Benefits

'A healthy planet will benefit us all'

WHAT TO EXPECT

Better Air Quality

Cities account for less than 2% of the earths surface and yet they produce more than 60% of greenhouse gas emissions. By tackling pollution directly in city centres and other built up urban areas we can vastly reduce these emissions. This will not only have a huge impact on air quality in city centres but also, over time, the whole planet. The plants in our units are all excellent at cleaning the air and moss has perhaps the best air cleansing and oxygenating capabilities of any plant. Each of our CLEANCITYAIR® units is packed with plants that capture all sorts of pollutants, allergens, viruses and other harmful particles.

Less Airborne Dust

When people inhale airborne dust, they are risking dust-related diseases like asthma, allergic alveolitis, and cancer. Particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10) particles are a serious health risk in city centres. Our plants and chosen for their abilities to absorb dust, Moss is also colonised by bacteria which can decompose a massive variety of potentially dangerous contaminants such as aerosols, carbon particulates, smoke particles, chemical dust, moulds, and fumes. The inorganic parts of airborne dust are absorbed and effectively eliminated from the air.

Stabilises Moisture Levels

Another feature of living plants and moss, is that they can help stabilise moisture levels to maintain a relative humidity of between 40 and 60 percent. When humidity rises above 17 grams/cu. meter, the plants will absorb moisture from the air. When humidity drops below 12 grams/cu. meter they humidify the air by releasing moisture back into the environment. Thus our CLEANCITYAIR® walls can help to maintain humidity levels that don’t promote the spread of disease. But our moss and herbs take disease prevention one step further as well. They also serves to clean the disease particles that are already floating around, lowering the viral load in the air. 

Lower Carbon Dioxide Levels

People and moss are natural partners. We breathe in oxygen and exhale carbon dioxide, and moss absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen... simples! Our moss also plays a significant role in the carbon cycle as it absorbs carbon dioxide faster than anything else and when placed back into peatlands it can serve as natural carbon sink, storing the carbon for thousands of years. In fact, all our plants are good at removing carbon dioxide from the air, they use photosynthesis to pull carbon into the soil.

Improves Focus

Researchers at the Royal College of Agriculture in Cirencester in England performed an interesting study regarding student attentiveness and plants. They found that students were 70% more attentive when taught in classrooms containing living plants. Also, attendance was higher for lectures offered in rooms containing plants. How would greater attentiveness benefit you and those around you? Spending time in natural settings helps speed up recovery from mental fatigue, slow down heart rate, reduce high blood pressure, and lower anxiety. It is also linked to:

Noise Reduction

Our CLEANCITYAIR® wall units can be used to reduce noise and create more peaceful environments. Homeowners who live on busy main roads often plant trees or shrubs to block traffic noises. The same principles apply with all our range of living wall units. The plants and mosses naturally block high-frequency sounds, while the supporting steel structure of the units reduces low-frequency noises. Studies have shown that plants can also reduce ambient noise by as much as 5 decibels. You may not realise how much noise pollution you are often receiving, but you will certainly notice when it is gone.

Reduced water runoff

In urban areas, street water runoff pollutes local lakes, rivers and streams. Street runoff carries oil, rubber, heavy metals and many other contaminants and these pollutants interfere with the natural process, harming aquatic life. The pollutants degrade the quality of water and change water chemistry. Adding CLEANCITYAIR® units to city streets will reduce this runoff pollution, as our plants and mosses can be fed re-directed water via drain pipes and roofs. Moss and sedums can absorb many times their own weight in water and can help reduce runoff pollution.

Increase in pollinating insects

Insects drive the production of essential seeds, fruits, and vegetables via pollination, and are necessary decomposers of organic matter. Further, insects are keystone species that provide invaluable ecosystem services, by providing biological control of pests, and acting as bio-indicators of healthy streams and soils. Insects form the base of complex ecological food webs in agricultural, natural, and urban areas, shaping the appearance, beauty and complexity of these diverse landscapes. Installing our BEEAIR® units will help create green corridors in urban areas where insects usually cannot survive. Our HERBAIR® and SEDUMAIR® products are also insect friendly and a mix of all of these units will create an attractive street, that not only reduces pollution, but also supports these insects - vital to the natural balance of our planet.

Shoppers happier in clean city

Shoppers care about green issues. Recent studies show that when shoppers have sustainable options, they are likely to choose them. Sustainability is often a deciding factor - when it's presented as an option and If retailers offer green partnerships, their customers will use them. At CLEANCITYAIR® we are happy to work with any retail group who want to make a real difference for their customers to enjoy. Retailers can purchase and add their own units to the local area or they can sponsor units that may be already installed, via local Government, with their logo and address proudly displayed on each unit. And, hopefully this will lead to them enjoying the extra shoppers this presents.




Healthier People

Pollution effects Health

Air pollution has a significant effect on public health, and poor air quality is the largest environmental risk to public health in the UK. A report for the European Public Health Alliance (EPHA) assessed the health costs of pollutants in UK cities. The study, which examined the impact of the three most dangerous pollutants – particulate matter (PM), ozone and nitrogen dioxide, showed that the UK spends £19 billion yearly and in London alone it costs £10 billion. To put that in context - If we spent a one off £1 billion on CLEANCITYAIR® living walls, which would be installed throughout every UK city, this would give us 14,500 living wall units in each of the 69 cities in the UK (like planting 300,000+ trees in every city). This quantity of units would certainly make a massive impact on reducing city centre pollution levels and would certainly and positively change our urban environments forever.

The benefits gained by adding any of our CLEANCITYAIR® units to your urban habitat are not always obvious or measurable ones, although many effects are visually noticeable. Developing areas with better air quality helps everyone indiscriminately, yet not everyone realises they are currently breathing in highly toxic air. A cleaner, healthier environment is something we should all expect but don't always have and we are committed to continually gathering relevant data, that in time will prove the need to tackle dangerous pollutants in city centres head on.

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