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Doctor's orders: 'Nature prescriptions' see rise amid pandemic

Carey L. Biron

August 31, 2021 |

Thomson Reuters Foundation |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States

Park Rx America is an online platform that helps the growing number of medical professionals who write nature prescriptions for their patients. The database contains thousands of parks and public lands, which prescribers can filter by activity, distance from a patient's home, and other amenities like whether there is a playground for kids. Growing numbers of doctors are prescribing outdoor activities as a treatment for conditions like obesity and anxiety. Writing out actual prescriptions with specific directions about where to go, what to do, and how often to go increases the likelihood of success.

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More Mini-Parks Mean Better Mental Health

Nora Macaluso

July 29, 2021 |

Next Avenue |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

PHS LandCare, with support from the city, develops small vacant lots into mini-parks that bring people out of their homes and engage with their community. A 2018 study found that people living near LandCare lots reported a decrease in feelings of depression and a reduction in feelings of poor mental health. The city's role is important to the program’s success, especially in providing money to hire contractors to maintain the green spaces, especially local residents and formerly incarcerated people. Sites must be in low-income neighborhoods and near business areas, schools, and recreation centers.

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The Cities Trailblazing Transit Service into the Wilderness

Gregory Scruggs

May 25, 2021 |

Reasons to be Cheerful |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Seattle, Washington

Hikers can now catch a ride to their trail of choice thanks to Seattle’s transit system. Bus rides to popular hiking destinations make the great outdoors more accessible for urban populations.

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'These are places for us as well': Empowering more Arizonans to claim their spot outdoors

Shanti Lerner

April 14, 2021 |

AZ Central (The Arizona Republic) |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Phoenix, Arizona

Chispa Arizona is working to encourage members of the Latino community to spend time outdoors. The environmental justice organization created “entry points,” or free outdoor activities each month that anyone can attend like hiking, community gardening, and park clean-ups. There has been some hesitation from people attending these events, but one member says these experiences are necessary so they can educate others about the importance of green spaces.

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Playgrounds Designed With Accessibility In Mind Make Play Fun for Every Kid

Marianne Dhenin

April 13, 2021 |

Next City |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, St. Petersburg, Florida

Playground designers and city officials in St. Petersburg, Florida, have gone beyond the basic requirements mandated by the Americans with Disabilities Act in order to create a space that is truly inclusive. The park is “wheelchair accessible from bottom to top” and sets the standard for city parks that are focusing on more inclusivity.

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Black to the Land Coalition connects Detroit's BIPOC communities with the outdoors

Rhonda J. Smith

April 08, 2021 |

Planet Detroit |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Detroit, Michigan

The nonprofit Black to the Land Coalition is working to expose more members of BIPOC communities to outdoor activities and the healthy benefits that come with being nature. They have partnered with other organizations to help alleviate costs and they’ve done activities like archery, camping, and kayaking. “We’re creating opportunities for Black and brown people to engage in natural spaces beyond the playscapes and basketball courts,” says one of the founders. “We’re taking on the outdoor world, period.”

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India trashes 100 million tires a year. She turns them into playgrounds.

Kamala Thiagarajan

March 29, 2021 |

The Christian Science Monitor |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: India, Bengaluru

Anthill Creations has built 275 "playscapes" across India, mostly using discarded vehicle tires as the affordable raw materials. In many parts of the country, children lack outdoor play spaces and toys to enliven their play. By "upcycling" some of the 100 million discarded tires the country generates annually and painting them bright colors, the 5-year-old project has benefits ranging from the environment to children's safety and happiness.

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Green space in cities can bring considerable health benefits for communities, but access is unequal

Ambika Chawla

March 19, 2021 |

Ensia |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: United States, Denver, Colorado

Platte Farm Open Space used to be a garbage dumping ground in Denver, but it’s now an urban green space thanks to the efforts from community members, organizations, and the government. This community-led project was able to secure funding to replace the contaminated land with fresh soil that now attracts animals and includes walking paths and a playground for children. This project offers lessons on how to build a green space in a diverse neighborhood and the health benefits that come from such an initiative.

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Medical Providers Are Taking Nature Therapy Seriously

Jenifer Frank

February 22, 2021 |

Connecticut Health Investigative Team |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, New Haven, Connecticut

Medical providers are increasingly prescribing nature therapy – like walks, hikes, or recreational activities – as a way to help children and adults cope with life stressors. First popularized in Japan as "forest bathing," this practice has been shown to decrease a patient's anxiety and depression and increase their ability to concentrate.

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In Rwanda, Learning Whether a ‘Smart Park' Can Help Both Wildlife and Tourism

Amy Yee

November 24, 2020 |

Atlas Obscura |

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1500-3000 Words

Response Location: Rwanda

Rwanda’s Akagera National Park, once a conservation failure, has been revitalized with fences, patrols, and new technology to become a successful wildlife park. The government partnered with conservation group African Parks to manage the national park, which has led to an increase tourists, patrols, and even lions and black rhinos. Akagera also became the world first “Smart Park” after it installed a telecommunications network called LoRaWAN to securely track, monitor, and communicate between rangers, vehicles, equipment, and animals.

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