Public Lab Wiki documentation

The “bucket” is a low-cost, community-friendly air sampler that helps people measure toxic chemicals such as benzene and hydrogen sulfide in their air. Developed in the late 1990s, it was one of the first (if not the very first) do-it-together environmental monitors. Communities living near oil refineries and petrochemical plants gathered to build their own buckets. They established phone trees to make sure that, when noxious fumes enveloped their neighborhood, someone would take a sample.

Twenty years later, buckets continue to be a critical tool for fenceline communities impacted by oil and gas development. They test for chemicals like benzene, hydrogen sulfide, perchloroethylene, and vinyl chloride, as well as other volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and sulfur compounds. Above all, they allow communities to take control of their air. Think a bucket could be the right tool for you? Keep reading!

Developed in a collaboration with Fair Tech Collective, the South Durban Community Environmental Alliance, groundWork, and Citizen Science Community Resources.

Why this tool?

Empowering people to act on air pollution

Community air monitoring empowers people to act on air pollution. [I]t enables community members to become active participants in the production of scientific knowledge. It provides them with a tool to scientifically verify existing community knowledge based on their experience of industrial pollution while adding a more specific and systematic dimension to that knowledge. It thus demystifies science. - "Purpose of Community Air Monitoring," groundWork 2003 Air Monitoring Report

Addressing health impacts of petrochemical production

Building a campaign

You have a right to clean air.

Getting Started

How to build a bucket monitor

Learn about the materials you will need to build a bucket monitor and where you can find them. We will also take you step-by-step through the building process and ways to troubleshoot your bucket. If crafting is not for you, follow this link to buy a pre-made bucket monitor.

How to take a sample with a bucket monitor

Find out how to use your bucket monitor to get the most accurate and relevant data for you. We will take you through how to pick a location, how to manually take a sample, and how to get the sample ready for lab analysis.

Finding a lab

Once you have your sample, you'll need to send it to a lab for analysis. We'll explain how to find a lab and what to expect from your interaction with them.

How to use your bucket data

Learn how to go from numbers to a persuasive message about the pollution in your community and what to do about it.

Who else is involved?

History of the bucket monitor

Learn more about the invention of the bucket monitor as well as various bucket monitoring networks currently in use.

Bucket successes

Bucket monitoring data has helped communities reduce pollution, get enforcement action, and push for new legislation. Learn more here about others experiences using buckets to make change.

Activities

[activities:bucket-monitor]

Questions

[questions:bucket-monitor]

Have you used the bucket?

If you have used buckets in your own work and want to be part of this project, please email Community Technology Fellow Katie Gradowski here. We view this as a living document and are eager to collaborate with past and present users.

Updates

Are you interested in following along in the project? Subscribe to the tag below to get updates when we post new material.

Subscribe to updates on this project

The “bucket” is a low-cost, community-friendly air sampler that helps people measure toxic chemicals such as benzene and hydrogen sulfide in their air. Developed in the late 1990s, it was one of the first (if not the very first) do-it-together environmental monitors. Communities living near oil refineries and petrochemical plants gathered to build their own buckets. They established phone trees to make sure that, when noxious fumes enveloped their neighborhood, someone would take a sample.

Twenty years later, buckets continue to be a critical tool for fenceline communities impacted by oil and gas development. They test for chemicals like benzene, hydrogen sulfide, perchloroethylene, and vinyl chloride, as well as other volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and sulfur compounds. Above all, they allow communities to take control of their air. Think a bucket could be the right tool for you? Keep reading!

Developed in a collaboration with Fair Tech Collective, the South Durban Community Environmental Alliance, groundWork, and Citizen Science Community Resources.

Why this tool?

Empowering people to act on air pollution

Community air monitoring empowers people to act on air pollution. [I]t enables community members to become active participants in the production of scientific knowledge. It provides them with a tool to scientifically verify existing community knowledge based on their experience of industrial pollution while adding a more specific and systematic dimension to that knowledge. It thus demystifies science. - "Purpose of Community Air Monitoring," groundWork 2003 Air Monitoring Report

Addressing health impacts of petrochemical production

Building a campaign

You have a right to clean air.

Getting Started

How to build a bucket monitor

Learn about the materials you will need to build a bucket monitor and where you can find them. We will also take you step-by-step through the building process and ways to troubleshoot your bucket. If crafting is not for you, follow this link to buy a pre-made bucket monitor.

How to take a sample with a bucket monitor

Find out how to use your bucket monitor to get the most accurate and relevant data for you. We will take you through how to pick a location, how to manually take a sample, and how to get the sample ready for lab analysis.

Finding a lab

Once you have your sample, you'll need to send it to a lab for analysis. We'll explain how to find a lab and what to expect from your interaction with them.

How to use your bucket data

Learn how to go from numbers to a persuasive message about the pollution in your community and what to do about it.

Who else is involved?

History of the bucket monitor

Learn more about the invention of the bucket monitor as well as various bucket monitoring networks currently in use.

Bucket successes

Bucket monitoring data has helped communities reduce pollution, get enforcement action, and push for new legislation. Learn more here about others experiences using buckets to make change.

Activities

[activities:bucket-monitor]

Questions

[questions:bucket-monitor]

Have you used the bucket?

If you have used buckets in your own work and want to be part of this project, please email Community Technology Fellow Katie Gradowski here. We view this as a living document and are eager to collaborate with past and present users.

Updates

Are you interested in following along in the project? Subscribe to the tag below to get updates when we post new material.

Subscribe to updates on this project

Developed in a collaboration with Fair Tech Collective, the South Durban Community Environmental Alliance, groundWork, and Citizen Science Community Resources.

The “bucket” is a low-cost, community-friendly air sampler that helps people measure toxic chemicals such as benzene and hydrogen sulfide in their air. Developed in the late 1990s, it was one of the first (if not the very first) do-it-together environmental monitors. Communities living near oil refineries and petrochemical plants gathered to build their own buckets. They established phone trees to make sure that, when noxious fumes enveloped their neighborhood, someone would take a sample.

Twenty years later, buckets continue to be a critical tool for fenceline communities impacted by oil and gas development. They test for chemicals like benzene, hydrogen sulfide, perchloroethylene, and vinyl chloride, as well as other volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and sulfur compounds. Above all, they allow communities to take control of their air. Think a bucket could be the right tool for you? Keep reading!

Why this tool?

Empowering people to act on air pollution

Community air monitoring empowers people to act on air pollution. [I]t enables community members to become active participants in the production of scientific knowledge. It provides them with a tool to scientifically verify existing community knowledge based on their experience of industrial pollution while adding a more specific and systematic dimension to that knowledge. It thus demystifies science. - "Purpose of Community Air Monitoring," groundWork 2003 Air Monitoring Report

Addressing health impacts of petrochemical production

Building a campaign

You have a right to clean air.

Getting Started

How to build a bucket monitor

Learn about the materials you will need to build a bucket monitor and where you can find them. We will also take you step-by-step through the building process and ways to troubleshoot your bucket. If crafting is not for you, follow this link to buy a pre-made bucket monitor.

How to take a sample with a bucket monitor

Find out how to use your bucket monitor to get the most accurate and relevant data for you. We will take you through how to pick a location, how to manually take a sample, and how to get the sample ready for lab analysis.

Finding a lab

Once you have your sample, you'll need to send it to a lab for analysis. We'll explain how to find a lab and what to expect from your interaction with them.

How to use your bucket data

Learn how to go from numbers to a persuasive message about the pollution in your community and what to do about it.

Who else is involved?

History of the bucket monitor

Learn more about the invention of the bucket monitor as well as various bucket monitoring networks currently in use.

Bucket successes

Bucket monitoring data has helped communities reduce pollution, get enforcement action, and push for new legislation. Learn more here about others experiences using buckets to make change.

Activities

[activities:bucket-monitor]

Questions

[questions:bucket-monitor]

Have you used the bucket?

If you have used buckets in your own work and want to be part of this project, please email Community Technology Fellow Katie Gradowski here. We view this as a living document and are eager to collaborate with past and present users.

Updates

Are you interested in following along in the project? Subscribe to the tag below to get updates when we post new material.

Subscribe to updates on this project

Developed in a collaboration with Fair Tech Collective, the South Durban Community Environmental Alliance, groundWork, and Citizen Science Community Resources.

The “bucket” is a low-cost, community-friendly air sampler that helps people measure toxic chemicals such as benzene and hydrogen sulfide in their air. Developed in the late 1990s, it was one of the first (if not the very first) do-it-together environmental monitors. Communities living near oil refineries and petrochemical plants gathered to build their own buckets. They established phone trees to make sure that, when noxious fumes enveloped their neighborhood, someone would take a sample.

Twenty years later, buckets continue to be a critical tool for fenceline communities impacted by oil and gas development. They test for chemicals like benzene, hydrogen sulfide, perchloroethylene, and vinyl chloride, as well as other volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and sulfur compounds. Above all, they allow communities to take control of their air. Think a bucket could be the right tool for you? Keep reading!

Why this tool?

Empowering people to act on air pollution

Community air monitoring empowers people to act on air pollution. [I]t enables community members to become active participants in the production of scientific knowledge. It provides them with a tool to scientifically verify existing community knowledge based on their experience of industrial pollution while adding a more specific and systematic dimension to that knowledge. It thus demystifies science. - "Purpose of Community Air Monitoring," groundWork 2003 Air Monitoring Report

Addressing health impacts of petrochemical production

Building a campaign

You have a right to clean air.

Getting Started

How to build a bucket monitor

Learn about the materials you will need to build a bucket monitor and where you can find them. We will also take you step-by-step through the building process and ways to troubleshoot your bucket. If crafting is not for you, follow this link to buy a pre-made bucket monitor.

How to take a sample with a bucket monitor

Find out how to use your bucket monitor to get the most accurate and relevant data for you. We will take you through how to pick a location, how to manually take a sample, and how to get the sample ready for lab analysis.

Finding a lab

Once you have your sample, you'll need to send it to a lab for analysis. We'll explain how to find a lab and what to expect from your interaction with them.

How to use your bucket data

Learn how to go from numbers to a persuasive message about the pollution in your community and what to do about it.

Who else is involved?

History of the bucket monitor

Learn more about the invention of the bucket monitor as well as various bucket monitoring networks currently in use.

Bucket successes

Bucket monitoring data has helped communities reduce pollution, get enforcement action, and push for new legislation. Learn more here about others experiences using buckets to make change.

Activities

[activities:bucket-monitor]

Questions

[questions:bucket-monitor]

Have you used the bucket?

If you have used buckets in your own work and want to be part of this project, please email Community Technology Fellow Katie Gradowski here. We view this as a living document and are eager to collaborate with past and present users.

Updates

Are you interested in following along in the project? Subscribe to the tag below to get updates when we post new material.

Subscribe to updates on this project

Developed in a collaboration with Fair Tech Collective, the South Durban Community Environmental Alliance, groundWork, and Citizen Science Community Resources.

The “bucket” is a low-cost, community-friendly air sampler that helps people measure toxic chemicals such as benzene and hydrogen sulfide in their air. Developed in the late 1990s, it was one of the first (if not the very first) do-it-together environmental monitors. Communities living near oil refineries and petrochemical plants gathered to build their own buckets. They established phone trees to make sure that, when noxious fumes enveloped their neighborhood, someone would take a sample.

Twenty years later, buckets continue to be a critical tool for fenceline communities impacted by oil and gas development. They test for chemicals like benzene, hydrogen sulfide, perchloroethylene, and vinyl chloride, as well as other volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and sulfur compounds. Above all, they allow communities to take control of their air. Think a bucket could be the right tool for you? Keep reading!

Why this tool?

Empowering people to act on air pollution

Community air monitoring empowers people to act on air pollution. [I]t enables community members to become active participants in the production of scientific knowledge. It provides them with a tool to scientifically verify existing community knowledge based on their experience of industrial pollution while adding a more specific and systematic dimension to that knowledge. It thus demystifies science. - "Purpose of Community Air Monitoring," groundWork 2003 Air Monitoring Report

In 2000, groundWork partnered with Communities for a Better Environment (CBE) and the South African Exchange Programme on Environmental Justice (SAEPEJ) to bring the bucket brigade model to South Africa. This partnership led to a led to a 25-year campaign by South Durban Community Environmental Alliance to engage communities as knowledge-producers and community scientists.

Addressing health impacts of petrochemical production

Building a campaign

Getting Started

How to build a bucket monitor

Learn about the materials you will need to build a bucket monitor and where you can find them. We will also take you step-by-step through the building process and ways to troubleshoot your bucket. If crafting is not for you, follow this link to buy a pre-made bucket monitor.

How to take a sample with a bucket monitor

Find out how to use your bucket monitor to get the most accurate and relevant data for you. We will take you through how to pick a location, how to manually take a sample, and how to get the sample ready for lab analysis.

Finding a lab

Once you have your sample, you'll need to send it to a lab for analysis. We'll explain how to find a lab and what to expect from your interaction with them.

How to use your bucket data

Learn how to go from numbers to a persuasive message about the pollution in your community and what to do about it.

Who else is involved?

History of the bucket monitor

Learn more about the invention of the bucket monitor as well as various bucket monitoring networks currently in use.

Bucket successes

Bucket monitoring data has helped communities reduce pollution, get enforcement action, and push for new legislation. Learn more here about others experiences using buckets to make change.

Activities

[activities:bucket-monitor]

Questions

[questions:bucket-monitor]

Have you used the bucket?

If you have used buckets in your own work and want to be part of this project, please email Community Technology Fellow Katie Gradowski here. We view this as a living document and are eager to collaborate with past and present users.

Updates

Are you interested in following along in the project? Subscribe to the tag below to get updates when we post new material.

Subscribe to updates on this project

Developed in a collaboration with Fair Tech Collective, the South Durban Community Environmental Alliance, groundWork, and Citizen Science Community Resources.

The “bucket” is a low-cost, community-friendly air sampler that helps people measure toxic chemicals such as benzene and hydrogen sulfide in their air. Developed in the late 1990s, it was one of the first (if not the very first) do-it-together environmental monitors. Communities living near oil refineries and petrochemical plants gathered to build their own buckets. They established phone trees to make sure that, when noxious fumes enveloped their neighborhood, someone would take a sample.

Twenty years later, buckets continue to be a critical tool for fenceline communities impacted by oil and gas development. They test for chemicals like benzene, hydrogen sulfide, perchloroethylene, and vinyl chloride, as well as other volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and sulfur compounds. Above all, they allow communities to take control of their air. Think a bucket could be the right tool for you? Keep reading!

Why this tool?

Empowering people to act on air pollution

Community air monitoring empowers people to act on air pollution. [I]t enables community members to become active participants in the production of scientific knowledge. It provides them with a tool to scientifically verify existing community knowledge based on their experience of industrial pollution while adding a more specific and systematic dimension to that knowledge. It thus demystifies science. - "Purpose of Community Air Monitoring," groundWork 2003 Air Monitoring Report

In 2000, groundWork partnered with Communities for a Better Environment (CBE) and the South African Exchange Programme on Environmental Justice (SAEPEJ) to bring the bucket brigade model to South African communities impacted by oil and gas development. This partnership led to a led to a 25-year campaign by South Durban Community Environmental Alliance to engage communities as knowledge-producers and community scientists.

Addressing health impacts of petrochemical production

Building a campaign

Getting Started

How to build a bucket monitor

Learn about the materials you will need to build a bucket monitor and where you can find them. We will also take you step-by-step through the building process and ways to troubleshoot your bucket. If crafting is not for you, follow this link to buy a pre-made bucket monitor.

How to take a sample with a bucket monitor

Find out how to use your bucket monitor to get the most accurate and relevant data for you. We will take you through how to pick a location, how to manually take a sample, and how to get the sample ready for lab analysis.

Finding a lab

Once you have your sample, you'll need to send it to a lab for analysis. We'll explain how to find a lab and what to expect from your interaction with them.

How to use your bucket data

Learn how to go from numbers to a persuasive message about the pollution in your community and what to do about it.

Who else is involved?

History of the bucket monitor

Learn more about the invention of the bucket monitor as well as various bucket monitoring networks currently in use.

Bucket successes

Bucket monitoring data has helped communities reduce pollution, get enforcement action, and push for new legislation. Learn more here about others experiences using buckets to make change.

Activities

[activities:bucket-monitor]

Questions

[questions:bucket-monitor]

Have you used the bucket?

If you have used buckets in your own work and want to be part of this project, please email Community Technology Fellow Katie Gradowski here. We view this as a living document and are eager to collaborate with past and present users.

Updates

Are you interested in following along in the project? Subscribe to the tag below to get updates when we post new material.

Subscribe to updates on this project

Developed in a collaboration with Fair Tech Collective, the South Durban Community Environmental Alliance, groundWork, and Citizen Science Community Resources.

The “bucket” is a low-cost, community-friendly air sampler that helps people measure toxic chemicals such as benzene and hydrogen sulfide in their air. Developed in the late 1990s, it was one of the first (if not the very first) do-it-together environmental monitors. Communities living near oil refineries and petrochemical plants gathered to build their own buckets. They established phone trees to make sure that, when noxious fumes enveloped their neighborhood, someone would take a sample.

Twenty years later, buckets continue to be a critical tool for fenceline communities impacted by oil and gas development. They test for chemicals like benzene, hydrogen sulfide, perchloroethylene, and vinyl chloride, as well as other volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and sulfur compounds. Above all, they allow communities to take control of their air. Think a bucket could be the right tool for you? Keep reading!

Why this tool?

Take back your air

From groundw 2003 Air Monitoring Report:

Community air monitoring empowers people to act on air pollution. Firstly, it enables community members to become active participants in the production of scientific knowledge. It provides them with a tool to scientifically verify existing community knowledge based on their experience of industrial pollution while adding a more specific and systematic dimension to that knowledge. It thus demystifies science. - "Purpose of Community Air Monitoring," 2003 Air Monitoring Report

In 2000, groundWork partnered with Communities for a Better Environment (CBE) and the South African Exchange Programme on Environmental Justice (SAEPEJ) to bring the bucket brigade model to South African communities impacted by oil and gas development. This partnership led to a led to a 25-year campaign by South Durban Community Environmental Alliance to engage communities as knowledge-producers and community scientists.

Addressing health impacts of petrochemical production

Building a campaign

Getting Started

How to build a bucket monitor

Learn about the materials you will need to build a bucket monitor and where you can find them. We will also take you step-by-step through the building process and ways to troubleshoot your bucket. If crafting is not for you, follow this link to buy a pre-made bucket monitor.

How to take a sample with a bucket monitor

Find out how to use your bucket monitor to get the most accurate and relevant data for you. We will take you through how to pick a location, how to manually take a sample, and how to get the sample ready for lab analysis.

Finding a lab

Once you have your sample, you'll need to send it to a lab for analysis. We'll explain how to find a lab and what to expect from your interaction with them.

How to use your bucket data

Learn how to go from numbers to a persuasive message about the pollution in your community and what to do about it.

Who else is involved?

History of the bucket monitor

Learn more about the invention of the bucket monitor as well as various bucket monitoring networks currently in use.

Bucket successes

Bucket monitoring data has helped communities reduce pollution, get enforcement action, and push for new legislation. Learn more here about others experiences using buckets to make change.

Activities

[activities:bucket-monitor]

Questions

[questions:bucket-monitor]

Have you used the bucket?

If you have used buckets in your own work and want to be part of this project, please email Community Technology Fellow Katie Gradowski here. We view this as a living document and are eager to collaborate with past and present users.

Updates

Are you interested in following along in the project? Subscribe to the tag below to get updates when we post new material.

Subscribe to updates on this project

Developed in a collaboration with Fair Tech Collective, the South Durban Community Environmental Alliance, groundWork, and Citizen Science Community Resources.

The “bucket” is a low-cost, community-friendly air sampler that helps people measure toxic chemicals such as benzene and hydrogen sulfide in their air. Developed in the late 1990s, it was one of the first (if not the very first) do-it-together environmental monitors. Communities living near oil refineries and petrochemical plants gathered to build their own buckets. They established phone trees to make sure that, when noxious fumes enveloped their neighborhood, someone would take a sample.

Twenty years later, buckets continue to be a critical tool for fenceline communities impacted by oil and gas development. They test for chemicals like benzene, hydrogen sulfide, perchloroethylene, and vinyl chloride, as well as other volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and sulfur compounds. Above all, they allow communities to take control of their air. Think a bucket could be the right tool for you? Keep reading!

Why this tool?

Take back your air

From groundw 2003 Air Monitoring Report:

Community air monitoring empowers people to act on air pollution. Firstly, it enables community members to become active participants in the production of scientific knowledge. It provides them with a tool to scientifically verify existing community knowledge based on their experience of industrial pollution while adding a more specific and systematic dimension to that knowledge. It thus demystifies science. - "Purpose of Community Air Monitoring," groundWork, 2003 Air Monitoring Report

In 2000, groundWork partnered with Communities for a Better Environment (CBE) and the South African Exchange Programme on Environmental Justice (SAEPEJ) to bring the bucket brigade model to South African communities impacted by oil and gas development. This partnership led to a led to a 25-year campaign by South Durban Community Environmental Alliance to engage communities as knowledge-producers and community scientists.

Addressing health impacts of petrochemical production

Building a campaign

Getting Started

How to build a bucket monitor

Learn about the materials you will need to build a bucket monitor and where you can find them. We will also take you step-by-step through the building process and ways to troubleshoot your bucket. If crafting is not for you, follow this link to buy a pre-made bucket monitor.

How to take a sample with a bucket monitor

Find out how to use your bucket monitor to get the most accurate and relevant data for you. We will take you through how to pick a location, how to manually take a sample, and how to get the sample ready for lab analysis.

Finding a lab

Once you have your sample, you'll need to send it to a lab for analysis. We'll explain how to find a lab and what to expect from your interaction with them.

How to use your bucket data

Learn how to go from numbers to a persuasive message about the pollution in your community and what to do about it.

Who else is involved?

History of the bucket monitor

Learn more about the invention of the bucket monitor as well as various bucket monitoring networks currently in use.

Bucket successes

Bucket monitoring data has helped communities reduce pollution, get enforcement action, and push for new legislation. Learn more here about others experiences using buckets to make change.

Activities

[activities:bucket-monitor]

Questions

[questions:bucket-monitor]

Have you used the bucket?

If you have used buckets in your own work and want to be part of this project, please email Community Technology Fellow Katie Gradowski here. We view this as a living document and are eager to collaborate with past and present users.

Updates

Are you interested in following along in the project? Subscribe to the tag below to get updates when we post new material.

Subscribe to updates on this project

Developed in a collaboration with Fair Tech Collective, the South Durban Community Environmental Alliance, groundWork, and Citizen Science Community Resources.

The “bucket” is a low-cost, community-friendly air sampler that helps people measure toxic chemicals such as benzene and hydrogen sulfide in their air. Developed in the late 1990s, it was one of the first (if not the very first) do-it-together environmental monitors. Communities living near oil refineries and petrochemical plants gathered to build their own buckets. They established phone trees to make sure that, when noxious fumes enveloped their neighborhood, someone would take a sample.

Twenty years later, buckets continue to be a critical tool for fenceline communities impacted by oil and gas development. They test for chemicals like benzene, hydrogen sulfide, perchloroethylene, and vinyl chloride, as well as other volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and sulfur compounds. Above all, they allow communities to take control of their air. Think a bucket could be the right tool for you? Keep reading!

Why this tool?

Take back your air

In 2000, groundWork partnered with Communities for a Better Environment (CBE) and the South African Exchange Programme on Environmental Justice (SAEPEJ) to bring the bucket brigade model to South African communities impacted by oil and gas development. From their 2003 Air Monitoring Report:

Community air monitoring empowers people to act on air pollution. Firstly, it enables community members to become active participants in the production of scientific knowledge. It provides them with a tool to scientifically verify existing community knowledge based on their experience of industrial pollution while adding a more specific and systematic dimension to that knowledge. It thus demystifies science.

This partnership led to a led to a 25-year campaign by South Durban Community Environmental Alliance to engage communities as knowledge-producers and community scientists.

Addressing health impacts of petrochemical production

Building a campaign

Getting Started

How to build a bucket monitor

Learn about the materials you will need to build a bucket monitor and where you can find them. We will also take you step-by-step through the building process and ways to troubleshoot your bucket. If crafting is not for you, follow this link to buy a pre-made bucket monitor.

How to take a sample with a bucket monitor

Find out how to use your bucket monitor to get the most accurate and relevant data for you. We will take you through how to pick a location, how to manually take a sample, and how to get the sample ready for lab analysis.

Finding a lab

Once you have your sample, you'll need to send it to a lab for analysis. We'll explain how to find a lab and what to expect from your interaction with them.

How to use your bucket data

Learn how to go from numbers to a persuasive message about the pollution in your community and what to do about it.

Who else is involved?

History of the bucket monitor

Learn more about the invention of the bucket monitor as well as various bucket monitoring networks currently in use.

Bucket successes

Bucket monitoring data has helped communities reduce pollution, get enforcement action, and push for new legislation. Learn more here about others experiences using buckets to make change.

Activities

[activities:bucket-monitor]

Questions

[questions:bucket-monitor]

Have you used the bucket?

If you have used buckets in your own work and want to be part of this project, please email Community Technology Fellow Katie Gradowski here. We view this as a living document and are eager to collaborate with past and present users.

Updates

Are you interested in following along in the project? Subscribe to the tag below to get updates when we post new material.

Subscribe to updates on this project

Developed in a collaboration with Fair Tech Collective, the South Durban Community Environmental Alliance, groundWork, and Citizen Science Community Resources.

The “bucket” is a low-cost, community-friendly air sampler that helps people measure toxic chemicals such as benzene and hydrogen sulfide in their air. Developed in the late 1990s, it was one of the first (if not the very first) do-it-together environmental monitors. Communities living near oil refineries and petrochemical plants gathered to build their own buckets. They established phone trees to make sure that, when noxious fumes enveloped their neighborhood, someone would take a sample.

Twenty years later, buckets continue to be a critical tool for fenceline communities impacted by oil and gas development. They test for chemicals like benzene, hydrogen sulfide, perchloroethylene, and vinyl chloride, as well as other volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and sulfur compounds. Above all, they allow communities to take control of their air. Think a bucket could be the right tool for you? Keep reading!

Why this tool?

Take back your air

In 2000, groundWork partnered with Communities for a Better Environment (CBE) and the South African Exchange Programme on Environmental Justice (SAEPEJ) to bring the bucket brigade model to South African communities impacted by oil and gas development. Their work, documented in the 2003 Air Monitoring Report, led to a 25-year campaign by South Durban Community Environmental Alliance to engage communities as knowledge-producers:

Community air monitoring empowers people to act on air pollution. Firstly, it enables community members to become active participants in the production of scientific knowledge. It provides them with a tool to scientifically verify existing community knowledge based on their experience of industrial pollution while adding a more specific and systematic dimension to that knowledge. It thus demystifies science.

Over the next 25 years,

Addressing health impacts of petrochemical production

Building a campaign

Getting Started

How to build a bucket monitor

Learn about the materials you will need to build a bucket monitor and where you can find them. We will also take you step-by-step through the building process and ways to troubleshoot your bucket. If crafting is not for you, follow this link to buy a pre-made bucket monitor.

How to take a sample with a bucket monitor

Find out how to use your bucket monitor to get the most accurate and relevant data for you. We will take you through how to pick a location, how to manually take a sample, and how to get the sample ready for lab analysis.

Finding a lab

Once you have your sample, you'll need to send it to a lab for analysis. We'll explain how to find a lab and what to expect from your interaction with them.

How to use your bucket data

Learn how to go from numbers to a persuasive message about the pollution in your community and what to do about it.

Who else is involved?

History of the bucket monitor

Learn more about the invention of the bucket monitor as well as various bucket monitoring networks currently in use.

Bucket successes

Bucket monitoring data has helped communities reduce pollution, get enforcement action, and push for new legislation. Learn more here about others experiences using buckets to make change.

Activities

[activities:bucket-monitor]

Questions

[questions:bucket-monitor]

Have you used the bucket?

If you have used buckets in your own work and want to be part of this project, please email Community Technology Fellow Katie Gradowski here. We view this as a living document and are eager to collaborate with past and present users.

Updates

Are you interested in following along in the project? Subscribe to the tag below to get updates when we post new material.

Subscribe to updates on this project

Developed in a collaboration with Fair Tech Collective, the South Durban Community Environmental Alliance, groundWork, and Citizen Science Community Resources.

The “bucket” is a low-cost, community-friendly air sampler that helps people measure toxic chemicals such as benzene and hydrogen sulfide in their air. Developed in the late 1990s, it was one of the first (if not the very first) do-it-together environmental monitors. Communities living near oil refineries and petrochemical plants gathered to build their own buckets. They established phone trees to make sure that, when noxious fumes enveloped their neighborhood, someone would take a sample.

Twenty years later, buckets continue to be a critical tool for fenceline communities impacted by oil and gas development. They test for chemicals like benzene, hydrogen sulfide, perchloroethylene, and vinyl chloride, as well as other volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and sulfur compounds. Above all, they allow communities to take control of their air. Think a bucket could be the right tool for you? Keep reading!

Why this tool?

Take back your air

Addressing health impacts of petrochemical production

Building a campaign

Getting Started

How to build a bucket monitor

Learn about the materials you will need to build a bucket monitor and where you can find them. We will also take you step-by-step through the building process and ways to troubleshoot your bucket. If crafting is not for you, follow this link to buy a pre-made bucket monitor.

How to take a sample with a bucket monitor

Find out how to use your bucket monitor to get the most accurate and relevant data for you. We will take you through how to pick a location, how to manually take a sample, and how to get the sample ready for lab analysis.

Finding a lab

Once you have your sample, you'll need to send it to a lab for analysis. We'll explain how to find a lab and what to expect from your interaction with them.

How to use your bucket data

Learn how to go from numbers to a persuasive message about the pollution in your community and what to do about it.

Who else is involved?

History of the bucket monitor

Learn more about the invention of the bucket monitor as well as various bucket monitoring networks currently in use.

Bucket successes

Bucket monitoring data has helped communities reduce pollution, get enforcement action, and push for new legislation. Learn more here about others experiences using buckets to make change.

Activities

[activities:bucket-monitor]

Questions

[questions:bucket-monitor]

Have you used the bucket?

If you have used buckets in your own work and want to be part of this project, please email Community Technology Fellow Katie Gradowski here. We view this as a living document and are eager to collaborate with past and present users.

Updates

Are you interested in following along in the project? Subscribe to the tag below to get updates when we post new material.

Subscribe to updates on this project

Developed in a collaboration with Fair Tech Collective, the South Durban Community Environmental Alliance, groundWork, and Citizen Science Community Resources.

The “bucket” is a low-cost, community-friendly air sampler that helps people measure toxic chemicals such as benzene and hydrogen sulfide in their air. Developed in the late 1990s, it was one of the first (if not the very first) do-it-together environmental monitors. Communities living near oil refineries and petrochemical plants gathered to build their own buckets. They established phone trees to make sure that, when noxious fumes enveloped their neighborhood, someone would take a sample.

Twenty years later, buckets continue to be a critical tool for fenceline communities impacted by oil and gas development. They test for chemicals like benzene, hydrogen sulfide, perchloroethylene, and vinyl chloride, as well as other volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and sulfur compounds. Above all, they allow communities to take control of their air. Think a bucket could be the right tool for you? Keep reading!

Why this tool?

Take back your air

Addressing health impacts of petrochemical production

Building a campaign

Getting Started

How to build a bucket monitor

Learn about the materials you will need to build a bucket monitor and where you can find them. We will also take you step-by-step through the building process and ways to troubleshoot your bucket. If crafting is not for you, follow this link to buy a pre-made bucket monitor.

How to take a sample with a bucket monitor

Find out how to use your bucket monitor to get the most accurate and relevant data for you. We will take you through how to pick a location, how to manually take a sample, and how to get the sample ready for lab analysis.

Finding a lab

Once you have your sample, you'll need to send it to a lab for analysis. We'll explain how to find a lab and what to expect from your interaction with them.

How to use your bucket data

Learn how to go from numbers to a persuasive message about the pollution in your community and what to do about it.

Who else is involved?

History of the bucket monitor

Learn more about the invention of the bucket monitor as well as various bucket monitoring networks currently in use.

Bucket successes

Bucket monitoring data has helped communities reduce pollution, get enforcement action, and push for new legislation. Learn more here about others experiences using buckets to make change.

Activities

[activities:bucket-monitor]

Questions

[questions:bucket-monitor]

Have you used the bucket?

If you have used buckets in your own work and want to be part of this project, please email Community Technology Fellow Katie Gradowski here. We view this as a living document and are eager to collaborate with past and present users.

Updates

Are you interested in following along in the project? Subscribe to the tag below to get updates when we post new material.

Subscribe to updates on this project

The resources here were developed in a collaboration that included Public Lab, the Fair Tech Collective, the South Durban Community Environmental Alliance, and groundWork.

The “bucket” is a low-cost, community-friendly air sampler that helps people measure toxic chemicals such as benzene and hydrogen sulfide in their air. Developed in the late 1990s, it was one of the first (if not the very first) do-it-together environmental monitors. Communities living near oil refineries and petrochemical plants gathered to build their own buckets. They established phone trees to make sure that, when noxious fumes enveloped their neighborhood, someone would take a sample.

Twenty years later, buckets continue to be a critical tool for fenceline communities impacted by oil and gas development. They test for chemicals like benzene, hydrogen sulfide, perchloroethylene, and vinyl chloride, as well as other volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and sulfur compounds. Above all, they allow communities to take control of their air. Think a bucket could be the right tool for you? Keep reading!

Why this tool?

Take back your air

Addressing health impacts of petrochemical production

Building a campaign

Getting Started

How to build a bucket monitor

Learn about the materials you will need to build a bucket monitor and where you can find them. We will also take you step-by-step through the building process and ways to troubleshoot your bucket. If crafting is not for you, follow this link to buy a pre-made bucket monitor.

How to take a sample with a bucket monitor

Find out how to use your bucket monitor to get the most accurate and relevant data for you. We will take you through how to pick a location, how to manually take a sample, and how to get the sample ready for lab analysis.

Finding a lab

Once you have your sample, you'll need to send it to a lab for analysis. We'll explain how to find a lab and what to expect from your interaction with them.

How to use your bucket data

Learn how to go from numbers to a persuasive message about the pollution in your community and what to do about it.

Who else is involved?

History of the bucket monitor

Learn more about the invention of the bucket monitor as well as various bucket monitoring networks currently in use.

Bucket successes

Bucket monitoring data has helped communities reduce pollution, get enforcement action, and push for new legislation. Learn more here about others experiences using buckets to make change.

Activities

[activities:bucket-monitor]

Questions

[questions:bucket-monitor]

Have you used the bucket?

If you have used buckets in your own work and want to be part of this project, please email Community Technology Fellow Katie Gradowski here. We view this as a living document and are eager to collaborate with past and present users.

Updates

Are you interested in following along in the project? Subscribe to the tag below to get updates when we post new material.

Subscribe to updates on this project

The “bucket” is a low-cost, community-friendly air sampler that helps people measure toxic chemicals such as benzene and hydrogen sulfide in their air. Developed in the late 1990s, it was one of the first (if not the very first) do-it-together environmental monitors. Communities living near oil refineries and petrochemical plants gathered to build their own buckets. They established phone trees to make sure that, when noxious fumes enveloped their neighborhood, someone would take a sample.

Twenty years later, buckets continue to be a critical tool for fenceline communities impacted by oil and gas development. They test for chemicals like benzene, hydrogen sulfide, perchloroethylene, and vinyl chloride, as well as other volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and sulfur compounds that are gases in the ambient air. Above all, they allow communities to take control of their air. If that's you, keep reading!

Why this tool?

Take back your air

Addressing health impacts of petrochemical production

Building a campaign

Getting Started

Think a bucket could be the right tool for you? This page includes links to everything you need (we hope) to learn how to use the bucket to achieve your goals. The resources here were developed in a collaboration that included Public Lab, the Fair Tech Collective, the South Durban Community Environmental Alliance, and groundWork.

How to build a bucket monitor

Learn about the materials you will need to build a bucket monitor and where you can find them. We will also take you step-by-step through the building process and ways to troubleshoot your bucket. If crafting is not for you, follow this link to buy a pre-made bucket monitor.

How to take a sample with a bucket monitor

Find out how to use your bucket monitor to get the most accurate and relevant data for you. We will take you through how to pick a location, how to manually take a sample, and how to get the sample ready for lab analysis.

Finding a lab

Once you have your sample, you'll need to send it to a lab for analysis. We'll explain how to find a lab and what to expect from your interaction with them.

How to use your bucket data

Learn how to go from numbers to a persuasive message about the pollution in your community and what to do about it.

Who else is involved?

History of the bucket monitor

Learn more about the invention of the bucket monitor as well as various bucket monitoring networks currently in use.

Bucket successes

Bucket monitoring data has helped communities reduce pollution, get enforcement action, and push for new legislation. Learn more here about others experiences using buckets to make change.

Activities

[activities:bucket-monitor]

Questions

[questions:bucket-monitor]

Have you used the bucket?

If you have used buckets in your own work and want to be part of this project, please email Community Technology Fellow Katie Gradowski here. We view this as a living document and are eager to collaborate with past and present users.

Updates

Are you interested in following along in the project? Subscribe to the tag below to get updates when we post new material.

Subscribe to updates on this project

The “bucket” is a low-cost, community-friendly air sampler that helps people measure toxic chemicals such as benzene and hydrogen sulfide in their air. Developed in the late 1990s, it was one of the first (if not the very first) do-it-together environmental monitors. Communities living near oil refineries and petrochemical plants gathered to build their own buckets. They established phone trees to make sure that, when noxious fumes enveloped their neighborhood, someone would take a sample.

Buckets are a critical tool for fenceline communities impacted by oil and gas development. They test for chemicals like benzene, hydrogen sulfide, perchloroethylene, and vinyl chloride, as well as other volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and sulfur compounds that are gases in the ambient air. Above all, they allow communities to take control of their air. If that's you, keep reading!

Why this tool?

Take back your air: Getting answers

Addressing health impacts of petrochemical production

Building a campaign

Getting Started

Think a bucket could be the right tool for you? This page includes links to everything you need (we hope) to learn how to use the bucket to achieve your goals. The resources here were developed in a collaboration that included Public Lab, the Fair Tech Collective, the South Durban Community Environmental Alliance, and groundWork.

How to build a bucket monitor

Learn about the materials you will need to build a bucket monitor and where you can find them. We will also take you step-by-step through the building process and ways to troubleshoot your bucket. If crafting is not for you, follow this link to buy a pre-made bucket monitor.

How to take a sample with a bucket monitor

Find out how to use your bucket monitor to get the most accurate and relevant data for you. We will take you through how to pick a location, how to manually take a sample, and how to get the sample ready for lab analysis.

Finding a lab

Once you have your sample, you'll need to send it to a lab for analysis. We'll explain how to find a lab and what to expect from your interaction with them.

How to use your bucket data

Learn how to go from numbers to a persuasive message about the pollution in your community and what to do about it.

Who else is involved?

History of the bucket monitor

Learn more about the invention of the bucket monitor as well as various bucket monitoring networks currently in use.

Bucket successes

Bucket monitoring data has helped communities reduce pollution, get enforcement action, and push for new legislation. Learn more here about others experiences using buckets to make change.

Activities

[activities:bucket-monitor]

Questions

[questions:bucket-monitor]

Have you used the bucket?

If you have used buckets in your own work and want to be part of this project, please email Community Technology Fellow Katie Gradowski here. We view this as a living document and are eager to collaborate with past and present users.

Updates

Are you interested in following along in the project? Subscribe to the tag below to get updates when we post new material.

Subscribe to updates on this project

The “bucket” is a low-cost, community-friendly air sampler that helps people measure toxic chemicals such as benzene and hydrogen sulfide in their air. Developed in the late 1990s, it was one of the first (if not the very first) do-it-together environmental monitors. Communities living near oil refineries and petrochemical plants gathered to build their own buckets. They established phone trees to make sure that, when noxious fumes enveloped their neighborhood, someone would take a sample.

Buckets are a critical tool for fenceline communities impacted by oil and gas development. They test for chemicals like benzene, hydrogen sulfide, perchloroethylene, and vinyl chloride, as well as other volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and sulfur compounds that are gases in the ambient air. Above all, they allow communities to take control of their air. If that's you, keep reading!

Take Back Your Air: Why Use the Bucket?

Addressing health impacts of petrochemical production

Building a campaign

Getting Started

Think a bucket could be the right tool for you? This page includes links to everything you need (we hope) to learn how to use the bucket to achieve your goals. The resources here were developed in a collaboration that included Public Lab, the Fair Tech Collective, the South Durban Community Environmental Alliance, and groundWork.

How to build a bucket monitor

Learn about the materials you will need to build a bucket monitor and where you can find them. We will also take you step-by-step through the building process and ways to troubleshoot your bucket. If crafting is not for you, follow this link to buy a pre-made bucket monitor.

How to take a sample with a bucket monitor

Find out how to use your bucket monitor to get the most accurate and relevant data for you. We will take you through how to pick a location, how to manually take a sample, and how to get the sample ready for lab analysis.

Finding a lab

Once you have your sample, you'll need to send it to a lab for analysis. We'll explain how to find a lab and what to expect from your interaction with them.

How to use your bucket data

Learn how to go from numbers to a persuasive message about the pollution in your community and what to do about it.

Who else is involved?

History of the bucket monitor

Learn more about the invention of the bucket monitor as well as various bucket monitoring networks currently in use.

Bucket successes

Bucket monitoring data has helped communities reduce pollution, get enforcement action, and push for new legislation. Learn more here about others experiences using buckets to make change.

Activities

[activities:bucket-monitor]

Questions

[questions:bucket-monitor]

Have you used the bucket?

If you have used buckets in your own work and want to be part of this project, please email Community Technology Fellow Katie Gradowski here. We view this as a living document and are eager to collaborate with past and present users.

Updates

Are you interested in following along in the project? Subscribe to the tag below to get updates when we post new material.

Subscribe to updates on this project

The “bucket” is a low-cost, community-friendly air sampler that helps people measure toxic chemicals such as benzene and hydrogen sulfide in their air. Developed in the late 1990s, it was one of the first (if not the very first) do-it-together environmental monitors. Communities living near oil refineries and petrochemical plants gathered to build their own buckets. They established phone trees to make sure that, when noxious fumes enveloped their neighborhood, someone would take a sample.

Buckets are a critical tool for fenceline communities impacted by oil and gas development. They test for chemicals like benzene, hydrogen sulfide, perchloroethylene, and vinyl chloride, as well as other volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and sulfur compounds that are gases in the ambient air. Above all, they allow communities to take control of their air. If that's you, keep reading!

Is the bucket the right tool for you?

Addressing health impacts of petrochemical production

Building a campaign

Where should I start?

Think a bucket could be the right tool for you? This page includes links to everything you need (we hope) to learn how to use the bucket to achieve your goals. The resources here were developed in a collaboration that included Public Lab, the Fair Tech Collective, the South Durban Community Environmental Alliance, and groundWork.

How to build a bucket monitor

Learn about the materials you will need to build a bucket monitor and where you can find them. We will also take you step-by-step through the building process and ways to troubleshoot your bucket. If crafting is not for you, follow this link to buy a pre-made bucket monitor.

How to take a sample with a bucket monitor

Find out how to use your bucket monitor to get the most accurate and relevant data for you. We will take you through how to pick a location, how to manually take a sample, and how to get the sample ready for lab analysis.

Finding a lab

Once you have your sample, you'll need to send it to a lab for analysis. We'll explain how to find a lab and what to expect from your interaction with them.

How to use your bucket data

Learn how to go from numbers to a persuasive message about the pollution in your community and what to do about it.

Who else is involved?

History of the bucket monitor

Learn more about the invention of the bucket monitor as well as various bucket monitoring networks currently in use.

Bucket successes

Bucket monitoring data has helped communities reduce pollution, get enforcement action, and push for new legislation. Learn more here about others experiences using buckets to make change.

Activities

[activities:bucket-monitor]

Questions

[questions:bucket-monitor]

Have you used the bucket?

If you have used buckets in your own work and want to be part of this project, please email Community Technology Fellow Katie Gradowski here. We view this as a living document and are eager to collaborate with past and present users.

Updates

Are you interested in following along in the project? Subscribe to the tag below to get updates when we post new material.

Subscribe to updates on this project

The “bucket” is a low-cost, community-friendly air sampler that helps people measure toxic chemicals such as benzene and hydrogen sulfide in their air. Developed in the late 1990s, it was one of the first (if not the very first) do-it-together environmental monitors. Communities living near oil refineries and petrochemical plants gathered to build their own buckets. They established phone trees to make sure that, when noxious fumes enveloped their neighborhood, someone would take a sample.

Buckets are a critical tool for fenceline communities impacted by oil and gas development. They test for chemicals like benzene, hydrogen sulfide, perchloroethylene, and vinyl chloride, as well as other volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and sulfur compounds that are gases in the ambient air. Above all, they allow communities to take control of their air. If that's you, keep reading!

What is a bucket? Why use it?

Is the bucket the right tool for you?

Addressing health impacts of petrochemical production

Building a campaign

Where should I start?

Think a bucket could be the right tool for you? This page includes links to everything you need (we hope) to learn how to use the bucket to achieve your goals. The resources here were developed in a collaboration that included Public Lab, the Fair Tech Collective, the South Durban Community Environmental Alliance, and groundWork.

How to build a bucket monitor

Learn about the materials you will need to build a bucket monitor and where you can find them. We will also take you step-by-step through the building process and ways to troubleshoot your bucket. If crafting is not for you, follow this link to buy a pre-made bucket monitor.

How to take a sample with a bucket monitor

Find out how to use your bucket monitor to get the most accurate and relevant data for you. We will take you through how to pick a location, how to manually take a sample, and how to get the sample ready for lab analysis.

Finding a lab

Once you have your sample, you'll need to send it to a lab for analysis. We'll explain how to find a lab and what to expect from your interaction with them.

How to use your bucket data

Learn how to go from numbers to a persuasive message about the pollution in your community and what to do about it.

Who else is involved?

History of the bucket monitor

Learn more about the invention of the bucket monitor as well as various bucket monitoring networks currently in use.

Bucket successes

Bucket monitoring data has helped communities reduce pollution, get enforcement action, and push for new legislation. Learn more here about others experiences using buckets to make change.

Activities

[activities:bucket-monitor]

Questions

[questions:bucket-monitor]

Have you used the bucket?

If you have used buckets in your own work and want to be part of this project, please email Community Technology Fellow Katie Gradowski here. We view this as a living document and are eager to collaborate with past and present users.

Updates

Are you interested in following along in the project? Subscribe to the tag below to get updates when we post new material.

Subscribe to updates on this project