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At the end of November, a unique experiment was carried out in the Trnava region, in the small village of Blahová. For the first time in Slovakia, a drone was used to measure air pollution, which represents a revolutionary step in air quality monitoring. The experiment was carried out in cooperation with the Populair project, the UAVONIC company and the Slovak Hydrometeorological Institute. The measurements focused on investigating the impact of heating on air quality, which is a very topical problem in Slovakia, especially in the winter months.

The Slovak Environmental Agency, in cooperation with the Ministry of the Environment of the Slovak Republic, organized two 2-hour online workshops for representatives of local governments who fulfill delegated state administration functions in the field of air protection on December 10 and 12, 2024. The workshops focused on current information and guidelines for the application of legislative requirements in the field of air quality.

A study tour took place in mid-October 2024, providing participants with the opportunity to learn about good practice examples in the field of sustainability and urban development in three countries – Austria, Slovenia and Hungary. Over the course of four days, they visited the cities of Vienna, Maribor, Ljubljana, Budapest and Győr.

As part of the European Mobility Week, SEA employees continued the activity "Go to school on your own" at Golianova Primary School in Banská Bystrica. The aim of the activity, implemented as part of the LIFE IP project - Improving air quality, is to raise the awareness of pupils, parents and teachers about the importance of walking and cycling as an alternative to the use of cars when transporting children to school.

Every year on 7th September we celebrate the International Day of Clean Air for blue skies. This year's campaign slogan is "Invest in #CleanAirNow" from the English original "Invest in #CleanAirNow". It highlights the urgent need for stronger partnerships, increased investment and shared responsibility in the fight against air pollution.

In the Žilina Region, a meeting was organized for municipalities to prepare the Air Quality Improvement Program, which was prepared by the District Office in the regional headquarters together with the Slovak Environment Agency and the Žilina Self-Governing Region.

Did you know that for transportation in a densely populated city, cycling is the fastest mode of transportation within 3 km? Not to mention the health, safety and financial benefits. But this still may not be a reason for sufficient motivation to change daily mobility habits. In order to support motivation in favor of sustainable mobility, the Prešov Region has also created events this year that help citizens understand what they are missing out on by preferring motorized modes of transport.

In May, the Slovak Environment Agency, in cooperation with the Ministry of the Environment of the Slovak Republic and other partners of the LIFE IP - Air Quality Improvement project, organized three regional workshops focused on air quality for representatives of local governments from the Košice, Žilina and Banskobystrica self-governing regions (KSK, ŽSK,BBSK).

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the incidence of asthma has doubled in the last 10 years. According to WHO estimates, about 300 million people worldwide suffer from asthma, and by 2025 it will be 100 million more. We remember the problems of people with asthma this year on May 7 on World Asthma Day.

It used to be common in the lowland areas of Slovakia that people procured firewood by cutting willows growing on the banks of streams and brooks. Apart from the shade that the willow trees provided for grazing herds, the dense root system strengthened the banks, but the main benefit of the willows was in the form of wicker and wood. They could be willows, but also hornbeams, oaks, agates or ash trees.