Making the vegetable garden permanent in front of City Hall would have been a wonderful thing. Sigh. Click the first image to enlarge:
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Environment
Air cleaning plants (see last post) incorporated in a cool wall design at clubfizz.biz:
Here is the new incarnation of the loft wall with lots of integrated toxin-eating plants. eventually they will form a plant curtain and look really cool.
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From Organic Gardening:
Next time you go shopping for home cleaning supplies, consider adding large-leaved plants for every room in the house. They reduce unhealthy pollutants as well as airborne bacteria and fungi while adding the humidity needed to combat respiratory and allergic conditions.
According to B. C. Wolverton, Ph.D., a retired NASA research scientist, indoor air pollution can be a major threat to our health. To determine how the earth produces and sustains clean air through plants, Wolverton and his fellow NASA scientists studied plants in controlled environments. The researchers found that houseplants can purify and revitalize air in our homes and offices, protecting us from the negative effects of such common toxins as ammonia, formaldehyde, and benzene.
For years, people have been told to stay indoors during smog alerts. Today, the list of known indoor pollutants is just as scary, reports the Virginia Cooperative Extension. Asbestos, pesticides, fumes from detergents and solvents, fibers from carpets, draperies, insulation, even glass””not to mention mold and tobacco smoke””all add up to a cleanup best tackled by Mother Nature. Plant leaves are able to absorb pollutants and send them to the roots, where they become food for microbes.
To get the most out of your houseplants, set them up (two to three per room) so there is plenty of space around each one for ideal air circulation. Keep the air moist by misting plants. Avoid locations in the rooms where there are drafts or sudden temperature changes. Pollutants are absorbed through the leaves, so keep the leaves clear of dust by wiping gently with a damp cloth.
In the future, we will be cleaning up environmental pollution with plants. Right now, add houseplants to each room to clean the air you and your family breathe.
Top 10 Air Cleaning Plants:
- Areca palm
- Reed palm
- Dwarf date palm
- Boston fern
- Pothos
- English ivy
- Australian sword fern
- Peace lily
- Rubber plant
- Weeping fig
Organic Gardening: Air Cleaning Plants
Similar information from a hobbyist site:
Houseplants can be very beneficial in our lives. They purify and renew our stale indoor air by filtering out toxins, pollutants and the carbon dioxide we exhale – replacing them with life sustaining oxygen!
Although it should be safe to presume that all plants are capable of removing toxins from our air, research by NASA showed that some house plants are more efficient in filtering out toxins than others. Philodendrons, Spider plants, and Pothos were found to be the most efficient in the removal of formaldehyde. Gerbera Daisies and Chrysanthemums were found to be effective in the removal of benzene, a known carcinogen.
As a rule of thumb, allow one houseplant per 100 square feet of living area. The more vigorous the plant, the more air it can filter. Keep in mind that plants will not do much to alleviate tobacco smoke or dust in the air.
The page includes links to eleven types of plants with photos and information about their sunlight and drainage needs and if they are poisonous to pets.
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I think most people in the United States take fresh water for granted. It’s readily available in every building, it’s clean and it can be used pretty much without restriction, from taking a long shower to washing clothes to hosing down the sidewalk or just letting it run down the drain while we brush our teeth or turn away from the faucet in the kitchen. Not to mention using a whole toilet-tank full of water to flush away a few ounces of pee (yes, I said pee). Americans use a lot of water and they don’t really pay much attention to conserving it. I believe that, like thoughtless use of fuel and energy, thoughtless use of water is not sustainable and is going to need to stop sooner rather than later.
I don’t pretend to understand all the complexities of water use, water distribution and water conservation, but it seems to me that there are some easy ways to use less water. I limit my water usage by turning off the sink when I’m brushing my teeth, only running the dishwasher (yikes, what a luxury a dishwasher actually is!) when there’s a full load, only doing full loads of laundry, sweeping the sidewalk instead of hosing it (I run the hose sparingly when someone lets their dog pee all over the front sidewalk) and only flushing the toilet once in the morning even if there have been multiple trips to the bathroom at night. Flushing the toilet less saves a ton of water so I do this during the day when I’m home alone or with someone who’s also comfortable with this.
Taking showers together with someone else is a great way to use less water (I happen to think it’s also enjoyable!). Using a single bucket of water and a brush to clean things (like cars) saves a lot of water over using a running hose.
Some larger-scale water saving ideas include rooftop rainwater collection, gray water reclaimation and landscaping that uses low-water plants instead of water-wasteful grass lawns (personally I find that varied plantings look so much better than lawns anyway!).
I’ve written about saving water before, in the context of “dual flush toilets” that save water by using different amounts to flush “number one” and “number two” (I use the word “pee” there too!).
What prompted me to write this was coming across the WATER Institute (Watershed Advocacy, Training, Education, & Research) and their publication “Basins Of Relations: A Citizen’s Guide to Protecting and Restoring Our Watersheds.”
Their organization is dedicated to educating the public about water use and about how important the overall health of watersheds is to communities:
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Here’s the video (noted in the last post) of Gavin talking about transit issues and the Transit Effectiveness Project (TEP), which is a series of major updates to the Muni system to address the changes in ridership patterns and new transit technologies.
Gavin talks about hiring more drivers, changing routes, spacing out stops more effectively for better throughput, computerized traffic management systems/notifications, having more fare inspectors on trains and buses, environmental impacts, Translink, security, automated parking citations via cameras on buses and other issues.
One thing I found particularly interesting is the plan for new bus shelters, which will include solar panels and wind power generators, more NextMuni info and possibly wireless Internet access (I’d love to see the green roofs included as well). There are also plans for a free bike sharing strategy tied to the bus shelters.
Other items: double decker buses, the Culture Bus program, congestion pricing, emission reductions, parking meter technology and many other issues. I was pleased to here Gavin say that Muni is the greenest transit agency in the US! It’s very interesting stuff and well worth watching.
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I was walking to the SF Main Library today (yes, more DVDs) and I came across this:
A bus shelter with a living green roof (like the big one at the Academy of Science)!
How awesome! I hadn’t heard anything about this program prior to seeing the bus shelter, so I looked around and found the “Green Roof Bus Shelter Group” page on the San Francisco Parks Trust website.
From their page:
The Green Roof Bus Shelter Group is a collaborative of architects and green roof enthusiasts who propose to install a living green roof on the top of a bus shelter in San Francisco for a three month pilot program. Their mission is to educate the public about the many environmental benefits of green roofs, as well as improve urban air quality and provide attractive waiting spaces for public transit users. The group will be tracking public comments through MTA”™s website.
Benefits of green roofs:
- filtering air pollution and particulates from vehicle exhaust
- managing storm water by slowing the runoff rate
- adding an extra layer of insulation to roofs
- providing wildlife habitat opportunities in a dense urban area
I’m excited to see living roofs catching on and gaining in prominence. I’m looking to find more information.
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TreeHugger highlights several programs underway at SoCal colleges to encourage less driving and more eco-friendly transportation:
Universities in southern California are implementing several green commuting programs and incentives to encourage carpooling and biking to campus, reports the San Diego Union Tribune. While southern California is known for loving its autos, its also known for year round near-perfect weather. If there is any place in the US to encourage biking and hiking, this is it, but unfortunately public transit is not “mass” transit, yet. If there was just a way to flip the trend away from single-person auto use, it would change the entire culture and environment of southern California and several universities are working to do just that.
Progress, progress, progress…
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