Sustenta Honduras Partnership

This air quality monitor is part of a pioneering youth-led initiative by Sustenta Honduras a dynamic organization that challenges traditional changemaking by empowering young people to tackle Honduras’ severe air pollution crisis. In Honduras, only two out of 298 municipalities had reliable air quality monitors before this work began. Through their "Aire Limpio Honduras" project, supported by the French Embassy and EPIC Air Quality Fund from the University of Chicago, Sustenta Honduras is deploying 50 affordable PM2.5 monitors and building an educational platform reaching across 100 schools, expanding air quality monitoring to 80 additional communities.Air pollution causes more than 500 premature deaths annually in Honduras, with healthcare costs and productivity losses totaling approximately $51.6 million per year from urban air pollution alone.

The organization’s young volunteers demonstrate remarkable initiative and resilience, installing monitors in rural towns like Lamani and building community capacity through workshops and ongoing technical support. AirGradient supports this youth-led movement by providing air quality monitors and hands-on training, equipping these young people with knowledge of air quality science and the skills to use monitoring technology, inspiring them to become active environmental stewards and advocates for cleaner air. The project aims to transform Honduras from a country with almost no air quality monitoring to one with clear standards and legal protections, ultimately creating Honduras’ first comprehensive Clean Air Law.