Each month in our Open Voices blog we share insight from leaders in our communities who are advancing what it means to have sacred, open green spaces in our cities. In April, we talk with several companies and initiatives developing meaningful places in our cities.
Healthy, sacred green spaces are all around us. For many people it may be a nearby park, the courtyard you share with your neighbors, or a memorial space. A place that is meaningful to you and your community. The old Oak tree across your street is an opportunity for sanctuary, reflection, solace and well-being. A place to celebrate!
This week various cities across the country are celebrating and honoring Earth Day. A diverse and encouraging array of community celebrations, neighborhood volunteer days, and civic engagement express appreciation and thankfulness for the trees and green spaces in our lives. The hyperlinks throughout this post link you to volunteering opportunities across the country.
Health and Well-Being in the Pacific Northwest
Seattle residents, community organizations, and corporate volunteers gather together across their city to restore their natural ecosystem, because for many “a nearby park is an oasis of calm and a place to recharge.” Volunteering in intimate green spaces with Green Seattle or the Student Conservation Association allows you to personally take charge of protecting and knowing your natural world.
Sanctuary in our cities
Missouri’s annual state wide earth day weaves many elements of their community into the event. The community faire presents recycling information, interfaith peace messages, and energy use information alongside other community activities. Also this week, many interfaith groups will gather for group talks, meditation, and prayer to discuss climate change or environment needs in their community. These events are called greenfaith day.
Reflection on the East Coast
In Atlanta, you can join others in tree planting events in large community green spaces. In New York City, a project represents the global conversation on urban life and our role in the environment. This project to set up a ‘PopUp Forest in Times Square‘ was crowd funded just this week. This dramatic project provokes discussion about how we structure our cities, and provides an engaging sensory experience many of us miss in our hardscaped urban spaces.
Globally, we have diverse personal and meaningful reasons why many care for and cherish a green space this Earth Day 2015. An online project using a popular GIS tool asks you to add a photo and story of a place in the natural world with which you have a special connection. These places “could be places near a creek where the sun glitters on the waters surface, mesmerizing your heart. Your place could be a forest path you often take, full of mystery and hidden wonder…”
