Challenging Colonial Lore

Written By Josh Artus

Air is Kin

 
 

Our work within clean air is intentionally outside the policy and legal parameters. This is for two reasons. Firstly, we have seen a lack of justice through the legal and policy route, because it means confronting a system that is orientated towards protecting profit not people or more-than-human life.

It is a system that cannot see the Kinship between people and Air, which makes it unable to support the wide spectrum of health justice needs of communities. In this booklet, we work with Grace Carson, who is a Turtle Island Land Justice scholar to put forward how we imagine justice beyond policy and law. This includes challenging colonial lore and integrating relational lore into clean air work.

To download a pdf copy of this please use this link or read via the slideshow viewer on this page.

 
 
 

Further Reading

Air is Kin
Challenging Colonial Lore
Challenging Colonial Lore

In this booklet, we work with Grace Carson, who is a Turtle Island Land Justice scholar to put forward how we imagine justice beyond policy and law. This includes challenging colonial lore and integrating relational lore into clean air work.

Read more →
Healthcare as a Witness
Healthcare as a Witness

The healthcare system is an infrastructure with expertise and influence beyond the abilities of the average citizen when addressing the impacts of structural injustice.

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Approaching Your GP On Air Pollution-Related Health Concerns
Approaching Your GP On Air Pollution-Related Health Concerns

From our experience, the motivation to approach your GP often starts with some combination of you and people around you observing changes in your health. We’ve chosen to address how people interact with primary care because your GP is likely to be the first institutional recognition of your health concerns. This booklet focuses on adult health and GP appointment.

Read more →
Approaching Your Child’s GP On Air Pollution-Related Health Concerns
Approaching Your Child’s GP On Air Pollution-Related Health Concerns

From our experience, the motivation to approach your GP often starts with some combination of you and people around you observing changes in your health. We’ve chosen to address how people interact with primary care because your GP is likely to be the first institutional recognition of your health concerns. This booklet focuses on children’s health and GP appointment.

Read more →
Community Air Quality Monitoring Guide
Community Air Quality Monitoring Guide

An introductory guide to help communities experiencing the health impacts of air pollution understand if air quality monitoring is right for their health justice advocacy.

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Air is Kin Methodology Lab Book
Air is Kin Methodology Lab Book

Air is Kin (AIK) is a “living lab” supporting communities exposed to air pollution (from an industrial polluter) to withstand associated poor health outcomes.

We have created an ongoing methodology that will guide our work going forward. However, this is our first year of onboarding multiple communities, which will inform how our methodology develops.

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Air is Kin Health Diary Symptoms Weekly Tracker
Air is Kin Health Diary Symptoms Weekly Tracker

The AIK Health Diary Symptoms Weekly Tracker is for people who prefer more structured and direct questionnaires to answer. These questions have been reviewed by community advocates, academics, and healthcare professionals to make sure that they are relevant for comfortably recording the lived experience associated with air pollution exposure.

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Air is Kin Health Diary Info Guide
Air is Kin Health Diary Info Guide

The AIK Health Diary Info Guide provides the purpose, use cases, and methodology for starting your own health diary that captures your air pollution related health symptoms. We recommend sharing this document and discussing it with others who share your concerns about documenting their health or may want to assist you.

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Colonization, U.S. Property Law, and the Right to Pollute
Colonization, U.S. Property Law, and the Right to Pollute

This Essay explores the relationship between colonization, U.S. property law, and the right to pollute. It argues that the foundation of U.S. property law is rooted in colonization, used as a tool to genocide Native Peoples of Turtle Island and colonize Indigenous Land.

Read more →
Vital Signs Exhibition: Context & Learnings
Vital Signs Exhibition: Context & Learnings

Here we share some context and learnings from exhibiting work from Air is Kin in the Vital Signs exhibition at the Science Gallery London from 2024-25.

Read more →
A Case for Health Reparations
A Case for Health Reparations

We present pathways, philosophies, and strategies for community-led healing to safeguard against air pollution.

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A Declaration for Air
A Declaration for Air

On 11th October 2023, 14 people, ranging from the fields of medicine, policy, law, abolition, science, data science, economics, and art gathered to declare our right to access AIR. 

Read more →
Who are AIR?
Who are AIR?

In current conversations about air pollution, we have grown accustomed to perceiving Air as simply the absence of pollutants. However, Air is vastly more than this. We asked Dr Jake Robinson, who is a microbial ecologist to provide an understanding of Air that is more robust, spiritual, and scientific. 

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A Need For an Abolitionist Strategy
A Need For an Abolitionist Strategy

How governments arrive at air pollution policies and contamination allowances are dependent on science, governmental policies, and narratives that are culturally acceptable. It is also important to consider that currently policies and laws that protect polluters are all done without community consent. Therefore, in order for us to access air that is nourishing and clean, we have to employ an abolitionist strategy.

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Meet the Team
Meet the Team

Air is Kin is a project led by a wide range of practitioners from leading university research centres, primary healthcare trusts, and grassroots campaign groups.

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Air is Kin Academy
Air is Kin Academy

This Academy is a self-directed learning tool built as a “Miro World”. Across a number of modules and lessons you are able to be part of a connected and educated community can help move your advocacy forward at a more gentle pace. This includes its history, the science behind air pollution, how air pollution affects our bodies and minds. We have also added lessons to nourish and inspire your journey.

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Drop in Sessions
Drop in Sessions

These sessions are an opportunity to ask questions about the programme, ask for advice if you are facing a pollution event, or ask questions about a specific challenge you are facing. 

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About the Project
About the Project

This is a live, working summary document of the Air is Kin Project. We are prototyping a method for working not only with communities, but also with the wider public. Science is often done behind closed doors and with little to no public knowledge or input. Whilst it is not realistic to include every single member of the public, we hope that through this document, we can keep a clear line of communication with the general public.

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Josh Artus
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Healthcare as a Witness