I really was interested in this article because ecosystem services are basically the answer whenever we pose the question, “Why should we care?” That’s a question people have been asking and will keep asking no matter how many years go by. We talk about immediate gratification all the time and class and this ties into that human need to get an eye for an eye; get what you give and give what you get.
Section 3.1 on air filtering was one I especially liked and I took the time to Google some articles on it. The quantity of filtered air is dependent on leaf area and when you think about, there are so many things we can branch into from there. What trees would be best to plant in areas of high pollution? This article tells us coniferous trees have larger surface area than deciduous trees and therefore have a greater filtering capacity. It is also stated that vegetation is better for filtering air than water or open spaces. (295)
So how can we use this to our advantage? Living in a small apartment near the Javits Center, my grandparents always have their window sills filled by plants. You might think nothing of this, but certain plants provide better indoor air quality than others such as English Ivy, spider plants, peace lilies, and bamboo palms. These are great plants for city apartments and window boxes. (MNN)
Another article showed that the placement of grass and climbing ivy in urban canyons can reduce the concentration of street level NO2 by 40% and disease-causing particulates by 60%. One of their suggestions was to make “green billboards” in urban areas to help the air. (treehugger) I think these ideas would be more easily taken up by the general populous.
