By Kaior Alu James
An Ecocity is a human settlement focused on natural ecosystems’ self-supporting resilient structure and work. Without consuming more (renewable) energy than it produces, without creating more waste than it can assimilate and without being harmful to itself or surrounding habitats, the eco-city provides its residents with balanced abundance. The ecological effect of its inhabitants reflects planetary supporting lifestyles; its social structure reflects universal values of justice, justice and equal equity.
As a State of a third world country we are not fully implement the concept of eco cities, but we can start with a little initiative and little investment. Like we can reduce our noise pollution and clean atmosphere by making vertical gardens on the streets, bridges, and roadside.
Makurdi town has the highest number of long bridges, roundabouts and pedestrian bridge in Benue State. Also, Makurdi is most populated, has highest in vehicle pollution and other industrial wastages with the highest temperature level. Why we not going to utilize this concept of vertical gardening in all the bridges and pedestrians paths which can play a very major role to reduce the pollution level.
According to Abdullah Ismail in The Earth Needs Love publication, some Major Benefits of Vertical Gardening include:
Keep Temperature Down
You create an extra layer of insulation by building a vertical garden against a wall facing the sun, which keeps the heat out and reduces the temperature within your house. Studies have shown that a vertical garden ‘s surface can be up to 10 degrees cooler because it absorbs the heat from the sun and slows down the flow of air.
Improves Air QualityI
Vertical gardens, in addition to being a beautiful, space-saving and sustainable addition to our cities, are natural air filter that help create a healthier climate. The plants take the carbon dioxide out of the air in the gardens and substitute it with oxygen.
Regulating Services
A vertical garden helps in lessen environmental change. Maintaining a vertical garden in an ecocity increases the amount of tress that grows there. Having more tress means they absorb more CO2, helping contain climate change.
Reduce Carbon Foot Print
If your vertical garden is growing fruit, vegetables and herbs you’re helping the environment by minimizing your impact on it. Firstly, because you’re reducing the travel miles of your homegrown fresh fruit, vegetables and herbs to next to zero and secondly, you’ll be using your car less to travel to buy groceries because you’re growing them in your own backyard. Vertical gardens also help offset your carbon footprint emissions because the plants absorb carbon dioxide and produce oxygen.
These all steps can be done by the government commitment and initiative. We request the government to take some serious steps to save our city and make it environment friendly and sustainable.
Kaior Alu James is a Nigerian environmentalist and the founder, Roiak Environmental Foundation
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