What problem is being solved and how?

At the beginning of the pandemic, many medical aid items were in short supply, such as face shields in hospitals or mouth-nose masks. As a result, shortages occurred time and again. This also included a lack of air filters, which provide a minimum level of safety for groups in closed rooms. Repeatedly, committed people developed pragmatic solutions to somehow get a grip on the situations and enable self-help. This includes the CO₂ traffic light, which reminds people to ventilate regularly. When the CO₂ content in the air has risen sharply, it jumps to red. This created sensitivity to the situation in various contexts, especially during the winter season.

Why is it a good example?

The CO₂ traffic light is representative of the various civil society solutions that enable rapid self-help through their open documentation and ease of use. On the one hand, it functions as a concrete tool, but at the same time it is also an educational project. In some schools, the devices were set up together. In this way, an examination of the situation took place. In addition, the group experienced how problems can be taken into their own hands by sharing knowledge and commitment.

How you can support

The CO₂ traffic light is not a development of one group, but has been built very differently in different communities and improved again and again. It and all the other tools developed show how decentralized and networked production communities can help quickly and adapted to local challenges. So support your local Open Workshops, like hackerspaces or FabLabs, which are the hubs of this movement.