Clean Air Classroom
Community-driven HEPA filter builds for schools and public spaces — maker culture meets environmental justice in the wake of the LA fires.
When the LA fires hit, the air quality data told one story and our lungs told another. Schools needed clean air. Families needed clean air. Community centers needed clean air. And the commercial solutions were either too expensive or too slow to arrive. So we built our own.
Clean Air Classroom puts HEPA filter assemblies into schools and community spaces through hands-on build events. The format is deliberately low-barrier: show up, learn how air filtration works, build a unit, take it to your classroom or living room. Every build event is also a science lesson — particulate matter, fluid dynamics, filter media, air changes per hour. The kids who build the filters understand why they work, not just that they do.
The project connects to Smarter with Science programming at the KINN community center and extends into Science Sunday curriculum. Environmental justice meets maker culture meets community organizing. The tools are cheap. The knowledge is free. The air belongs to everyone.