Air pollution is at critical levels in the UK. In London alone, it leads to 9400 premature deaths each year. That’s more fatalities than car accidents. BreezoMeter, are a company that monitors air quality. They wanted to use their hyperlocal, real-time data to shine a light on how deadly this pollution is.

We re-purposed a typical roadside memorial, symbolic of death, to bring the problem to life. But Toxic Toby is more than just a teddy bear memorial, he’s an audio-visual warning system and environmental lobbyist. Powered by live, location-based air quality data, Toby coughs when pollution is high. The higher the pollution level, the more he coughs. Every cough generated a tweet lobbying the local MP to improve regulations.

If government wouldn’t listen to BreezoMeter’s data, maybe they would listen to Toby - a roadside memorial that had the public’s support and the media’s attention.

By enabling Toby to be a self-sufficient environmental lobbyist he was able to expose pollution blackspots and put pressure on the relevant local MP. With the data as evidence, he was better placed to encourage them to support new air pollution laws.

The campaign launched on 21st September 2018, Zero Emissions Day, with Toby debuting on London’s most polluted street – Brixton Road – according to BreezoMeter’s data. Toby was then placed in further pollution blackspots near schools and in high footfall areas, garnered through analysis of BreezoMeter’s data, raising awareness where it was needed most. Toby personally lobbied every London’s MP as he made his way around the different constituencies. Toby soon became incorporated into school lessons. And before long, other clean air groups, including the World Health Organization, called for Toby to represent them. Toby received worldwide media attention and soon became the international advocate for the issue. Toby went beyond shining a light to actually influencing environmental legislation, turning him from a local utility, to the global face of air pollution.

- Environment Bill published by UK government

- 100 million news coverage views

- $7.5 million funding secured by BreezoMeter