Ulaanbaatar city’s air pollution during winter reached disastrous levels, and is an issue of
constant debate within the government and community. It will take decades of systematic
work by the government to completely eliminate air pollution in Ulaanbaatar, such as
improving economy, building heating infrastructure in ger districts etc, however as a Rotary
we could contribute in protecting people’s health and reducing it gradually. A recent research
showed that wearing a mask with air pollution filter significantly reduces the risk of
respiratory diseases, however, most people don’t wear the masks due to ignorance. Also, most
of houses in ger districts don’t have proper insulation, and improved insulation in ger districts
could lead to less number of burning coal/ wood, thus resulting in reduction of pollution.
The project aims to raise awareness about benefits of wearing masks and improving insulation
in houses and encourage people to action on these. It will be done through the following
activities:
In person:
The club members will set a schedule of ger district visits, to meet and talk with ger district
residents. We will distribute flyers and air pollution masks in person
a) to raise awareness about benefits of wearing masks;
b) to persuade households to improve their insulation
c) to deploy electric heating, as night time tariff was nullified by the government.
We will work with engineering/ architecture companies who will assess houses’ insulation
and give recommendations to ger district households. We will half fund the electric heaters for
100 households.
Through media:
Chose a household for a pilot insulation improvement and feature in a TV program and social
media channels for multiplier effect. We aim to do this program without costs to the Rotary,
but with in-kind sponsorship from TV channel and a technology company, as it will promote
their products.