INTERVIEW: Farhad Nadeem And The Otrivin Air-Bubble
Victory Ekpekurede, Lucia McCabe, Liam Watson, Cherry Brennan
Yesterday, outside the Green Zone, we interviewed Farhad Nadeem to find out more about the Otrivin Air Bubble. Farhad Nadeem is the global brand director for a brand called Otrivin, which is part of another brand called GlaxoSmithKline. We asked Mr Nadeem several questions about COP26 and how children can help combat climate change.
Lucia and Liam inside the Otrivin Air-Bubble
Farhad Nadeem on COP26 and the Air-Bubble
When asked about why he and the Air -Bubble were at COP, Mr Nadeem stated that they were there to shine a spotlight on what air pollution does to children, but also show real actions that can be taken to help everyone breathe cleaner. Mr Nadeem also stated that the Air-Bubble was brought to COP to shine a spotlight on how air pollution affects children especially because they are more at risk of being harmed by air pollution because they breathe faster and their immune systems are still developing.
How does the Air-Bubble work?
The Air-Bubble used microalgae, (very small plants which can only be seen under a microscope) to clean the air. The microalgae take the air and remove the carbon and other pollutants and release oxygen into the air. Farhad Nadeem stated that in a trial in Poland, the Air-Bubble was able to reduce air pollution by an average of 80%. So the air inside the Air-Bubble was 80% cleaner than the air outside the bubble.
Farhad Nadeem on advice for Young People
When asked what young people can do to help combat climate change, Farhad Nadeem told us that children should not think that we are ever too small to make a difference and no action is too small. Lots of people start from very small actions and then they become big actions. Mr Nadeem also said that we can measure air quality around our homes and communities using wearable devices or apps on our phones.
Farhad Nadeem ended off by saying that “children are very inspiring themselves. If we give them the right tools they can take this two steps, ten steps ahead of us”, which suggests that we as children and young people are the future of solving climate change.
In conclusion, it was great to speak with Farhad Nadeem to find out about how the Air-Bubble works and what he thinks about COP26 so far. If you want to read the full transcript of the interview with Mr Nadeem, you can find it here.
