Of Green Roofs and Walls

A green-roofed bus stop on Carrera Septima.

Green walls - and roofs - have become a thing in Bogotá, pushed by a city government which promised they'd reduce air pollution. 'Green bus stops will clean six million cubic meters of air per month,' Publimetro headlined back in March 2015.

But it's obvious that a few patches of green can't suck up the torrents of soot belched out daily by Bogotá's trucks, buses and factories.

And now it's official: El Tiempo reports that the roofs didn't make a dent in air pollution.

They do look nice, though, and help cool the city a bit, while soaking up a bit of rainwater.

Nearby, a green wall adds color to a street, but doesn't do much about pollution.

A green wall brightens the entrance to a hotel off of Avenida Jimenez, in La Candelaria.

By Mike Ceaser, of Bogotá Bike Tours