Urban Ecoist

Maybe all remember the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing (or maybe not, Michael Phelps…), and if you do remember than perhaps you also recall that the city of Beijing went to some lengths to curb its air pollution during the course of the Games.

Well, the data is being analyzed by some researchers that want to see what kind of tangible reductions in particulate pollution came with that olympic effort to cut back on industrial and automobile emissions.

Atmospheric scientist Jan Cermak of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich and a a mysteriously unnamed colleague looked at the aerosols in the atmosphere above the city of Beijing from the years 2002 through 2008. They used satellite data, which could measure the aerosol levels, but not the true location in terms of high-atmosphere or lower ground levels. Wind patterns, weather reports, rainfall, humidity — these factors were all taken into account to determine what the aerosol levels would have been during the Olympics and what they actually were from July to September 2008.

And guess what? It really didn’t matter what Beijing did. The city achieved some reductions in aerosol levels, but really nothing to get excited about. And why, you ask? Because so much air-bourne pollution came in to Beijing’s skies from other regional sources.

It turns out that the Chinese only achieved a modest reduction in aerosols. The researchers report in a paper in press in Geophysical Research Letters that pollution-control efforts reduced the overall amount of aerosols in the atmosphere by about 10% to 15%. That small change highlights the importance of factors such as wind direction in determining local pollution, says Cermak. In spite of the reduction in local emissions, winds from the south and southeast sullied Beijing’s air by bringing in pollution from distant industrial areas, he says. — Science Magazine News

You see, that’s the funny thing about air-bourne pollution. It doesn’t stay still like land-based pollution. Oh, wait, land-based pollution doesn’t stay put, either. It leaches into the water supply. Huh, maybe we should just try harder not to pollute in the first place.

Naw, that will never work.

Still, the numbers show that Beijing did achieve a 10 to 15 percent reduction in aerosols above the city. Am I the only one who thinks that is a good start? Too bad the Chinese only did it for three months. Who knows what reductions could be achieved with a long-term cut in emissions?

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You may not know about all the chemicals floating around in your house or even your office, and chances are you are not aware of how dangerous some of the Volatile Organic Compounds that are given off by synthethic materials that are found in your home. It’s a process called off-gassing. For example, particle board (that cheap stuff that all cheap furniture is made of) off-gasses formeldahyde. But here’s the deal. Even natural products off-gas, so it’s not like you can ever fully remove VOCs from your home. Anything plastic gives off VOCs, but then wood also gives off gases.

Much like a garden can be a “sink” and a “scrubber” for water and pollutants, your indoor houseplants can help you remove volatile organic compounds (loosely defined by the Environmental Protection Agency as any compound that photoreacts or easily vaporizes and enters the atmosphere. The problem with VOCs in your house is that because you keep your house closed up (especially in colder weather) those VOCs can reach some pretty high levels, even 5 times more than if you were outside.

And your houseplants are effective at removing VOCs from your house. Of course, some plants are better than others. Here’s a top 15 to get you started.

1. Philodendron scandens `oxycardium’, heartleaf philodendron
2. Philodendron domesticum, elephant ear philodendron
3. Dracaena fragrans `Massangeana’, cornstalk dracaena
4. Hedera helix, English ivy
5. Chlorophytum comosum, spider plant
6. Dracaena deremensis `Janet Craig’, Janet Craig dracaena
7. Dracaena deremensis `Warneckii’, Warneck dracaena
8. Ficus benjamina, weeping fig
9. Epipiremnum aureum, golden pothos
10. Spathiphyllum `Mauna Loa’, peace lily
11. Philodendron selloum, selloum philodendron
12. Aglaonema modestum, Chinese evergreen
13. Chamaedorea sefritzii, bamboo or reed palm
14. Sansevieria trifasciata, snake plant
15. Dracaena marginata , red-edged dracaena

That list comes from Clean Air Gardening.

And get this…the study of using plants to clean the air all started with NASA in the 1960’s. The materials used in the enclosed environments in space are synthetic and the VOCs off-gassed were making people sick. An environmental scientist named Wolverton started studying how plants could clean up toxic waste, and he found that simple houseplants can be really effective little cleaners of indoor air pollution. Today, Wolverton’s company is working on using natural materials derived from plants as filters for enclosed environments.

plants, indoor air quality, indoor air pollution, VOC, volatile organic compounds, plastics, synthetic materials, indoor environment, health

Like many cities around the world, lax land use laws have lead to what we all know and love as urban sprawl. Back in the days of cheap fossil fuels and a “what, me worry” attitude concerning our natural environment, cities grew out willy-nilly from a central area in which older buildings were abandoned for newer ones in outlying areas and suburbs. This kind of growth leads to residents living farther away from other areas that house commercial buildings where many of those residents work or shop. This in turn leads to more and more cars on the roads, more traffic, more pollution, and I think you get it so far.

Welcome to the Carbon Era. Now, cities are trying to reverse urban sprawl and Sydney, Australia is one of those cities. The Australia Prime Minister and his Labour party are trying to gain support for their plans to rethink Sydney in ways to increase density within areas closer to the city centre. The plan is to put in two new subway lines and develop high-density housing close to the stations. Think high-rise near-suburbs.

The PM feels that Sydney can be made to be of a similar density of people and jobs as some of the world’s largest cities that rely on efficient mass transit to shuttle their citizens around, like say, London or Tokyo. He’s so sure of it that he’s willing to spend $13 billion on the plans.

Of course, there are a number of reasons to re-envision the modern city, and ‘re-densifying” (my own word there, enjoy!) is a crucial component to making a city work. It seems counter-intuitive — to make more people live in a specific area rather than spread them and their waste out, but the more efficiently cities use space for residences and businesses, the more space that will be available for trees and nature — and less need for hour-long commutes.

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Ask any gardener and they will tell you that perennials make your life a lot easier when it comes to garden chores and plantings. In such, that perennials grow for many years, unlike those prima donna annuals that need to be added every year. If you are an urbanite looking to add perennials to your garden space, then you need take into account the fact that city plants must be able to tolerate city pollution. And considering the lifespan of perennials, shrubs and trees, urban gardeners should take extra care to find hardy species that can withstand air pollution to ensure a healthy garden for years to come.

Perennials

Everyone likes flowers, so today, I’ll concentrate on perennials that produce lovely flowers, as opposed to perennials that are striking for their foliage. Although the three species I have listed below have lovely foliage as well.

Coreopsis: Also called Tickseed. Think of tickseed as a smaller cousin to the sunflower with a lot of small blooms. I had a couple of coreopsis plants and they provided me with a summer’s worth of cut flowers, that last for some time in the house. There are many varieties of Tickseed (the seeds kind of look like ticks, get it?) and some are annuals, so be sure what you are buying, although the annuals do self-seed and can even become invasive if left to their own devices. But we are talking perennials here. Some varieties grow taller than others, but all coreopsis is tolerant of poor soil and little water, a bonus to city gardeners. Although originally a native wildflower, cultivated coreopsis’ do better when divided every few years.

Phlox: I used to take my dogs for walks along this river and into a forest along side of it. We always had a certain destination in mid- to late-summer. There was a grove of wild phlox that created a truly magical atmosphere in this forest, in gently dappled summer sunlight. And the fragrance produced by these striking purple flowers that bloom in clumps is a nice addition to any city garden. If you have a spot that gets a light shade and good circulation, you may want to add phlox. Phlox attract butterflies to your garden as well as being a treat for rabbits, which you may not want, but hey, city rabbits need to eat too. Some varieties are better suited for xeriscaping than others, and some cultivars grow tall while others grow short in mats.

Yarrow: Named after Achilles (achillea) for it’s medicinal properties back in the Trojan War, this perennial is well-known for many good reasons. It grows in poor soil (preferring it even), attracts beneficial insects and seems to make other plants healthy when planted nearby. Yarrow leaves can be added to soups as a bitter green or cooked like spinach. It also just happens to have a lot of really good natural chemicals in it’s flowerheads to help with certain maladies like allergies and even the common cold. Yarrow blooms in the spring and early summer, producing umbrella-like blooms on stems that can be three feet tall in some varieties. The blooms dry really well for cut flowers, or you can try your hand at homeopathy.

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Ah, winter. Snow, ice, nothing green growing in most parts of the US. Winter may mean that we are not actively out working in our gardens, but it doesn’t mean that we cannot plan our gardens. Take advantage of being housebound to daydream about flowers, fruits and what parts of you garden need an overhaul. Lately, I have been thinking about a roadside garden, that is one between either a lawn and the street or between sidewalks and streets. Or you can situate your new garden plot between your lawn area and the sidewalk if the sidewalk abuts the street.

Urban gardening poses its own set of challenges and one of those is higher levels of air pollution. When planning on a new garden space, an overhaul or just a specimen planting or two, set yourself up for success by choosing wisely for you urban garden plot.

Shrubs

Lilac: If you have ever stood downwind from a lilac bush, it is quite the olfactory experience. Lilac can grow in most soils and even poor ones, as long as there is decent enough drainage. Blooms don’t last nearly as long as you’d wish, but if you get a few different varieties, you can extend the lilac season by choosing both early and late blooming varieties. The less you prune, the better, but if you do have to prune, prune right after flowering, as the flowers grow on old wood, so you want to be sure to give them enough time to grow some “old wood” during the summer. Lilac can grow taller than some shrubs, and almost as tall as some trees. Very full growth pattern as well.

Mock Orange: Another fragrant addition to the garden. This shrub blooms in the late spring-early summer into lovely white blossoms that look kind of like smaller camellias to me, or at least some varieties do. The mock orange is so-named as the blossoms almost look like citrus blossoms, and some varieties smell of oranges. Can grow to 8 feet high and six feet wide, and it can become tree-like in its growth pattern.

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So, we have been discussing planning and creating a roadside garden for your city space. These gardens can be either between your lawn and the street or between a sidewalk and the street, depending on what level of urban dwelling you call you own. Of course, often in cities, you may be renting and live in an apartment with no yard whatsoever. We can talk about that, too, in the future, that is how to create “temporary” garden spaces.

I have already mentioned that urban gardens must be able to tolerate higher levels of air pollution than, say, a country home’s garden (depending on the country house, unfortunately, it seems that no where is clean).

When planning a garden space in such an area, you may or may not want to incorporate taller plants such as trees and schrubs. But with taller plants, you can create a bit of privacy for your front yard, an urban oasis if you will. Not only that, but you can create a screen for that car-generated pollution, in addition to a nice spot for birds, bees and butterflies.

Shrubs

Trees can be a bit much — too tall or too wide for many smaller urban spots, so luckily, there are some really fabulous shrubs and bushes out there that are both evergreen and deciduous and can withstand urban pollution.

Butterfly Bush: I love butterfly bushes (left). They can grow tall and hedge-like, or you can prune them severely and grow them smaller. In addition to attracting this bush’s namesakes, hummingbirds also dig the butterfly bush. The flowers grow out on graceful arching branches and they are quite fragrant. They make super cut flowers in the house, and the more you cut, the more purple or pink flowers these bushes will produce.

Forsythia: Forsythias are wonderful and a welcome sign of spring. This shrub breaks out of the “new season” gate with bare branches that load up with little yellow flowers very early in the spring. Forsythias are easy growers and easily pruned back to whatever space you want them to fill with vibrant green leaves. They also live for a very long time if cared for, properly. The picture above is a forsythia bush that is over 50 years old.

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Yesterday, I began to list trees that would be a nice addition to an urban garden, especially a garden that is situated alongside the road. Cars generate a lot of air pollution, and some plants and trees can withstand higher and more concentrated levels of air pollution, so why not set yourself for success when planning a new garden plot (or replanting an already existing space) and make the right choice of tree to add to your garden.

More Trees

Fringe Tree: A pretty smaller tree that grows from 12 to 20 feet with a 10 to 20 feet spread. It is also a slow grower, so you can plant one and sit back for a while without having to prune it back heavily in order to keep it appropriate for a smaller urban space. Also, it grows wide and loosely, so it shouldn’t create too much shade for other plants in the plot. It flowers in the spring, and produces blue fruit in the fall. Oh, yeah, and birds like the fruit, so that is always a bonus.

The fringe tree (at above left and right) gets its name from the fringe-like flowers it produces in profusion in the early spring.

The Double Almond: Another early bloomer and the double means that there are double the petals on the flowers, so they are fuller and frilly and a welcome sight in spring. The almond is a member of the rose family, so the little flowers look like little roses in a way. And yes, the almond tree produces almonds, and almonds are not only tasty, but good for you. The tree needs bees to pollinate, so your prunus dulcis would also be a good attraction to bees, which are good for everything else in your garden, too.

You can see some almond trees in an orchard in the picture above. They are smaller, growing about 15 feet tall.

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Yesterday, the idea of creating a small garden plot in an urban environment next to a road was introduced, and today, I’d like to expand on that roadside urban garden plot in terms of plants that you might consider adding to a garden plot that will have to tolerate air pollution.

It is best to plan out the big plantings first, so let’s first talk about what is most likely going to be the biggest type of “plant” you could choose to plan your garden around.

Trees

Depending on your urban space, you may not have the option to plant trees. Trees can be very big and may block sidewalks or roads, or they may have to be trimmed to not touch power lines. This can become a headache for you, so be sure to check out to see not only how much space you have in the garden, but also what kind of space in which a tree will be able to grow.

With that in mind, I have a large space in my front yard, and it is currently a wasteful grassy lawn. I have garden spots along fences and walkways in addition to spaces around the house. But my yard just drops off down a slope (Portland, Oregon is rather hilly being situated between two mountain ranges), and is totally boring until it ends at the street.

However, just because I have lots of space in which to grow a tree, I must also be careful to not diminish any of the afternoon sun on my southwest facing yard. Luckily, due to the house and fences being up on a small hill, even a taller tree shouldn’t create too much shade until later in the evening.

But also once I commit to adding a taller and fuller (i.e. wider) tree, I will have to plan the remaining space as a shade garden.

If you still want to plant a tree or two in your roadside garden, here are some species you may want to consider. These trees tolerate air pollution rather well, so adding these trees will not only act as a shield for your yard from some of that pollution, but they can also dampen the sound of traffic (noise pollution if you think about it) from the road. And…if that weren’t enough, a tree can provide a little privacy for your front yard.

Holly : An evergreen (above and at left) that bears striking leaves and dramatic red berries in the autumn and into winter. The Highclere variety is a good one to pick as it grows in a narrow, compact shape so it won’t take up too much space or create a lot of shade for other plants. It grows to 25 feet tall and 10 feet wide. Holly also provides a good habitat for wildlife, as it keeps its leaves all year, and as those leaves are rigid and pointy, hollies are sought by birds for natural defense. Can also be grown as a hedge.

Serviceberry: Also called shadbush (named this because it would bloom around the time the shad, a fish, would make its annual run) and sarvisberry among other names, the serviceberry (at right) is a useful tree to have around. Some species grow shorter than others, but the trees produce pretty flowers and lots of them in the spring.

A nice added benefit is that the “service” berries are edible. Birds love the berries and if you want, there are lots of recipes out there for everything from serviceberry wine to jellies, jams and relishes. As an example, the Allegheny Serviceberry can grow to 20 feet tall and 20 feet wide, but if you look at the picture to the right, you see it is not compact in its growth pattern, so shade should be light.

Tomorrow, more trees…

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If you cannot tell what is on my mind lately by reading a recent post, then you should know that there is something about winter that brings out the dreamer in me in terms of what I will be doing in my small urban garden this next season. As a city dweller, I am a renter and as such, my dreams for my little garden will most likely never be realized as who knows how long I will live in this house, and hi, it’s not my house, so I don’t get to call the shots on major garden design and projects.

So, maybe someone out there can glean something from my grandiose plans for the grandiose problems that I have in “my” yard. I always believe in leaving a yard in better shape than that in which I found it, so my planning tends to go below the surface in many aspects of garden design. And if I were to undertake a major project this next spring, it would be to build and plant a raised bed garden along the roadside of my front yard. It would reduce noise from the street, increase privacy and add more plants that could be attractive to both wildlife and insects.

The first thing you should consider when building a roadside urban garden is that these plants are on the front lines of pollution from cars. I live on a quiet street that doesn’t not see much traffic, but many urbanites live on busy thoroughfares and should take pollution generated from traffic into consideration when choosing the plants you will use in your roadside garden.

And like the “garden” above, there is no reason that you cannot have a little roadside garden. It may have to be a container (or many, many containers), but hey, it’s still a garden.

urban garden, gardening, pollution, roadside garden, plants, design, planning

A new study came out that finds that by cutting pollution in your city, you can live longer.

More importantly, the study found that life expectancy increased by 3 years over the last 20 years (approximately) in 50 cities across America. It may be in all cities, and I’m sure you could draw that conclusion; I only add the 50 cities because that is what the study included. The researchers behind the study analyzed data sets comparing life spans and levels of particulate pollution from 1980 and 2000. As pollution levels dropped, life expectancy rose. Seems simple enough…

Actually, to put a finer point on it, your life was extended by 5 months because of a drop in air pollution. How they came up with five months, I don’t know, but wait, the article mentions that factors such as “such as changes in demographics, income, migration, population, education and cigarette smoking.” So I guess due to all those factors, we urbanites in the 50 cities included in the study are living 2.72 years longer than we did back in 1980. The air pollution accounts for 15% of that increase.

Neat.

Some of the very dirtiest cities saw an increase in life expectancy of 10 months due to the reduction in air pollution, thanks to the Clean Air Act. Although even relatively clean cities show a benefit to public health standards from additional reductions in air pollution levels.

This is good news for many reasons — longer, healthier lives for one — but this is good timing for all those who are trying to undermine the intentions of the Clean Air Act by ignoring some pollution and/or not enforcing limits on things that are produced by burning, say, gas or coal. Hopefully, with a new Administration and a new EPA administrator, the EPA will start regulating such things as carbon dioxide, and then new studies will show us in twenty years how we lengthened our lives by doing so.

Just a thought.

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