Planting healthier cities across the UK copy

17 June 2021 2 minute read

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Join our campaign to build #HealthierCities and help us transform the mental health of our towns and cities for generations to come.

Urban trees are superstars: they clean our air, protect wildlife, provide shade, improve our mental wellbeing and so much more. By integrating trees into urban development, we can create the blueprint for smarter and healthier cities that'll benefit everyone! With 80% of us now living in urban areas, we now need our trees more than ever.

Sadly, UK air pollution is linked to 40,000 early deaths a year, and Global Action Plan has found that a quarter of UK pupils (which equates to 3.4 million children) attend schools where air pollution is over the WHO limit. Dr Maria Neira, Director at WHO says: “These figures are unequivocally too high and harming children’s health. Schools should be safe places of learning, not places where students are at risk of health hazards. There is no safe level of air pollution, and if we care about our children and their future, air pollution limits should reflect WHO guidelines.”

Urban trees filter atmospheric pollutants like sulphur dioxide and nitrogen dioxide through their leaves, and they also remove particulate matter (PM). Therefore, it's more important that ever that we plant more urban trees that will create greener, happier and healthier cities for generations to come.

It costs just £6 to plant an urban tree in one of our towns & cities - Join the fight today!

PLANTING HEALTHY AIR IN SCHOOLS

Through Planting Healthy Air in Schools, Trees for Cities is testing green infrastructure, design and planting techniques to screen airborne pollution.

The programme involves redesigning areas of the playground where air quality is particularly poor, including planting trees and other vegetation and creating woodland shelters and wildlife areas to help create greener, healthier playgrounds for outdoor learning and play.

How can I get involved?

Our towns and cities need you! Take action below and help us make your hometown greener, happier and healthier.

Take action today and help us create #HealthierCities for today's and future generations!

Clean Air Hub

The Clean Air Hub has brought together information on what air pollution is, how it affects your health and what actions you can take to protect yourself and others.

Donate to Trees for Cities and together we can help cities grow into greener, cleaner and healthier places for people to live and work worldwide.

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