School yards are full of pollutants from the school buses and cars that drop kids off and pick them up.Some students,such as those who's mode of transportation are at the end of the line,have to walk through the exhaust fumes.The fumes burn ones throat,eyes,lungs, make one short of breath [and may induce asthma attacks],and in some cases- especially with overly sensitive students- smell.contain toxic fumes,and may cause damage to the lungs,brain [due to toxins and lack of oxygen],and ones health.Having to wade through the toxic fumes can ruin any ones day and,before school starts cause irritation that leads to distraction through-out the school day.
Planting trees,even if its just five in the parking-lot and car-rider line and a few scattered about the bus lines would help clean the air and reduce negative effects of the fumes[asthma is a health issue that is increasing in both severity of the affliction and numbers,fumes not only seem to trigger asthma but may worsen it in both the short and long term],some of them heat induced,and provide shade in the summer while helping shield students from the harsh wind in the winter.The tree roots would also help keep top-soil in place and may also benefit the schools out-ward appearance while being reasonably low maintenance,and as long as the tree does not flower or produce nuts,would not add to the risk of allergic reactions.Some students feel more relaxed after being near trees and may perform better as a result.Best of all most trees don't need to be trimmed so over the breaks the tree will not only keep cleaning but it will also grow larger increasing the rate of the air purification - something bushes usually don't do.