User:Jterm/Greening

Health benefits of greening
Exposure to greening initiatives has proven to achieve great health benefits for people of all ages. Greening can alleviate stressors of an urban environment, providing more opportunities to experience tranquility, reduce noise, and induce cooling effects. Exposure to greening initiatives can benefit both physical and mental health and can lead to more environmental awareness. Greening includes habitat restoration, planting trees, food gardening and naturalization.

Health benefits of greening in schools
Children have been a particular focus in this area of research due to the increasingly limited access to green spaces and nature. In urban areas, parents or guardians may favor playing indoors versus outdoors based on the perception of safety and concerns. For example, families who live farther away from green spaces are more likely to push for indoor activities because of close proximity to busy roads or construction sites. On average, children in the United States spend about 1,000 hours a year in school. Therefore, schools are an excellent tool for greening initiatives that involve children in urban spaces. In a study conducted in Finland, researchers found that adding green to the school yard increased passion for outdoor activity as well as creativity and spontaneity in 3 to 5 year old children. In Barcelona, Spain, school greening initiatives provided more opportunities for children to spend time outside and reduced inequities in residential access. In current efforts to limit exposure to COVID-19 and contact between individuals, school yards have become an even more important tool to promote social learning and education. Greening can help alleviate the stressors associated with urban climates and benefit both mental and physical health of children.

Habitat restoration, gardening, naturalization and rewilding efforts in schools provide children with the opportunity to connect with nature.

Greening schoolyards
Schools increase the total green space by adding green oases in yards and replacing pavement with vegetation. Parisians have adopted this intervention with the intention of implementing a cooling program for all schools. Chicago’s Department of Water Management and the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago implemented a greening initiative called The Space to Grow. Though the purpose of this initiative was to control flooding and stormwater, schools successfully replaced asphalt with green space because of generous program funding by the city.

Green roofs
Installing green roofs on schools is an alternative means of increasing green space access for children, especially in urban areas. U.S Rep. Nydia M, Velazquez (D-NY) introduced a bill that would allocate $500 million federal funds to plan, install and maintain green roofs at public schools in New York City. It would be overseen by the U.S. Department of Energy through a grant program.

Gardens
Gardens are a unique greening initiative, whether the goal is to grow vegetables, fruit or flowers. For example, in Brookline, Massachusetts (United States), the Florida Riffin Ridley School has a vegetable garden that is maintained by teachers, students and parents. A garden intervention may positively influence children’s food preference and increase intake of fruits and vegetables, and increase physical activity.

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