A Pain-free Plan for Greening Marylebone
Marylebone is nestled between Hyde Park and Regent’s Park. We should see ourselves as an inhabited area of these two ecologies. Instead of proposing the drastic steps of declaring war on drivers or preventing people from continuing to use their domestic heating systems, we can go a long way towards reaching net zero by implementing two simple, inexpensive strategies.
Greening strategies work best and are least expensive when humans get out of the way and allow animals and plants to fix the environment.
1. Moss
Those of us who love living in cities need moss as our ally. Moss is simple to grow in this cool, damp climate. Indeed, over the years, the City Council has spent a fortune in taxpayer money attempting to remove moss, only to be thwarted by Mother Nature. Yet, one-half meter of moss absorbs from the atmosphere a whopping one kilogram of carbon dioxide, as well as soot, dirt and other pollutants. That’s more than a small forest. Marylebone Flyover emits the most air pollution in the country. We need moss to absorb pollution to purify our air.
Encouraging moss walls, moss roofs and other moss-covered outdoor spaces will be a key plank of my policies as a city councillor.
The more moss, the cleaner our air.
2. Window Box Scheme
Some years ago, in my family home, we put up window boxes. Within a few short months, seven of our neighbours had also put up window boxes. With window boxes, everyone’s a winner.
Our city block was transformed by the array of beautiful plants in our neighbours’ window boxes. Looking at plants is soft on the eye. It restores us after so many hours staring at a screen. The window boxes made the street far more desirable and liveable, so everyone’s property prices rose. Tenants felt they were getting more value for money. This community effort brought the neighbours together, offering each other cuttings and advice, watering plants when people were away, promoting conversations in the street. Once people got to know each other, it was a short step to discussing other issues of neighbourhood concern. Once we knew each other, we automatically started looking out for each other. The street felt safer.
People started harvesting their radishes, cherry tomatoes and herbs. Food we grow ourselves is tastier and more full of nutrients. Growing food ourselves cuts down on pollution due to transportation. When harvests became gluts, neighbours started to share produce with each other. This led to more people setting up window boxes, wanting to be part of the group. Humans live best in villages. Window boxes are a key to making Marylebone a welcoming, supportive village.
But which of our neighbours benefited the most? Natural pollinators - our feathered and buzzy friends from the two neighbouring parks. It is absolutely vital and our duty to provide pollinators with window boxes full of their favourite plants. Some well-meaning people create window boxes that are beautiful for humans but not attractive to pollinators. It is very simple to empower residents to do the right thing, plant the most ecologically beneficial plants. The costs are infintesimal.
Many of our residents will only sojourn among us for a brief time. They have no access to outside gardens and no time to establish serious landscaping projects before moving on. But a window box is a tiny project that everyone can enjoy. From combating the beginnings of dementia to lowering blood pressure to the reduction of anxiety, depression and stress, the health benefits of keeping a window box are well established.
As a City Councillor, I want every child in our Ward to have the opportunity to grow plants, to know where vegetables come from, to take on responsibility for another living thing. I want children who are not super academic to have an activity where they can shine. Our children have been so, so badly served during lockdown. It would have been very simple of our current council to create a window box scheme during lockdown so that every child could connect with nature. Better late than never.
Please join me in promoting window boxes. We will share our knowledge and experiences. The scheme will be designed to use minimal council funds. We are asking the residents to get involved, for the benefit of all.