According to the EPA, indoor air pollutants can be two to five times higher than outdoor air pollutants, making indoor air one of the top five environmental health risks. Poor indoor air quality (IAQ) is often due to poor ventilation and off-gassing of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) from carpets, paints, upholstery, insulation and countless other common products.

Living walls—walls covered by plants which do not root in the ground, yet root in soil or mats suspended on the wall itself—can be used on any scale to improve indoor air quality. But it’s not just in the area of health that living walls provide benefit. They also save energy, reduce noise, protect a building, serve as an art and architectural medium and can be used to grow food or medicinal plants.

Living walls – background
There are two types of living walls: with a substrate and without. The most used substrate is sphagnum, commonly called peat moss. Living walls can be adapted to almost any size.

Living walls have been used for centuries in Europe; whether this was an intentional use of living walls or a natural process of local fauna overtaking an available medium probably depended on the cultural status of the occupants. Today, living walls are re-entering the spotlight as an environmentally friendly way to improve air quality, reduce energy costs and bring nature back into the human landscape.

Health benefits
Living walls provide both physical and psychological health benefits. The plants use CO2 and circulate the air in the room, removing VOCs from the ambient air. This reduces the negative health effects associated with VOCs and poor indoor air. Living walls therefore improve air quality through photosynthesizing; absorbing CO2 and emitting oxygen.

Other Benefits
Reduce the heat island effect – the sun’s energy that’s used to reflect and radiate heat from buildings gets absorbed by the plants.
Increase the thermal performance of buildings (lowering energy consumption and costs) – shading from the plants on an exterior wall can decrease the temperature inside the building; lower temperatures indoors reduce the need for air conditioning.

Lower greenhouse gas emissions – by reducing indoor cooling demands, less energy is used and less GHGs are emitted.

Using public transports
Using public transport is a sure short way of contributing to less air pollution as it provides with less gas and energy, even carpools contribute to it. In addition to less release of fuels and gas, using a public transport can also help in saving money.

Turn off the lights when not in use
The energy that the lights take also contribute to air pollution, thus less consumption of electricity can save energy. Use energy saving fluorescent lights to help the environment.

Recycle and Reuse
The concept of recycle and reuse is not just conserve resources and use them judicially but also is helpful for air pollution as it helps in reducing pollution emissions. The recycled products also take less power to make other products.

No to plastic bags
The use of plastic products could be very harmful to the environment as they take a very long time to decompose, due to their material made up of oil. The use of paper bags instead is a better alternative as they decompose easily and are recyclable.

Reduction of forest fires and smoking
The collecting of garbage and getting it on fire in dry seasons or dry leaves catching fires is a huge factor for causing air pollution, moreover smoking also causes air pollution and causes the air quality to worsen along with obviously damaging one’s health.

Use of fans instead of Air Conditioner
The usage of AC’s takes a lot of energy and emits a lot of heat which is bad for the environment. AC’s also take a lot of power and energy to work as compared to fans.

Use filters for chimneys
The gas that is emitted from fireplaces in homes and factories are extremely dangerous for air pollution and harms the air quality severely. The use of filters should be used at least if the consumption couldn’t be lessened, this will help to reduce the effect of harmful gases absorbing in the air.

Avoid usage of crackers
The use of crackers during festivals and weddings is sadly one of the biggest contributors to air pollution, leading to a layer of smog which is extremely harmful for health. So, practice of no crackers should be implemented.

Avoid using of products with chemicals
Products that use the chemicals in their usage or smell strongly, like paints or perfumes should be used less or outside the house. There can also be an alternative to use products with low chemical content and organic properties.

Implement Afforestation
Last but not the least, plant and grow as many trees as possible. The practice of planting trees provides a lot of benefits to the environment and helps with the release of oxygen.