Since November 2020, pupils at Hampstead Hill Pre-Preparatory and Nursery School in London have been able to breathe cleaner and fresher air at break time.
The independent school has installed two CityBreath air filters in the schoolyard, which use real, living moss to clean the air of fine dust particles and enrich it with humidity. Due to the inner-city location and the outdoor area with limited air circulation, measurements showed comparatively high levels of fine dust. Together, the two CityBreath can clean up to 10,000 cubicmetres of air per hour – that corresponds to the hourly breathing volume of 20,000 people.
However, the moss filters here not only serve to purify and cool the air in hot summer months. They are also a good opportunity for the teachers to teach the children about biology, the environment and climate change in a practical and tangible way. In addition, the pupils created numerous pieces of creative art around the theme “Superhero Moss Eats Fine Dust” as part of a painting competition.
In large shopping malls, there is nothing that is not there. Almost nothing. You rarely see living moss there. Fresh, clean and cool air is not part of the status quo everywhere either. That is changing now. The CityBreath conquering the shopping malls in Germany and bringing fresh air into the mall. And installation is possible free of charge.
The Leipziger Allee Center is not only a popular and well-visited mall in Leipzig’s Grünau district, but has also recently become the location of a brand new technology that improves the air for thousands of visitors every day: Four CityBreaths, digital information stelae that combine a large-format outdoor screen with an air filter based on natural moss, have been installed here.
The ambient air is sucked in from the side and passed through mats of natural and living high-performance moss, which can be seen on the back of the stelae. On the one hand, the moss removes harmful fine dust particles from the air and can even metabolise them. On the other hand, the evaporative power of the moss cools the air by a few degrees – a welcome additional effect, especially on the increasingly hot days. This creates real fresh air oases around the digital information points.
In order to be able to achieve the climate goals, we need not only the commitment of politicians and citizens, but especially corporate action that has a positive impact on the environment and society. The acronym ESG refers to a broad range of environmental, social and governance criteria against which companies are measured. It reflects the growing sensitivity of consumers to the ways in which companies operate sustainably.
Our moss filters can both actively combat climate change and mitigate its consequences, and are also a sign of appreciation for the whole company and its employees.
The headquarters in Bonn is also home to Telekom’s Smart City Unit. No wonder, there is a TreeBreath to green the forecourt and clean and cool the air with living moss in combination with Internet-of-Things technology. The unique fresh air dispenser offers many connecting points for Telekom’s Smart City solutions. The TreeBreath can also be used as a WIFI hotspot or as an e-charging station. A specially developed dashboard measures the moss vitality and controls the ideal supply of the amazing plant. Environmental and air quality data are also collected and can be displayed in real time on the smartphone, computer or directly on the TreeBreaths screen.
