Green roofs for buses - clean air for cities. Fresh air: the benefits of walking in the forest, in the mountains for adults and children We are looking for fresh air: from the Caucasus mountains to our own home
Being at home or in the office, we have to breathe air saturated with the fumes of furniture, working equipment, plastic, etc. In order to somehow smooth out all the negative influences on the atmosphere of the room of the surrounding objects, you can have indoor plants that have the ability to purify and heal the air. Well-chosen live plants not only delight the eye with a harmonious combination of shape and color, but also improve the composition of the indoor air. All green plants, absorbing carbon dioxide, emit oxygen into the surrounding space, this has been known since school. But many of them, in addition, destroy pathogenic bacteria, purify the air from harmful gases and odors for a very short time. Chlorophytum is a unique houseplant in this respect. It literally in a few hours is able to clean the air in the kitchen from the products released during the combustion of gas. Chlorophytum cleans the air in a 10-12 meter room by 80% per day. Monstera, ivy, asparagus, spurge, aloe, spathiphyllum are also effective in this regard.
To reduce the dryness of the air, especially in winter and enrich it with oxygen, the sansevier, a real oxygen factory, will help. In general, all indoor plants with large leaves - monstera, arrowroot, humidify the air well. Cyperus, whose homeland is Africa, evaporates a lot of water through the leaves. The pot with this plant should be placed in a pan or aquarium filled with water.
The air we breathe for a long time working at the computer is air devoid of phytoncides, live aromas, negative ions. Coniferous plants - araucaria, cryptomeria, juniper, thuja, cypress - will help to "revive" such air. Cereus and Croton will restore the ionic composition of the air. Geraniums and violets, familiar to us all, are also capable of enriching the air of a room with negatively charged ions. Cacti filter different types of radiation.
The air of our apartments contains huge quantities of microorganisms, among which there are clearly pathogenic ones, such as staphylococci, pores of molds. Getting on the mucous membranes of the upper respiratory tract of a person, they can cause various serious diseases, including asthma and allergies. Microbes in the air die under the influence of phytoncides secreted by some plant species. Phytoncides are gaseous and easily evaporating substances of complex composition. They have a positive effect on the air in very low doses. Plants such as myrtle, various citrus fruits, rosemary, geranium, azalea, dieffenbachia, anthurium, sansevier, begonias, tradescantia, lavender, mint are especially generously saturated with these substances, and this happens especially intensively during the day. Common laurel cleans the air very well. The fugitive emissions of this plant inhibit harmful microorganisms in the air. With long-term presence of such plants in the room, the bacterial background gradually levels out, approaching the minimum value.
It's no secret that our furniture emits substances that are very harmful to health - formaldehydes and phenols. Dracaena, chlorophytum, aloe, philodendron, ficus, shefflera, spathiphyllum will partially rid the air of these poisons, and asparagus are able to absorb salts of heavy metals. It is not necessary to start a lot of plants at home, especially if there is no time to properly care for them. It is often enough to grow a few well-groomed plants that will noticeably improve the condition of the air we breathe in our apartment.
At the end of 2017, according to EcoStandard group estimates, Zelenograd is the cleanest area in Moscow. The name "green city" is well-known, but besides greening, the presence of industrial zones, clean air and much more affects the environment. What does the ecology of Zelenograd depend on, and what problems does the city have?
Illustration: Valeria Pankova
What is ecology, and with what it is eaten
In a broad sense, ecology is the science of the interaction of living organisms with each other and with the environment. We will consider ecology as the state of the environment of our city, which consists of air, water, mineral, bio- and energy resources. With a superficial assessment of the ecology, they look at the area of forest parks, other green areas, the presence of highways and airfields, sources of electromagnetic fields and the noise level of the city. Also take into account the large sources of negative impacts in neighboring areas.
As we have already said, the environment is five components, on the state of which the ecological situation depends. For each of them there are monitoring systems: some assess air pollution, others - soil, and so on for each component. However, these systems do not have unified approaches to assessing the state of the environment: they do not have a unified set of indicators, methods of regionalization of territories and frequency of tracking. Because of this, the resulting values are sometimes interpreted ambiguously and biased. This happens for a simple reason: ecologists interpret the results in such a way that they confirm the necessary hypotheses. This approach is clearly visible in the case of global warming: supporters argue that the level of carbon dioxide has increased by a quarter over the past hundred years, while their opponents say that it has risen by only one percent.
Some environmental violations can be seen without special monitoring tools and sophisticated instruments. To assess the state of the atmosphere, you can, for example, look at the color of the snow in the city. If it is white, then everything is fine, but a blue, yellow or reddish tint may indicate the presence of harmful substances in the atmosphere. The same works with rain, for example, black color indicates the presence of heavy metals in precipitation.
It used to be better?
This concludes with the theory and move on to the ecology of Zelenograd, the city of microelectronics, in which there is more than one plant. In the eighties, waste from enterprises was discharged into the Skhodnya River, which spoiled the Zelenograd reservoirs. During the years of perestroika, the factories stopped. When they were restarted, the waste was disposed of in less hazardous ways. Now garbage from the production of microelectronics is taken out to several landfills, including Volokolamsk and Solnechnogorsk.
The abnormal heat in 2010 and 2011 affected the landscaping of the city and its environs - the temperature reached 36 degrees. These conditions turned out to be favorable for the reproduction of bark beetles. Due to drought and pests, about 20 percent of the city's forests had to be cut down. This was necessary to prevent the bark beetle from moving to neighboring healthy trees. Almost eight years later, trees are still being planted to restore the city's old landscaping.
One of the problems appeared long ago, during the laying of the water supply system in the city. Previously, most of the water came from artesian springs in Zelenograd. The water from them contains a lot of fluorine. Its excessive consumption had a detrimental effect on the condition of the teeth and kidneys of the townspeople. Especially fluorosis (dental disease caused by fluoride intoxication - author's note) affects children. Rospotrebnadzor gradually solved this problem: according to statistics for 1980-2015, the incidence of fluorosis among children decreased tenfold - from 9 to 0.89 percent. The reason for this improvement is the transition from artesian water to river water - at the moment, only three percent of water from artesian springs flows in Zelenograd's aqueducts.
Currently, the main problem of the city is garbage, especially polyethylene. Its turnover is huge all over the world. And although most of the polyethylene waste is taken out of the city and delivered to disposal sites, we can still observe forest littering. One of the most promising solutions to this problem is biodegradable polyethylene, bags of which can be bought in some supermarkets. However, solving the problem of littering with the help of such polyethylene, we create another: the production of biodegradable bags is even more harmful to the environment than the production of conventional bags from oil. Regular bags can be used over and over again, while biodegradable bags will have to be produced in large quantities to meet the needs of people.
A radical solution to the waste problem will be an incineration plant, which will be built 40 kilometers from Zelenograd near the Solnechnogorsk landfill. Construction will begin in June 2018 and will end in October 2020. The difference between this incineration plant is in a different technical process: the garbage will be burned with plasma at a temperature of 1260 degrees, this will destroy almost all harmful combustion waste. The volatile waste will then be filtered and neutralized by cementing. Ferrous and non-ferrous metals will be taken from solid residues for recycling, and the remaining waste will be sent to road construction. The heat from the combustion will go to the turbine generator, which will produce electricity.
Who is involved in ecology in our city? The Mosecomonitoring service is responsible for identifying and solving environmental problems, and also informs the population. For example, it controls the emissions of household waste and leaves notches on trees suitable for felling. The service receives some of the data from automatic air pollution control stations. There are three of them in Zelenograd: in the 11th and 15th microdistricts and not far from Pine Alley.
MIET also does not stay away from environmental problems. The Institute for Advanced Materials and Technologies cooperates with environmental activists, supplies specialized equipment, conducts trainings, open lessons and other events. Also, MIET regularly organizes organized actions to collect plastic caps and batteries. The collected waste is taken for recycling or disposal.
Despite the fact that Zelenograd is already recognized as the cleanest area of Moscow, it still takes measures to improve the state of the environment. First of all, the ecology of the city depends on ourselves. Do not be lazy and take the garbage to the nearest trash can, hand over the batteries and covers to the collection point. Together we can make Zelenograd even cleaner and more beautiful.
Alexander Lukanov
Medicine has made great strides forward, but in the modern world, due to constant stress, rush and high pace of life, there are still many health risks. More and more people are beginning to think about this problem and monitor the work of their body. However, a balanced diet, regular exercise in the gym and giving up bad habits will not give the desired effect if the body receives an insufficient amount of oxygen. Why is fresh air useful, where to find it and how to breathe it correctly? Let's figure it out.
Surely you noticed how, getting out of a stuffy room into the street, you become like a different person. The state of health improves, the sharpness of mind and good mood return, and a surge of strength is felt. It is clear why this happens: after all, fresh air is necessary for the brain and every cell of the body. What other benefits does fresh air have? Let's consider a few points:
- Digestion is improved. This advantage is very helpful if you want to get in shape and lose weight - of course, provided you are active in the fresh air: walking, jogging or exercising.
- If you find that a cup of coffee no longer helps to invigorate, do not be surprised. Perhaps it provokes. When you give your brain more fresh air, your body can function more efficiently. Then you will think clearly and act with lightning speed.
- If you have problems with blood pressure, fresh air is essential. Many doctors advise leisurely walks to normalize blood pressure - especially for hypertensive patients.
- The immune system is strengthened. To protect the body from pathogenic bacteria and viruses, leukocytes need a certain amount of oxygen, which can be found in the fresh air. Therefore, many lovers of long walks, as a rule, are less likely to get colds.
- Fresh air is good for health and strengthening of the whole organism as a whole: it improves the functioning of blood vessels, lungs, heart and other organs.
It is becoming clear that the impact of fresh air on health is invaluable - for both adults and children. Irritability, overwork, lack of initiative, laziness, nervous breakdowns - all this disappears when we breathe in the "correct" air. Therefore, try to enjoy your time spent walking and get the most out of it. It can be difficult, because sometimes we feel like we shouldn't be distracted from important work on the promenade. But it is very important to take at least five-minute breaks from work and "air out". This will help to regain the previous concentration of attention and will allow you to work much more efficiently.
We spend most of the day indoors. Many find themselves on the street for only 5 minutes - when they leave the house and get into the car. But the benefits of walking in the fresh air are extremely significant:
- First, as we said above, oxygen has a positive effect on our health and mood.
- Secondly, such a gentle physical activity, like ordinary walking, will not take up a lot of energy, but the effect will still be noticeable.
- And finally, every walk brings new emotions! You can wander into amazing places of your hometown that you have never seen before, think about plans for the future, or meet interesting people.
This is why regular outdoor walks are beneficial. Only they often limit themselves to grocery shopping once a month. Meanwhile, scientists and doctors say that every day a person must walk at an average pace of at least five kilometers.
What to do if you cannot find time for a full-fledged walk due to a busy schedule on a working day? First, you should try to walk to work - or at least walk part of the way if work is on the other side of the city. You should also spend your lunch breaks actively, walking in the nearby grove and admiring the nature. You can "win back" on the weekend: invite friends or family for a walk, go out of town or to the country. Travel is a good way to get not only the necessary dose of oxygen, but also a lot of new impressions. It is not at all necessary to spend exorbitant money on luxury resorts - it is enough to go to a neighboring city to change the scenery.
If you love animals, then get yourself a walking companion! Among the "dog lovers" there are often very fit and healthy people: after all, they walk a lot and play with their four-legged companions, thus showing physical activity.
If you lead a sedentary lifestyle and are not used to physical activity, do not strive to go around the whole city in a day. Start with short walks of 15 minutes, gradually increasing the time. Then the walk will bring not only benefits, but also pleasure!
Use a pedometer to find the load you need. You can buy a “smart” bracelet that reads your physical activity, or download a special application for your smartphone.
We are looking for fresh air: from the Caucasus mountains to our own home
Fresh air does not always equal the air outside. Finding it in large cities is not an easy task, since natural freshness is destroyed by tobacco smoke, city smog, car exhaust, etc. So you need to choose the right place for a walk.
It's no secret that walking in the fresh air in a forest area is more useful than walking along a busy highway. Indeed, many trees (for example, fir, poplar, juniper) secrete phytoncides - substances with a strong bacterial effect. In Japan, for example, there is even a special term "shinrin-yoku", which means "forest baths". Inhabitants of the land of the rising sun, practicing "bathing", claim that walking in the woods improves health and mood.
The benefits of walking in the woods are obvious to everyone. Is mountain air good for you? Of course! You have probably heard some small stories in the news about long-lived mountaineers: after all, the mountain climate is practically free of dust, exhaust gases and industrial waste. However, due to the low air pressure in the mountains, there is much less oxygen. Then why does a person feel full of energy when they go to a mountain resort or hike to the snowy peaks? The answer is simple: when the amount of oxygen in the inhaled air decreases, the body's reserve forces come into play. Improves blood circulation, lung function and chest. But with height it is better not to overdo it: there is always a risk of hypoxia, and it can lead to loss of consciousness.
If you stay in a closed, unventilated room for a long period of time, you will breathe the same air over and over again. Will rise
Agree, I don't really want to walk when it's cloudy outside. Everyone knows that thanks to the sun we get vitamin D, but few people know that this happens even when the sun is not visible behind the clouds. We have collected as many as 6 benefits of walking in the fresh air that literally push you for a walk.!
First, let's take a look at what happens when you are indoors for a long time. First, you breathe the same air, in which the amount of oxygen decreases. Breathing in this stale air does not provide your body with enough oxygen. This can lead to physical and psychological health problems such as dizziness, nausea, headaches, fatigue and mental exhaustion, irritability, anxiety, depression, colds and lung diseases. Not a very attractive set, right?
Fresh air is good for digestion
You have probably often heard that after eating it is good to go for a light walk. Not only movement, but also oxygen helps the body digest food better. This fresh air benefit is really important if you are trying to lose weight or improve your digestion.
Improves blood pressure and heart rate
If you have blood pressure problems, you should avoid contaminated environments and try to stay in an area with clean, fresh air. A dirty environment forces the body to work harder to get the oxygen it needs, so pressure can rise. Of course, it is difficult for residents of megalopolises to find clean air, but try to get out into nature at least once or twice a week.
Fresh air makes you happier
The amount of serotonin (or the hormone of joy) depends on the amount of oxygen you breathe in. Serotonin can significantly improve your mood and contribute to feelings of happiness and well-being. Fresh air makes you feel more relaxed. This is especially important for those who are used to raising their spirits with sweetness. The next time you feel overwhelmed, just go for a walk in the park or forest and see how it affects you.
Strengthens the immune system
This is especially important in the spring, when immunity is significantly reduced. Dirt, grayness, rain are not very attractive for a walk, so at this time of the year we go out for a walk less often. However, the white blood cells that fight bacteria and germs need enough oxygen to do their job properly. Therefore, get in the habit of going for at least a half-hour walk to help your immune system strengthen.
Cleans the lungs
When you breathe in and out through your lungs, you release toxins from your body with the air. Of course, it's important to breathe in really fresh air to avoid absorbing additional toxins. Therefore, we again advise you to go to nature as often as possible in order to restore lung function.
Increasing the amount of energy
Fresh air helps you think better and boosts your energy levels. The human brain needs 20% of the body's oxygen, can you imagine? More oxygen gives more clarity to the brain, improves concentration, helps to think more clearly, and has a positive effect on energy levels.
And now we give specific tips on how to absorb more fresh air, and some of them can be done without leaving the city.
Try running outdoors. Find a woodland or park with lots of trees in your city and jog there. The combination of cardio and oxygen has a good effect on the respiratory organs and increases the body's endurance.
Go hiking in the woods once a week or two. Aside from supplying oxygen to your body, it can also become an enjoyable pastime and even a family tradition. And to combine business with pleasure is always good!
Keep plenty of plants in your home and workplace to improve air quality. Plants produce oxygen and absorb carbon dioxide (remember the school curriculum?), And some of them can even remove toxic pollutants in the air.
Exercise every day. If possible, do it outdoors. Sport helps to start blood circulation more powerfully and supply the body with oxygen.
Ventilate the bedroom before bed and, if possible, sleep with the window open. But this point should be fulfilled only by those who do not live in the center of the metropolis.
Ekaterina Romanova
The idea of improving the planet's ecosystem with vertical and rooftop gardens has long been embodied in many cities around the world.
But you can add even more greenery to the streets of our cities with green roofs on public transport.
A phyto-kinetic project for bus roof landscaping was proposed by biologist Marc Grañén from Spain. This project is reported by the environmental news site urbangardensweb.com
Photo by Marc Grañén
Marc Grañén calls himself a landscape painter. His concept of clean air in cities - the free roofs of buses should be bright from flowering vegetation and saturate the air with oxygen, not just exhaust gases.
Two years ago, a similar project was proposed by Marco Antonio Castro Cosio’s PhD student at New York University. But Marc Grañén is more successful in his endeavors than his predecessor.
The idea of the Spanish biologist Marc Grañén has received the approval and support of leading scientists and engineers in the field of environmental projects.
Mark's phyto-kinetic project is more adapted to practical use, his method of installing roof gardens on buses is more perfect, although it requires the test of time.
For styling roof gardens Bus Marc Grañén uses 7 cm thick hydroponic foam, which is much lighter than soil. This significantly reduces the load on the bus roof.
Photo by Marc Grañén
The hydroponic system is supported on the roof with a perforated stainless steel grate. Waterproofing is also well thought out, it seals the roof and prevents moisture leaks.
Photo by Marc Grañén
For irrigation roof gardens condensate from the bus air conditioning systems will be used.
Condensation is usually wasted, and in the case of a green roof, water will water the plants. The hotter the weather, the more condensation there will be.
On cool days, you can drive through special car washes, where there are no top brushes and soap suds, so as not to damage the plants, or water by hand.
Green carpets on the roofs can have a unique design for different types of transport, and the climatic conditions of the regions will be taken into account and plants that grow in this climate will be planted.
Photo by Marc Grañén
For many skeptics, Mark's project is utopian, because there are too many "buts" in the implementation of this idea. And first of all, it concerns the safety of vehicles with green roof in case of emergency and unforeseen situations.
But Mark believes that the more people support his idea, the cleaner the air in our cities will be, and green roofs will become a part of urban culture.
Rooftop gardens green roofs urban transport, vertical gardens, and, as a result of common efforts, a reborn green planet. It sounds optimistic, it may be so, but there is a long way ahead of translating the phyto-kinetic project into everyday life.
