Forecast #2: "Put a tree on it" Back to the Basics

A.) Article(s):

Tree Covered Apartment Building Cleans a Polluted City Block
15 Houseplants for Improving Indoor Air Quality
Salt Crystal Lamps and How They Work


B.) Analysis:

This isn't rocket science, this is human science. When thinking of the concept of air multiplex key films/movies actually came to mind. The Lorax, Fern Gully, Avatar, and Wall-e. These films all cover a very important topic that we still choose to ignore today. Air quality: for now, and more importantly the future. They continue to bring up the subject of taking action now. Perhaps one of my favorite quotes from Emma Watson can be implemented into many different subjects, but fits perfectly for the topic of air pollution: "If not me, who? If not now, when?" Yes, young Watson was speaking of women's rights when using this quote, but I find that it is applicable to so much more. 

These articles are simple. This is no huge, "ah ha!" moment, if anything it falls into the category of a "oh duh!" moment. We constantly forget our roots. Quite literally, we forget that without plants, trees and other organisms, we fail to survive. The movement, to Put a Tree on It (playing off Put a Bird on It from Portlandia) is a movement I feel is too often ignored, but one of the most simple solutions to air pollution, and continued air quality. 

Its simple: Plant more trees, plants and other naturally occurring minerals to clean the air. We need them, and they need us. There are hundreds of guides online for simple gardens for patios, small apartment living, large landscape and simple indoor small houseplants. For each of these there are dozens of minerals that are equally as useful, the example I used was the salt crystal lamps. 

For those of you who have no idea what "Put a Bird on It" is, educate yourself and have a laugh. :) 

C.) Bullet Answers:

1. Global/ National/ Local/ Personal Impacts:

The impact globally could potentially help high impact areas of need such as Tokyo and Japan. Nationally this could mean the implementation of more wild life reserves, parks and home gardens. Locally Minneapoilis does an amazing job with the farmers market and having green spaces. If each person were to implement plants on the deck, patio, indoor space or window space the air would drastically improve not only air quality but the mood of the person(s) living there. 

2.) Impact Over Time:

2 Months/2 Years: If each person owning a patio where to have a simple house plant on their patio, deck or the inside of their home, air quality would improve drastically. 23% of toxins in the air currently would be naturally filtered/ recycled through photosynthesis.  

20 Years: With green design in mind and (hopeful) green houses, for individual and large plots of people our opportunity to coincide with mother nature is endless. If we don't do this NOW we could very potentially have a situation such as Avatar, or Wall-e on our hands. (looking to other planets for substances of survival: ex: food, water, air) 

3.) Positive Outcome:

Clean air for all! Learning about new spices of plants and harvesting the goods of the earth while maintaining a healthy balance of give and take. (Currently there is too much taking and not enough giving.) 

4.) Negative Outcome: 

Plants take over! Although, even this is not a negative outcome, unless plants mutate and start feeding on humans like Little Shop of Horrors, there is no possible negative outcome from having clean, naturally filtered air. 

5.) Region of the Future: 

Nature/ Bio Tech/ Human Tech.