Every week, we bring you the latest news in placemaking, landscape architecture, the nature-mental health link, and much more. Check back each week for new roundups and items.
Workout with Mother Nature
“Getting people to exercise alfresco is the intent of the Naturally Fit program, a collaboration of the Sonoma County Regional Parks and Sonoma County YMCA that this summer offered sports conditioning, resistance training, triathlon training for beginners, a bikini boot camp for new mothers and yoga classes at Spring Lake Park. …Studies show that you stride differently when running outdoors rather than on a treadmill. You may also get more of a workout by dealing with wind, temperature and changes in terrain. Older adults who exercise outside stay with their workout regimen longer than when in a gym, according to a study reported by the National Institutes of Health. Other studies suggest that outdoor exercise lowers your cortisol, the stress hormone. Plus there’s exposure to sunlight, which boosts some people’s moods.”
The Next Great Farming Frontier? Look Up
“Five years ago, there were no rooftop farms in North America, says Steven Peck, president of the Toronto-based nonprofit Green Roofs for Healthy Cities. (Gardens, sure, but nothing producing food on a commercial scale.) Today, he estimates there are 20. Five years from now, there will be more than 100, he says, and numbers will continue to soar…With the continuing threat of climate change, it will be important for cities to have access to a nearby food system, Peck says. When combined with on-the-ground urban farming and the increasing production of food on new and smaller rural organic farms, rooftop farming helps create a consort for building resilient urban food supplies. Not only that, but rooftop farming also increases property values, cleans the air, cools buildings, cleverly converts unused space, and cuts down on pollution created when we transport food long distances. These farms create jobs, boost the local economy, and advance the nation’s quest towards healthy eating. They even help with storm water management.”
Afterschool Program Designed to Get Kids Playing Outdoors
“Laura Mathis said she remembers what it was like to be a kid playing outdoors and using her imagination before video games and television became the norm. Mathis said she hopes to reach back to those times with an afterschool program she established at the Farmington Community Center. “Growing a Healthier Future” is designed to get children — specifically third- through fifth-graders — playing outside and teaching them about nature and how to be healthy. Because the program has been financed by grants from the Davie County United Way and the Woodson Foundation, the afterschool program will be free for participants. ”
Civilian Conservation Corps, FDR’s ‘Tree Army,’ celebrates 80th anniversary
“This year marks the 80th anniversary of the CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps), with festivals and reunions planned all over the country to honor the men who planted a mind-boggling 3 billion trees and helped build more than 800 parks nationwide. “It’s been called the largest environmental action ever undertaken in this nation, addressing erosion, reforestation and parks development,” said Ren Davis, who wrote “Our Mark on This Land: A Guide to the Legacy of the Civilian Conservation Corps in America’s Parks” with his wife, Helen…Historians today believe the CCC laid the groundwork for the environmental movement, pivotal in forging a relationship between the American people and their land.”
