Air Apparent talks about new technology that can show you the amount of air pollution in various city environments.

The Right to Breathe is a short documentary on southern California about the improvements that they've made and the regions that they still need to fix.

Now that you've looked at the videos, take a moment to think of the places that you go every day. Are there any places where cars and buses idle that you didn't think about before? What might you do to improve the air in these locations? How would you get your message out to the people around you? What steps do you think our class should take? Should our class do anything?
Are there any places around our city that could use the types of improvements that the Californian video was talking about? Where are they? Why do you think that they need improvements? Defend your choice.

In addition, here are some songs, cartoons and comics relating to pollution.

http://www.songsforteaching.com/environmentnature/conservationnation.htm

http://www.songsforteaching.com/environmentsongs.htm

http://www.cartoonistgroup.com/subject/956/The-Pollution-Comics-and-Cartoons.php/1

An increase in earth sheltered and earth bermed homes and buildings could go a long way in reducing air pollution caused by heating and cooling various buildings. These buildings use the natural insulating effects of soil to decrease heat loss in the winter and heat gain in the summer. Many of these buildings can maintain an air temperature of about 70 degrees Fahrenheit year round, with only a few degrees of variation. Often, they do this naturally, and sometimes with great enough efficiency that other items that need heating and cooling can become partly powered by the system, like heated water.

http://earthshelters.com/

http://www.malcolmwells.com/designs.html

http://www.terra-dome.com/

http://www.formworksbuilding.com/

http://www.earthshelter.com/
(Yes, they are different sites)

http://www.roofmeadow.com/case-studies/selected-case-studies/wal-mart-5402/

http://www.roofmeadow.com/case-studies/selected-case-studies/queens-botanical-garden-visitor-adminstration-building/

I'll also include some sites that have information on air pollution, the effects and other steps that are happening to reduce or at least control air pollution.

http://environment.nationalgeographic.com/environment/global-warming/pollution-overview/

http://greenliving.nationalgeographic.com/effects-air-pollution-agricultural-crops-2228.html

http://www.naturalnews.com/034624_indoor_air_pollution_chemicals_solutions.html

http://www.lbl.gov/Education/ELSI/pollution-main.html

http://www.lbl.gov/Education/ELSI/pollution-main.html

http://www.lbl.gov/Education/ELSI/pollution-main.html

http://www.cdc.gov/nceh/airpollution/

For your home, which is sometimes more polluted than the air outside due to the lack of circulation and outside air, there are some other options. There are plants that purify and oxygenate your home, there are air purifiers that you can buy, and then there are air purification systems that use plants as part of their process. Plants and plant based purifiers are more natural. They also give the benefit of adding oxygen into the air, as well. However, you need at least eight plants to properly clean and oxygenate the air for one person, so if you have limited funds or a large number of family in the house, an air purifier should work well enough.
Below are some helpful links, and if you search Google with "air purifier" or "air purifying plants", you'll find more.

http://www.secrets-of-longevity-in-humans.com/oxygen-producing-plants.html

http://www.home-dzine.co.za/Lifestyle/life-plants-airfreshner.htm

http://www.air-purifier-tdr.com/

http://dornob.com/plant-based-home-purifier-accelerates-clean-air-circulation/?ref=search

http://www.tuvie.com/greenair-ecological-air-purifier-concept/

https://enterprisecommunity.secure.force.com/greenforum/topic?id=08730000000LBMSAA4&gname=Healthy+Living+Environment

There are rooftop gardens and green roofs now available as well. There is a bit of a difference between these two. A green roof is for roofs that do not have a large load bearing capacity. They are thinner in layer than rooftop gardens can be, and are often formed of plants that can last during both heavy rain events and long periods of dry weather. Rooftop gardens can have much thicker soil layers and may even have trees and shrubbery in them. They are places for people to hang out and play on.

Both green roofs and rooftop gardens decrease heat absorption/loss (depending on the season), decrease runoff from flood events, and clean the air naturally. They also are a bit more aesthetically pleasing than tar-paper, tiled, and shingled roofs often are.

The first site is what someone wants to see happen to the skyline of New York City.
www.gardenvisit.com/landscape_archtecture/landscape_debate/new_york_roof_gardens

The other two are about a roof garden and a green roof to show some of the differences.
realestateiae.wordpress.com/2010/05/24/roof-gardens

daily.swarthmore.edu/2010/10/06/green-roofs

Right now I am going to focus on natural solutions to air pollution, in relation to earth science. I will include some links to sites that have what I will be talking about as well.
First off are green walls, otherwise known as living walls. These have become more prevalent over the recent years as people have become more environmentally conscious. These walls have plants growing from them, and have been made into works of art.
www.tiltstudioinc.com/we/recognition/incredible-living-walls/

www.greenovergrey.com/photo-gallery/photo-gallery.php