green Station in Durham, NC
Where are Village Green
stations located?
The prototype Village
Green station, located
outside South Regional
Library in Durham County,
NC, has been operating
since June 2013.
The station is used for
educational outreach by the
library and by area schools
for science projects.
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U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Research and Development

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To further support
communities in
understanding local air
quality, EPA is partnering
with state and local
organizations to install a
Village Green station in five
additional cities.
The partners have received
grants through a peer
reviewed application
process to establish and
maintain a station in their
community for one year
while scientists evaluate its
performance.
The partners are:
City of Philadelphia,
Department of Public
Health - Air Management
Services. The station is
located in Independence
National Historical Park
near the National
Constitution Center in
Philadelphia, Pa.
Washington, D.C., District
Department of the
Environment. The station
is located at the National
Zoo in Washington, D.C.
Oklahoma Department of
Environmental Quality.
The station will be located
in the children's garden of
the Myriad Botanical
Gardens in Oklahoma City,
Okla.
Kansas Department of
Health and Environment.
The station is located
outside the Kansas City
South Branch Library in
Kansas City, Kan.
Connecticut Department
of Energy and
Environmental
Protection. The station will
be located outside the
Connecticut Science Center
in Hartford, Conn.
How does the system
work?
Two solar panels charge a
battery that operates the
entire system. At several
stations, a combined solar
and wind-powered system
will be pilot tested.
The renewable power
supports a number of
instruments that provide
continuous, minute-by-
minute measurements of air
pollution and weather.
The system's air pollution
sensors measure the
pollutants ozone and fine
particle pollution, also
known as PM2.5.
Weather conditions such as
wind speed and direction,
temperature, and relative
humidity are also measured
since they are important for
understanding local air
quality trends.
The air pollution and
weather data are
automatically streamed to
the Village Green Project
web page. The data is
reviewed instantly for
quality assurance prior to
being displayed online.
The public can view the
current conditions or view
measurements for specific
dates and times. The data
is also available at the
station using a smartphone.
Information on the system's
battery voltage and internal
instrument temperatures is
collected.
The project promotes
sustainability because it is
low maintenance, uses
solar and wind power to
conserve energy, and the
bench is built from recycled
milk containers.
Contacts:
Gayle Hagler, Ph.D., EPA
919-541-2827
haqler.qavle@epa.gov
Ron Williams, EPA
919-541-2957
williams.ronald@epa.gov
Esteban Herrera, EPA
303-462-9305
herrera.esteban@epa.gov
www.epa.qov/villaqeqreen
MARCH 2015
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U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Research and Development

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