Let It Bloom

 

By Michalina Cmoch

In the 21st century, polluted air is an inevitable aspect of living in the big city. In February 2018, London reached the limit of the legal air pollution for the whole year. According to the London College Of Physicians, London’s pollution can cause about 40,000 deaths every year.

The statistics are frightening – and show that change is needed. There are many ways to take care of the environment and to win the battle against pollution but the best one is to rely on nature – protect it and let it bloom.

Trees surround us everywhere we go and sometimes we forget how valuable they are. Big cities around the world launch different campaigns that promote planting trees in order to clear the air and create healthier spaces.

“Planting trees in your neighbourhood really is one of the best things you can do for the local environment and for the planet. It’s no secret that trees help the environment, but you may be surprised by all the benefits that planting trees can provide. Besides producing oxygen and removing carbon dioxide and contaminants from the air, trees have many other social, economic, and environmental benefits,” Clean Air Gardening states on its website.

“In principle though, to tackle air pollution we need to combine reducing emissions and encouraging green infrastructure. London has a lot of trees and green spaces so it’s important that they’re protected,” said Emilie Bonnevay, representative of the Woodland Trust, a charity that works within woodland conservation.

Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, supports numerous environmental initiatives which support fighting pollution in the capital. “A greener future is central to my vision for London, to the kind of city I want my children to live in. I want, for all of our children, a city in which the air is clean, green space is accessible, and the energy we consume is increasingly drawn from renewable and local sources,” Khan’s official website states.

In the 60’s, English journalist and broadcaster, Roy Hay, went to France for holidays and was amazed by the nature there. He said that it was “overflowing with plants and flowers” and later discovered that it was a part of a national initiative. After coming back to England, Hay together with the British Travel Authority created the Britain in Bloom campaign, inspired by the French movement that he experienced.

Britain in Bloom is the biggest and most powerful campaign in the United Kingdom when it comes to the environmental initiatives. It was organised for the first time in 1963 and has evolved throughout the years. Now, it is also divided into local competitions.

One of them is London in Bloom, a campaign supported by the mayor. The main aims of this campaign are stated on the official London in Bloom website as: “Making Greater London a greener and more pleasant place to live and visit, recognising the tireless work of volunteers who support and care for many of our parks, squares, and green spaces both large and small, developing and sharing best practice amongst all who work to green London and working to increase the biodiversity of  Greater London.”

“London in Bloom has been running for many years, the aim is to continue to encourage more people to get involved in gardening, whether that is food growing, joining a friends or community gardening group or just planting up you front garden or window boxes,” said Sarah Warland, who works for Islington Council as a Parks Performance and Systems Manager.

“By improving our surroundings, we can help reduce anti-social behaviour and regenerate run down and/or disadvantaged areas. It also encourages involvement in conservation, sustainability and improving horticultural standards, which has such a positive impact on personal health and wellbeing, a sense of place, community spirit and pride,” she added.

Islington is also taking part in London in Bloom and according to the Islington council website, so far this borough has been very successful, winning City Category three years in the row. Islington also has its own campaign as a part of the Britain in Bloom movement: Islington in Bloom.

“Islington in Bloom is all about local people and anyone can enter. There are lots of categories including Best Front Garden, Best Tree Pit and Best Blooming Pub or Business. London in Bloom is a regional initiative and we enter as the Islington gardeners to showcase the gardening skills of a variety of different friends groups, community gardens, residents and businesses around the borough who work in partnership with Islington Council,” said Sarah Warland. With all the colourful blooms, Islington in Bloom not only makes Islington a better place to live but also improves the air quality in the borough.

“Flowers appear on plants, which themselves are beneficial to our ecology and environment. As is well-known, plants produce much of the oxygen in our atmosphere through the process of photosynthesis. During the cycle of photosynthesis, plants absorb carbon dioxide from the air through their leaves. Then, using sunlight, water, and minerals from the soil, plants absorb nutrients and release oxygen into the air as a byproduct,” the Avas Flowers website states.

In the times when air pollution in the British capital is one of the highest in the world, it is important to create one vision to save the environment. If it’s possible to do it through an entertaining initiative which unites people, it’s even better.

“It is a lot of work getting ready for London in Bloom and we could not do it without all the brilliant gardening groups, local residents and businesses that help make up our entry. I love the way it brings people of all ages and backgrounds together, they make new friends and really enjoy what they do. Everyone gets so excited when the judges come and love to talk to them about their displays, it really does instil a sense of pride,” added Warland.