PM to launch “Green City” intiative

The Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives (MOAC) will officially launch the “Green City Initiative by MOAC” campaign at Siam Paragon Shopping Complex in downtown Bangkok today. PM Prayut Chan-o-cha will preside over the official opening ceremony, which will include distribution of seedlings of six plants known to be effective in absorbing pollution. The goal is to tackle air pollution caused by high levels of PM 2.5 particles.

Those who registered online via www.green-city.online between February 4 and yesterday can collect up to five seedlings each to plant at their homes and help create green areas across Bangkok.

The campaign, jointly organized by the MOAC, the National Research Council of Thailand (NRCT), the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration, and the private sector, will soon be introduced in various upcountry provinces with high levels of PM2.5 dust particles.

The six plants – Creeping Daisy, Regel Medallion, Spider Plant, Iris Lace Fern, Coat Buttons, and Creeping Fig – were chosen by the NRCT due to their ability to absorb pollution and dust through stomata, small pores in plant tissue that can be opened or closed to regulate gas exchange.

The MOAC says the plants should be grown outside houses and offices as well as in roadside planters and public parks to reduce dust and pollution. Farmers are encouraged to grow seedlings for sale.

SOURCE: Thailand Today