Improve roadside air quality with Hedera Screens Mobilane Green Screens
Thousands of children up and down the country are being exposed to poor air quality that risk causing lifelong health problems both inside and outside the classroom.
A study, commissioned by the mayor of London, showed in London alone there are over 800 schools, nurseries, and colleges being exposed to illegal levels of air pollution. The EU legal limit for nitrogen dioxide pollution levels is 40µg/m3 (40 micrograms per cubic metre of air) and some schools have NO2 readings as high as 73.
There is no more important outdoor environment to protect from the dangerous toxins of traffic pollution than in and beyond the school perimeter.
Hedera Screens Ltd are working tirelessly to supply 100s of metres of Living Green Screens as the first line of defence in the battle to improve air quality across the UK.
Tell us your vision, and we’ll bring it to life.
List of Services
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The Mayor’s Air Quality AuditList Item 1
Today’s Mayor, Sadiq Khan has continued and developed the urgency in improving urban air quality with the The Mayor’s Air Quality Audit, launched last Autumn (September 2017). The first 50 air quality audits for primary schools in the worst-polluted areas in London have been conducted and measures identified to protect pupil’s health from the toxic air. One of the main recommendations was the improvement of “green infrastructure such as ‘barrier bushes’ along busy roads and in playgrounds to help to filter toxic fumes.” And there is no more effective, easy-to-install, low maintenance ‘barrier bush’ than a Living Green Screen!
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The Mayor’s Air Quality FundList Item 2
Launched in April 2013 by the then-Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, the Mayor’s Air Quality Fund (MAQF) is providing grants from over 10 years from a £20 million fund to support new projects by London boroughs to improve air quality. Projects have been funded and completed so far with the same aim – to reduce emissions and pollution AND to prevent their ongoing damage to existing residents and visitors to the City.
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The Pollution-Reducing Power of Living Green ScreensList Item 3
Ongoing research shows that the Living Green Screens, superior in plant density and construction than other greening options, help remove PM10 particulate pollution – in some sample locations up to 60% of the particles were “cleansed” from the air behind the screens. The research continues to further validate these initial findings, but increasingly, the installation of Living Green Screens offers not only a secure and natural screening barrier for schools’ perimeters, but a valuable screening option to reduce the harsh effects of urban pollution from our schools and communities. Please click below to read the case study conducted by Kings College London, shortly after our installation of Living Green Screens.
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What is PM10?List Item 4
Particle pollution, also called particulate matter or PM, is a mixture of solids and liquid droplets floating in the air. Some particles are released directly from a specific source, while others form in complicated chemical reactions in the atmosphere. Particles come in a wide range of sizes. Particles less than or equal to 10 micrometers in diameter are so small that they can get into the lungs, potentially causing serious health problems. Ten micrometers is less than the width of a single human hair. Coarse dust particles (PM10) are 2.5 to 10 micrometers in diameter.
Channel 4 Dispatches commisoned an interesting programme on 'Britains Toxic Air Scandal' which feature the pollution busting effects of installtion Living Green Screens.
Recently the Mayor of London audited 50 of the most polluted schools in London. Hedera Screens Ltd are working with schools in London and around the UK to improve the air quality with Mobilane Ivy Green Screens, trees, additional planting, living green walls , aftercare maintenance and irrigation .
Please check by clicking here to see if your nursery, school or college is suffering from toxic air pollution.
Dr Francis Gilchrist, consultant respiratory paediatrician at Royal Stoke University hospital, said it was known that children were particularly sensitive to air pollution and that lung damage had lifelong consequences.
“There is definitely concern that air pollution is affecting children’s lungs – in particular it exacerbates respiratory illness, like asthma, and it predisposes children who are healthy to having repeated chest infections. If you damage your lungs in childhood you are likely to see these effects right through into adulthood, so there is a lifelong impact.”
Enter your postcode in this BBC tool to see how polluted your street is.
This is not limited to local authority or government funding, we have spoken to many groups that are considering a variety of self funding methods in order to take action against air pollution in and around their local schools. Join the campaign #greenmyschool for more topical information.
Since 2007 Hedera Screens have become a trusted supplier and installer of Mobilane Ivy greens screens and living green walls for a wide variety of sectors from house builders to major construction companies. Providing a fully managed service from inception to completion, using our in house team of skilled and knowledgeable staff – with RHS Wisley trained horticulturist at the helm boasting over 30 years experience in his field. We also offer an optional aftercare maintenance and Irrigation service to promote the longevity of your products.
When selecting companies to shortlist for your projects, we would strongly recommend that you check their credibility, many are in their infancy and are attracted by this plentiful initiative and may not have the necessary experience and resources to professionally carry out the installation, or indeed provide the valuable aftercare required. Here at Hedera Screens we have a proven track record of many years’ of horticultural experience coupled with a caring, dedicated team of professionals. Your satisfaction is our motivation.
For several years we have been helping some of the most polluted schools across London and the UK in an effort to improve the air quality for their students through the installation of our Green Screens , planting and living walls The screens can be planted directly into the ground, using timber or powder coated steel posts, planted into planter boxes or raised sleeper beds.
Your funding options
Act now if you are concerned about the levels of pollution and air quality at your school, in your playground or playing fields. You can apply for funding when the next grant window opens. This need not be an administrative nightmare – we can provide a free Living Green Screens Audit where we can check all your measurements enabling you to complete your application as part of your funding package.