Fast Fact Library

Australian native rushes in constructed floating wetlands removed 42% to 53% of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) from contaminated surface water over the course of a 28-day experiment in South Australia.

Awad, John, Gianluca Brunetti, Albert Juhasz, Mike Williams, Divina Navarro, Barbara Drigo, Jeremy Bougoure, Joanne Vanderzalm, and Simon Beecham. “Application of native plants in constructed floating wetlands as a passive remediation approach for PFAS-impacted surface water.” Journal of Hazardous Materials 429 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2022.128326

Time spent in nature is associated with increased valuing of nature, which supports pro-environmental attitudes and behaviors, according to a narrative literature review of 67 published articles from multiple...

DeVille, Nicole V., Linda Powers Tomasso, Olivia P. Stoddard, Grete E. Wilt, Teresa H. Horton, Kathleen L. Wolf, Eric Brymer, Peter H. Kahn, Jr., and Peter James. “Time Spent in Nature Is Associated with Increased Pro-Environmental Attitudes and Behaviors.” International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 18, no. 14 (2021). https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18147498

Quality pollinator habitat can be created beneath solar arrays. In an Oregon experiment, researchers found that pollinator abundance, diversity, and richness as well as pollinator-flower visitation rates were...

Graham, Maggie, Serkan Ates, Andony P. Melathopoulos, Andrew R. Molkdenke, Sandra J. DeBano, Lincoln R. Best, and Chad W. Higgins. “Partial shading by solar panels delays bloom, increases floral abundance during the late-season for pollinators in a dryland, agrivoltaic ecosystem”. Scientific Reports 11, 7452 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-86756-4.

A statistical analysis of a 3D model of a Columbus, Ohio neighborhood estimated that if the neighborhood's trees were all mature, surface temperatures would be lowered by 3.48° F. 20 additional mature trees would...

Park, Yujin, Jean-Michel Guldmann, and Deshen Liu. “Impacts of Tree and Building Shades on the Urban Heat Island: Combining Remote Sensing, 3D Digital City and Spatial Regression Approaches.” Computers, Environment and Urban Systems 88 (2021): 131. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compenvurbsys.2021.101655.

According to a systematic review of 153 articles, biodiversity and naturalness are the characteristics of green spaces that are most strongly connected to positive social relations and improvements in health.

Reyes-Riveros, Rosa, Adison Altamirano, Francisco De La Barrera, Daniel Rozas-Vásquez, Lorena Vieli, and Paula Meli. “Linking public urban green spaces and human well-being: A systematic review.” Urban Forestry & Urban Greening 61 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ufug.2021.127105

Greening in and around schoolyards can improve academic achievement. A study of 450 public schools in Washington state showed positive relationships between school greenness and academic achievement in sixth graders...

Kuo, Ming, Samantha E Klein, Matthew HEM Browning, and Jaime Zaplatosch. “Greening for academic achievement: Prioritizing what to plant and where.” Landscape and Urban Planning 206 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landurbplan.2020.103962.

Time spent in nature may buffer the consequences of high "screen time" in children and adolescents, according to a systematic scoping review of 186 studies from the United States and Europe.

Oswald, Tassia K., Alice R. Rumbold, Sophie G. E. Kedzior, and Vivienne M. Moore. “Psychological impacts of ‘screen time’ and ‘green time’ for children and adolescents: A systematic scoping review.” PLOS ONE 15, no. 9 (2020): 1-52. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0237725

A systematic review of research on the effectiveness of nature-based solutions for addressing climate impacts showed that that of 293 interventions, 59% reduced adverse climate impacts. Overall, the studies that...

Chausson, Alexandre, Beth Turner, Dan Seddon, Nicole Chabaneix, Cécile A. J. Girardin, Valerie Kapos, Isabel Key, Dilys Roe, Alison Smith, Stephen Woroniecki, and Nathalie Seddon. “Mapping the effectiveness of nature-based solutions for climate change adaptation.” Global Change Biology 26, 11 (2020): 6134-6155. https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.15310.

In a study of 13 French urban green spaces, visitors reported improved mental restoration in spaces where they perceived more mixing of vegetation like woodlands, shrubs, herbaceous areas, flower areas, water areas...

Meyer-Grandbastien, Alice, Françoise Burel, Emmanuelle Hellier, and Benjamin Bergerot. “A Step Towards Understanding the Relationship Between Species Diversity and Psychological Restoration of Visitors in Urban Green Spaces Using Landscape Heterogeneity.” Landscape and Urban Planning 195 (2020) https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landurbplan.2019.103728