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At Elmwood Infant School, 26 students participated in a children with nature workshop. The kids learnt about the importance of plants, from bees pollinating plants to the food we eat at home. They got their hands dirty planting an array of herbs, including sage, mint, rosemary, thyme, parsley and lavender.
If your school is in a polluted area of London then you will be eligible to apply for grant funding to cover the cost of Green Screens from the Mayor’s office. We also supply custom made planters and automated irrigation system with on-going maintenance.
In London alone there are over 700 schools that are eligible for funding. If your school is next to a busy road then it may well be eligible. If you are not sure whether your school is on the list then contact us now.
This week is the RHS Hampton Court Palace Flower Show 2018! From 2nd to 8th July you can enjoy one of the largest flower shows in the world at the iconic location of Hampton Court Palace.
Meristem are delighted to have been asked to supply and design 66sqm of living wall at this years show! We have a 2 sided 30sqm wall at the main entrance and 36sqm living wall either side of the stage in the Festival of Roses.
The Sustainable City Awards celebrate the best examples of innovation and good practice, for a smarter, healthier and more environmentally friendly world.
It is an amazing organisation and the award received a huge amount of entries so we're delighted our Community Parklet has been shortlisted to the last 4.
As part of Sadiq Khan’s plans to improve pollution 50 ‘air quality audits’ for primary schools in the worst polluted areas in London have taken place to identify hard-hitting measures to protect the children from toxic air.
During the Easter break Meristem installed Green Screens at Prior Weston Primary School in the City of London, this was the 1st school to be audited. This project was successfully funded by City of London's City Air Project and the construction company Taylor Wimpey.
We planted 40 ivy screens (1.2mx1.8m) along the fence of the playground, the planters were built on site from sleepers and lined with a membrane, creating vast amount of seating.
The screen covered a total of 46m and a height of 2m which has refreshed the school playground, bringing green to a grey space.
The second school we completed during the Easter Break was St Peter’s Eaton Square C. of E. Primary School located in an area of London that has high levels of air pollution from the volume of traffic in and around Victoria mainline station and Victoria National Bus station.
The project was funded by the Mayor’s Greener City Fund and Grosvenor Estates.
We planted a series of ivy screens 2.3m high in 7 custom made planters along the rear wall between the busy road and the playground. Rosemary, mint, thyme and sage were planted at the base of the ivy screens. 5 olive trees were also planted with vinca minor and grasses, with a bench between 2 of them to create more seating.
The school also hopes to incorporate the green screen and planting into the children’s basic education about caring for the planet, including learning about the herbs and how to care for the all the plants. The school said they "want the children to become the adults who can help reduce the harmful impact of climate change and create a better London and world”.
Air Quality Benefits:
A recent study by the GLA and Defra at a school in Kensington showed:
‘The ivy screen led to a decrease in the pollution concentrations on the playground side of the screen by up to 36% and 41% for NO2 and PM10, respectively’.
The living ivy wall also increases biodiversity as it attracts insects, bees, butterflies and birds. Ivy screens help to reduce noise pollution, acting as a vegetative acoustic barrier. Offering an attractive, aesthetic alternative to walls and fencing, turning grey spaces to green.
Little maintenance is required with drip line irrigation installed to help the ivy thrive and only yearly pruning needed.
If you have a school or building in a polluted area that can benefit from our green screens then contact us.
The mayor made the announcemnt in September 2017 as he met pupils from Prior Weston Primary School in Islington. Source: BBC
We have recently undertaken a Green Audit review at the dual reception spaces at 20 Gracechurch Street, in the City of London. The audit was part of a wider project to refurbish the interior and exterior spaces that lead in from Gracechurch Street and George Yard into the BNP Paribas managed office building.
We undertook a review of the light levels, current interventions, and potential for adding greenery. Please see images below of our before and after renders, which form part of our ongoing collaboration with BNP Paribas. Watch this space!
