Researchers from Lancaster Environment Centre are working with the environmental charity Trees for Cities and Mapping for Change to help improve the air quality and outdoor experience of children and teachers in some of London’s most polluted schools.

Through an innovative new programme, ‘Planting Healthy Air in Schools’, Trees for Cities will test green infrastructure, design and planting techniques to screen airborne pollution. The project will redesign parts of the playground where air quality is particularly poor, and by planting trees and other vegetation to filter out airborne pollutants, as well as creating woodland shelters and wildlife areas, the projects will create greener, healthier playgrounds for outdoor learning and play.

The Deputy Chief Executive at Trees for Cities, Kate Sheldon states: “Planting Healthy Air gives schools the tools to take positive action so that they can help protect their pupils from the devastating health effects of exposure to air pollution whilst in the playground. We're under no illusion that trees will solve the problem, but they certainly help, and bring a whole host of other benefits besides."

With guidance from Lancaster Environment Centre and Mapping for Change primary school pupils will monitor how pollution levels in their playgrounds change over 12 months by measuring nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) and particulate matter (PM). Lancaster Environment Centre will also advise on the type and location of green infrastructure such as vegetation screens, planters and trees, and evaluate the effectiveness of the planting in reducing pollution.

Dr Kirsti Ashworth, a Royal Society Dorothy Hodgkin Research Fellow based at Lancaster Environment Centre said: “This is a fantastic initiative from Trees for Cities and one we are delighted to be involved in. It is an opportunity for us to evaluate the potential of bespoke planting schemes to reduce air pollution in playgrounds and protect children from exposure to harmful levels of pollutants. We will be able to provide important evidence in the debate over the effectiveness of urban vegetation to improve air quality.”

Mapping for Change will deliver a behaviour-change citizen science programme within the schools. The children will play an active role in collecting the NO₂ sample tubes and PM filters, and in mapping and tracking pollutant levels, and will learn more about the positive impacts of urban greening through a range of workshops and assemblies delivered by Trees for Cities. This will empower the children to make changes in their playtime behaviours and routines to reduce their exposure to pollution.

This year, the programme will work with three primary schools in London, each of which are situated near busy roads (Marylebone High Road, A13 and the North Circular) where air pollution levels are known to exceed EU standards:

1. Christ Church Bentinck CE Primary School, London Borough of Westminster
2. Woolmore Primary School, London Borough of Tower Hamlets
3. Tudor Primary School, London Borough of Barnet

Planting Healthy Air was first launched at St Paul’s CE Primary School in Hammersmith, This project recently won a prestigious London Tree and Woodland Award.

The Headteacher at Christ Church Bentinck School reported, “We are really excited and looking forward to working with Trees for Cities and the partners to support cleaner air initiatives. As a school located in an area where the level of air pollution is often high, we want parents and pupils to gain a better understanding of the environment in which they live. This project will allow us to monitor air pollution and enrich the school’s grounds through tree planting and greening in order to screen the playground from pollutants. The project has huge cross-curricular benefits and will increase pupils’ understanding of nature, the environment, the cause and effect of pollution and how we can work together to mitigate the negative impact of harmful air.”

Planting Healthy Air projects this year are funded by the Mayor of London, London Borough of Tower Hamlets, Tower Hill Trust and MOJU.