Amsterdam's High-Tech Birdhouses Offer Free Wi-Fi in Exchange for Clean Air

A 2015 European clean air ranking gave Amsterdam a “D+” for its sub-par policies to improve air quality. Not only was this a regression from 2012, but Amsterdam now ranks lower than larger European cities, including London and Paris. In fact, a 2015 report from an independent Dutch NGO found that 11 places in Amsterdam exceeded the air pollution limit set by the European Union.

Although many Amsterdam citizens are well aware of this pollution problem, they may be less aware of how it impacts them directly. “Here in the Netherlands, you hear a lot about our air quality being one of the poorest in Europe, but air pollution is just not visible,” says Joris Lam, a local resident and the founder of TreeWiFi, a new initiative that aims to reduce air pollution in the city.