Impacto De La Inseguridad En Las Áreas verDes

Using cellulose to preserve moisture: towards an innovative and sustainable alternative to promote environmental benefits of urban green spaces in arid cities

Diego Adiel Sandoval, Elías Morales, Ma. Ángeles Ramírez

Instituto Tecnológico de Ciudad Juárez, México
Instituto Mexicano del Seguro Social, México
Instituto Tecnológico de Ciudad Juárez, México

clasesitcj@gmail.com

AbstractWe investigated the influence of incorporating cellulose into sandy soil for the production of urban grass (Bermuda, Cynodon dactylon). The aim was twofold: to reduce the consumptive use of water while maintaining grow quality and yield, and to contribute to the reduction of the negative environmental impact of the prevalent shortage of urban greenery in the arid region of Ciudad Juarez, CHIH,MX-El Paso Texas, USA. By integrating cellulose –an almost-always-discarded natural material- we set up an experiment in which we tested two irrigation schemes and three levels of cellulose integration for the propagation of grass growing. During the seven weeks cultivation period we monitored variables related to grow yield (biomass and stolon propagation) and grow quality (leaf surface area andgreen intensity). Results suggest that adopting sprinkling irrigation and using cellulose to maintain moisture may contribute to the reduction of water consumption by an average of 22%; thus, concluding that cellulose and sprinkling irrigation are valid alternatives to recover and to preserve urban green spaces in arid regions, even when desert sand is used as a growing substrate. We provideinsights for using cellulose in the growing of other elements of urban greenery. Environmental benefits derived from reinforcing urban greenery in arid regions are also discussed.

Keywords: cellulose, urban green spaces, moisture preservation, grass growing, arid cities.

Introduction
Urban green spaces (UGSs) represent a major challenge for arid cities due to a confluence of two or more negativefactors, such as availability of water for irrigation, record-setting droughts, unprecedented hot/cold weather swings, and other social and government-related issues. UGSs play a crucial role, serving as a bridge that connects nature with urban life. It has been extensively demonstrated that the amount of green space in a person´s living environment is positively related to his/her health (Mass,et al). Moreover, when adequately maintained, UGSs increase the sense of safety, particularly in vulnerable social groups, such as women, children, and the elderly (Galvan and Macias, 2003). According to Priego (2004), UGSs are places where people establish a close relationship with space, and where social, economical and environmental activities take place in harmony.
Living in big citiesconveys a great deal of stress. The works of Kaplan (1993), Ulrich (1984), and Hill (1991) showed that UGSs contributed to the mitigation of mental disorders –e.g. depression and anxiety. In addition, their findings also suggest that happiness, identity and confidence increase in zones where urban greenery is present in some form, such as parks, gardens, medians, or even cemeteries. UGSs invite peopleto practice exercise that prevents metabolic diseases – given that diabetes and obesity incidence constitute a major and growing public health problem in Americas, particularly in the USA and Mexico.
The environmental value of UGSs is without controversy. Urban greenery plays a major role in filtering CO2 and other contaminants as well as in capturing dust, particulate matter (PM) and fumes(Sorensen, 1998). There is a direct relationship between the amount of urban greenery and energy savings. Studies suggest that increasing the number of trees by 10% results in about the same percentage of savings in energy (McPherson et al, 1994). In summary, UGSs provide a wide range of social, economic, and environmental benefits. There is no question that aiming to promote the proliferation of...