First ‘Boris bikes’ for commuters—now City Hall offers ‘Boris trees’ to schools
Boris Johnson... ready at City Hall to hand out saplings for schools to plant in their playgrounds - Credit: GLA
Schools are being offered tree saplings free to plant in their playgrounds to improve air quality and cut pollution.
The Mayor of London has started a project to plant 40,000 new trees, half of them offered free to schools and the rest to create a new urban woodland at Southall in west London.
The man who brought the rent-a-bike scheme to help cut London’s air pollution is now introducing more trees to help finish the job.
Boris Johnson wants “as many schools as possible” to sign up for their own foliage projects to make their neighbourhoods greener and healthier.
That is particularly essential in the East End with its high levels of pollution along the busy A13 through Limehouse and Poplar and the A12 approaches to the Blackwall Tunnel.
You may also want to watch:
Today’s tree-planting launch follows a survey carried out by City Hall with the Forestry Commission showing London’s eight million trees worth nearly £280m in the “services” they provide.
The survey included 300 volunteers who analysed and counted trees showing the carbon they store, pollution they remove and rainwater they hold.
Most Read
- 1 The Queen lends her name to Royal London’s emergency Covid wards
- 2 Death of woman, 75, in Mile End fire could have been avoided
- 3 Police hunt after stabbing in Cable Street: One man hurt
- 4 No injuries but 20 rescued as firefighters tackle Limehouse blaze
- 5 Police raid cannabis factory near Liverpool Street station: 2 arrests
- 6 Airbnb house party violence leaves police officer with broken finger
- 7 Doctors urge Tower Hamlets mayor to end support for Silvertown Tunnel
- 8 That's so raven: Everything you need to know about the guardians of the Tower
- 9 Tribute to 7th Barts Health Trust worker to die of Covid-19
- 10 Teenager found dead in Victoria Park
The Forestry Commission’s London manager Craig Harrison said: “Our survey shows trees have huge benefits in the ‘services’ they provide—we all need to protect existing trees and plant new ones.”
The survey puts a price tag on the “services” such as carbon storage worth £147m, removing air pollution at £126m and storm water alleviation nearly £3m.