The shelters that you are looking at not only support biodiversity but are also great at capturing dust for the sake of improving air quality and even storing rainwater. The roofs of hundreds of bus stops have been covered using plants. This has been done as a gift to honeybee by the city of Utrecht in the Netherlands.
A total of 316 bus stops have been covered using plants (mainly sedum plants) in Utrecht. The shelters that are being touted as a gift to honeybee not only help with the support of biodiversity but are also helping in capturing the fine dust while offering a way to store rainwater.
The roofs are being taken care of by workers that commute in electric vehicles while the bus stops feature energy-efficient LED lights and bamboo benches. These are just some of the measures that have been introduced by the city of Utrecht in order to enhance air quality. The city has plans of introducing 55 new electric buses by the end of 2019 and aims to have ‘completely clean public transport’ by 2028.
The electricity that will be used for powering the buses will be procured from Dutch windmills. Utrecht is also running a scheme that enables the residents to apply for funding that can be used to transform their roofs into green roofs. Considering how adversely the pollution is affecting us all, such measures are a soothing sight for the sore eyes.
What needs to be done is to learn from the city of Utrecht and implement these reforms on a much wider scale, thus greatly improving the air quality and enhancing the quality of our lives. What do you think of the initiatives taken by the city? Do you think shelters for honeybee and electric buses are enough? Do let us know!
