Today, 18th June 2026, is National Clean Air Day - the UK's largest public air pollution awareness campaign, run by Global Action Plan and supported by the NHS.
At Meristem Design our mission is 'Turning the Grey Green', a focus on transforming heavily urban areas into vibrant, green and welcoming spaces. Not just about aesthetics, this ethos focuses on public health and the communities we live and work in.
Air pollution remains one of the biggest environmental risks to public health in the UK. Children are particularly vulnerable, with long-term exposure to pollutants such as nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and fine particulate matter (PM2.5) linked to stunted lung development and worsening conditions like asthma.
As our urban spaces continue to grow, green infrastructure has an increasingly important role to play in improving local environments. Interventions like street tree planting, rain gardens and community projects, we can use urban greening to transform our cities into healthier, safer and more pleasant environments for us all.
Many of our projects focus on creating greener streets and public spaces for all communities to use and enjoy everyday.
Green Screens
Green screens can help create a barrier to noise and air pollution between people and busy roads. They bring vertical greenery and help contribute to cleaner air by capturing pollutants and particulate matter.
School streets
Our school streets projects help to directly reduce traffic flow and introduce more greenery into the public realm. Through a range of infrastructure such as custom planters, street furniture, parklets and traffic calming measures, school streets create cleaner, more inviting spaces for the school run.
Launch of new round of Air Quality Funding
The Mayor of London has announced £6m of funding for boroughs to tackle air pollution. Launching later this summer, the programme will provide grants to help local authorities deliver projects that make streets cleaner, greener and healthier for local communities.
