Central Kentucky Clean Air Team

The Central Kentucky Clean Air Team is a consortium of Lexington clean air advocates in partnership with the Kentucky Division for Air Quality. We educate students and teachers about air quality and build and distribute free Corsi-Rosenthal air cleaners to central Kentucky schools (K-12). Also, it's a great STEM project. 

In July 2023, we were awarded a grant from ProjectN95.org to fit approximately 25 air cleaners into one Disadvantaged Community (DAC) as determined by the DOE Energy Justice Mapping Tool for Schools. We already had a few Corsi-Rosenthal boxes in Cardinal Valley Elementary and they accepted this opportunity for additional devices using the grant funding. Our point-of-contact at this school was concerned about floor space so we pivoted to offering the SAFE design (one box fan and one five inch filter) which has a smaller footprint. In all, 31 SAFE air cleaners and three C-R boxes were donated to Cardinal Valley by October 16, 2023. 

We raised additional funding on our GoFundMe and through direct contributions to deliver 2 more SAFE boxes, 1 more C-R, and our first ever quiet computer fan installation to Cardinal Valley on November 12, 2023.

As of November 12, 2023, 95 boxes have been adopted in schools in central Kentucky.

How do they work?

These Corsi-Rosenthal DIY air cleaners are built by attaching a box fan to a cube made of MERV-13 air filters. Together they make a box that sucks in air from the room through the filters, pushing clean air up through the fan. Particles and aerosols get trapped in the filter, which improves the indoor air quality of the classroom. 

One 20” Corsi-Rosenthal box adds an additional 3-5 air changes per hour to an average-sized classroom.

These third graders from Rise STEM Academy for Girls in Lexington, Kentucky helped build six Corsi-Rosenthal boxes in a mini box-a-thon. Roberta Burnes, an educator from the Kentucky Division for Air Quality and Kristen Witt, Ph.D, the Innovation Specialist and Sustainability Coordinator at Rise STEM, assisted them.