CO₂ Measurement Project

Discover how students at BRG Keplerstraße Graz explored air quality using the micro:bit and developed their first own environmental measurements as part of the Erasmus+ project GreenTech with micro:bit.

Project Overview

This first environmental project was carried out with three classes of the 7th grade, involving a total of 52 students.

The goal of the project was to introduce students to CO₂ measurement and to combine digital skills with environmental awareness in a hands-on way.

Building the Basics

Before starting the environmental project, students were introduced to the basics of the micro:bit.

Over the course, they learned about:

sensors and how they work
pins and how to connect external components
simple programming concepts

This preparation ensured that all students had the necessary technical understanding to work independently with the micro:bit.

At the same time, the topic of CO₂ and air quality was covered in biology lessons. Students learned about the effects of CO₂ on health and the environment, which helped them better understand the purpose of their measurements.

From Ideas to Experiments

In biology lessons the topic of CO₂ and air quality was covered. Students learned about the effects of CO₂ on health and the environment, which helped them better understand the purpose of measuring CO₂ levels.

A short brainstorming session helped students develop ideas on how to measure air quality in their environment.

Programming and Measurement

For the practical part of the project, students worked with a CO₂ sensor connected to the micro:bit. They followed a structured worksheet that guided them through:

setting up the sensor
programming the micro:bit
measuring CO₂ values
using data logging to record results over time

Students carried out their own measurements and observed how CO₂ levels change in different situations, for example before and after ventilation.

Through this project, students gained their first insights into data collection, programming and environmental science, and observed how CO₂ levels change, for example through ventilation.

Contribution to the Project

As the first environmental project, this activity also helped to collect valuable experiences, data and teaching materials for the development of a project guide.

This guide will support teachers in implementing similar micro:bit-based environmental projects in their own classrooms.

In addition, the project provided important insights into how students work with sensors, programming tasks and data interpretation. These findings will help to further improve the learning activities and make them even more accessible and practical for future use.