The nonprofit Sustenta Honduras began its air quality work during the 2024 wildfire crisis. Driven by severe El Niño weather patterns, the pollution grew so extreme that school classes were canceled and even the French Ambassador suffered from a persistent, pollution-related cough. Building on their existing collaboration on municipal climate programs, the French Embassy urged Sustenta Honduras to begin collecting air quality monitoring data to advocate for cleaner air.
During this time, particulate matter pollution (PM2.5) levels reached 50 times the World Health Organization (WHO) guideline of 5 µg/m³. According to the Air Quality Life Index, Honduras consistently ranks among the five most polluted countries in Latin America, with current PM2.5 concentrations averaging 28.2 µg/m³. If the country met the WHO guidelines, the average resident could gain 2.3 years of life expectancy. To put that in perspective, particulate air pollution in Honduras reduces average life expectancy by more than double the impact of tobacco use or childhood and maternal malnutrition.
To tackle this threat, Sustenta Honduras has been working on closing the national air quality data gap, becoming the only source for open, real-time air quality data in the country. Supported by the EPIC Air Quality Fund, the Aire Limpio Honduras project deployed 50 outdoor low-cost monitors, building on a previous pilot to reach 61 active monitors nationwide. The network captures PM2.5 across urban, rural, agricultural, coastal, and industrial regions in 48 municipalities across all 18 departments. The initiative even extended its reach into neighboring Nicaragua, where three low-cost monitors have been installed to strengthen regional environmental monitoring. Decision-makers, local leaders, citizens and youth can now access open data through the Aire Limpio web portal and OpenAQ.
Mobilizing communities through data
Beyond technology, the network’s impact continues to grow organically from the ground-up. Once the monitors were installed, momentum grew naturally, as schools, universities, and foundations, started tracking local air quality and taking ownership far exceeding initial expectations. They used live data to raise community awareness, conduct research, and monitor environmental conditions around their facilities.
A key driver of this success goes back to the collaboration with local government. A few years back, Sustenta Honduras had founded the Green Municipalities Network, which represents 10% of the country’s municipalities. Over time, the network shifted its focus towards air quality. Six member municipalities now host air quality monitors, leveraging real-time data to alert their citizens through local radio stations and social media, while Sustenta Honduras builds local and technical capacity.
The data is also generating academic and broader public interest. The Universidad Tecnológica Centroamericana (UNITEC) in San Pedro Sula—one of the country’s most polluted cities—uses local data to support research and coursework. At grassroots level, this real-time and open data also serves as a public accountability tool, as it equips citizens and researchers with concrete and localized evidence to request action from public authorities.
Media coverage played a key role in raising awareness and gaining national visibility. During this year’s air quality crisis, major outlets regularly cited Aire Limpio data, establishing the project as a credible national authority. Journalists also produced documentaries, based on the network’s data, while Sustenta Honduras also worked with outlets like Contracorriente and appeared on national broadcast programs.
The surge in public attention and dialogue did not just stay in the local communities, it also caught the attention of national agencies who began reaching out to collaborate on policy.
A foundation for building stronger policies
By establishing Central America’s largest air quality monitoring network, Aire Limpio Honduras has created an essential tool for national policy reform. The combination of widespread deployment, local coalitions with municipalities, accessible real-time data, and high public demand and media coverage during the seasonal wildfires has transformed a technical proposal into active engagement across multiple branches of government.
The Secretaría de Gestión de Riesgos y Contingencias (COPECO) has since emerged as a key institutional champion, supporting Sustenta Honduras in the formal adoption of a new policy and positioning air pollution as a national public health and risk-management priority, while leveraging the data to draft Honduras’ first Clean Air Law. Beyond COPECO, representatives from the National Congress are offering strategic guidance on how to approach the regulatory side for broader legislative support. Executive-branch institutions like the National Youth Institute have also taken notice of the project. The momentum comes at a critical moment: the country’s only existing framework—a 2010 regulation on fixed emission sources—remains mainly inactive and misses major pollution drivers like vehicle emissions or forest fires.
“Having this data allowed us to understand that air pollution touches every corner of the country,” says Ricardo Pineda Guzmán, Director of Sustenta Honduras. “It gives us the foundation for a Clean Air Act. Central America is one of the regions furthest behind globally in standards and legislation, but open data is our starting point to show people how pollution impacts their health—a link that resonates and inspires action.”
With a formal presentation to the National Congress and thanks to the strong partnership with COPECO, sustained inter-institutional collaboration will be critical to turn this proposal into legislative action and to urgently protect the public health of over 11 million Hondurans.
Leveraging youth and modern communication tools
Data only moves people if it reaches them through their daily habits. Alongside its web portal—which features air quality maps, a school-based monitoring platform, and the reporting system—Sustenta Honduras also launched an hourly WhatsApp Channel adapted to local communication habits. This tool pushes real-time updates directly to mobile phones. “WhatsApp has strengthened our data’s reach and made it easier for people to stay informed,” says Pineda Guzmán.
Sustenta Honduras also has an active presence on platforms popular with the younger generation, including Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook. Pineda Guzman and his team successfully explain complex air pollution topics, share updates on their work, and highlight the importance of climate related topics, using an active, upbeat tone that’s tailored to local social media trends.
Youth have become the project’s strongest allies. With local schools eagerly installing air quality monitors on campus, young people have emerged as core stakeholders and are now making up the majority of users accessing the Sustenta Honduras platform and the AirGradient app. Placing monitors on campus turns students into educated ambassadors who can connect air quality data directly to their daily lives. During school visits, Sustenta Honduras uses a portable monitor and burns a little bit of trash, demonstrating in real time how quickly pollution spikes. Seeing the immediate impact triggers reactions: children protest the burning of trash—a common habit in Honduras—and then take those lessons home to educate their parents.
“Children and young people are our biggest advocates,” says Pineda Guzmán. “Taking this to the classroom is a long-term investment, which will create a much more forward-thinking generation, especially if they grew up with the air quality monitor and learn about environmental conditions. Kids don’t just inherit the air we leave behind—they’re the ones who will change it. Every child who understands clean air today becomes a voice for it tomorrow.”
Looking Ahead: A Replicable Model for the Global South
What started as a local effort to measure air quality in Honduras gained recognition as a model for countries, with limited official air quality infrastructure and limited funding—especially across South and Central America, where public awareness around air pollution is still emerging. It proves how citizen-centered environmental monitoring builds momentum from the ground up.
Demonstrating its global relevance, Aire Limpio’s municipal-prioritization methodology was recently presented at the Africa Clean Air Forum in Pretoria, South Africa, explaining how the strategy of a local Honduran non-profit offers a practical and scalable solution for clean air action across the Global South.
“We are proud to have developed the largest air quality monitoring network in Central America, which is a milestone made possible through the support of the EPIC Air Quality Fund,“ says Pineda Guzmán. “EPIC provides sustained, needs-based support for local and youth-led organizations like Sustenta Honduras that goes beyond the usual funding opportunities. People tend to overlook our region, so EPIC’s commitment to directing resources where they are genuinely needed is invaluable. By putting science to data, and data to funding, EPIC spotlights smaller countries with massive potential. A small investment has really gone a long way in Honduras.”
This story is the sixth in the EPIC Air Quality Fund Impact series that aims to showcase how the fund supports local governments and organizations in installing air quality monitors, providing open data to communities, developing clean air laws and driving national-level impact in countries that could benefit the most.