I looked and looked for how I could help reduce air pollution levels and even help slow down Global Warming, which is a cause of air pollution. Finally I came up with an idea. I could try to reduce CO2 level in the Midwest.

CO2 or Carbon Dioxide is a colorless, odorless gas that is lethal in high concentrations. CO2 is heavier then air and is often found very close to the ground. It is finally being noticed as a greenhouse gas.

Natural sources of CO2 include volcanic out gassing, the combustion of organic matter, and the breathing processes of living aerobic organisms. Human made sources of CO2 come from the burning of fossil fuels for heating, power generation and transportation. Only about 10% of the CO2 in the atmosphere is from natural sources. One form of reducing CO2 is through Photosynthesis. Photosynthesis is the process by which plants, bacteria and even some protests do to convert sunlight to sugar. The chemical equation for this is: 6H2O + 6CO2 – C6H12O6+ 6O2 (This stands for six molecules of water plus six molecules of carbon dioxide produce one molecule of sugar plus six molecules of oxygen.)

A greenhouse gas absorbs infrared radiation and is heating our world. When the greenhouse gases reach our ozone layer and cannot rise any higher, (greenhouse effect) they absorb the infrared rays and begin to heat and slightly raise the heat of our planet. Over the past 200 years we have had a huge climate change because of greenhouse gases. This is one of the main reasons that Antarctica is melting and polar bears are becoming endangered.

So if I plant some different kinds of plants, I can help to lower the amount of CO2 that I produce every day. After getting permission from my parents I decided on planting the plants on my grandparents farm. Finally we decided that we wanted 44 Red Huckleberries, 1 Red Oak and 5 Washington Hawthorns.

The Red Huckleberry is a deciduous tree growing a max height of 4 meters and is green. They also have a simple leaf that is oblong. The leaves are 9-30 millimeters long and 4-16 millimeters wide. The flowers are yellowish-white to pinkish-white and are bell-shaped. As the name suggests , the Huckleberry produces some sour berries that are red and 6-10 millimeters in diameter.

The Red Oak is a deciduous tree that can grow up to 75 feet tall and can have a trunk that is 6 feet thick. They also have a simple leaf that are 12-25 centimeters in length and always has at least 7 lobes(where the leaf comes to a point). The Red Oak produces Acorns which are eaten by squirrels and deer. The Red Oak is named after it’s leaves that turn red during the fall. The Red oak will grow an average of 2 feet a year for 10 years. The Red Oak can live in almost any state.

The Washington Hawthorn can grow to be about 30 feet tall and is commonly used as a hedge plant. Its leaves are reddish-purple then dark green and finally orange, purple or red in fall. The Hawthorn has a snowy white flower and produces a red fruit that is a fourth of an inch in diameter. The fruit is very attractive to songbirds and are common in Europe for it. The Hawthorn also produces thorns that are very effective for a barrier. It can grow in almost the exact same places that the Red Oak can live in.

Each of these trees will help to lower the pollution that my family and I produce every year. By planting these 50 trees I have helped to lower a harmful air pollutant and a greenhouse gas.

The pictures that I have supplied for evidence were taken a few days after we planted the trees because we forgot our camera when we planted them. I took pictures with the Red Oak and the Huckleberry trees because the Hawthorns were very very wet that day.