As 2016 comes to an end, we invite you to pause, breathe, and express thankfulness for what is positive in the life-world around you. We are thankful for plants which provide oxygen, shelter, and encourage positive thoughts. We are thankful for the wildflowers popping up through the cracks, the landscapers who install native plantings, and the urban planners who plan our cities for health.
As you spend the coming days with friends and family, visit one of these Nature Sacred sites, or a green space nearby where ever you are, for a moment of personal renewal and social connection. You can read more about these spaces and the emerging research findings on our awards page.
Naval Cemetery Landscape in Brooklyn, NY
As one node of the Brooklyn Greenway Initiative – a 14-mile commuting route for non-motorized transportation – the Naval Cemetery Landscape project provides restorative relief to individuals from the urban environment. Sited atop an old cemetery at the former Brooklyn Navy Yard, this new meadow will revitalize the native plant and pollinator populations in the region and attract other forms of life that depend on thriving numbers of these native inhabitants. It opened in summer 2016.
A Nature Place in Portland, Oregon
This 6,500 square foot garden is located on a second floor terrace of Legacy Emanuel Medical Center, a Level 1 Trauma/Center in Portland, Oregon. Connected to the Cardiovascular ICU, Family Birth Center, and family waiting rooms, the garden is available 24-7 to all hospital patients, visitors and employees. Overlooking the 18 year-old children’s garden, the new garden benefits from a canopy of mature trees, shrubs and a unique tree top nature experience.
Landscapes of Resilience in Queens, NY and Joplin, MO
The Landscapes of Resilience Project explores the practices of community greening and environmental stewardship in the post-disturbance context of two US cities, Joplin, Missouri and New York City. In May 2011, Joplin was devastated by an EF5 tornado. One year later in October 2012, New York experienced its own extreme storm event, when Hurricane Sandy landed on its shores. In each of these spaces, community members come together to garden, play, commune and renew.
The Green Road in Bethesda, MD
The Green Road Project at Naval Support Activity Bethesda, home of Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, is a wheelchair-accessible path running through a woodland section of the campus. It surrounds ‘Wounded Warriors’ and their families with the healing powers of nature in an oasis of respite and combines a healing, patient-centered approach with rigorous data on what works to improve the health of veterans. The site includes commemorative and communal pavilions, a streambed restoration for Stony Creek and strategically placed benches and stairs.
