Leaves....

Instead of leaving leaves there how about getting crafty (with or without your kids). These are truly amazing.

And there are so many more on Ko-Ko-Ko-Kids.

Tim Gill's Sow the Seeds report and more

Tim Gill posted over on his blog about a study he conducted in connection with his "Sow the Seeds: Reconnecting London's Children with Nature" report just released, of current studies showing the positive affects nature has on children.

As we all know, it's a done deal (because if you are here and reading this, you get it and you care). The problem is persuading the non-believers or the ones who don't care. Here's hoping Tim's report and Literary Review will do just that.

20's plenty for us

 

Just heard about a grassroots campaign in England called 20's Plenty for Us, to slow traffic in residential areas to 20 mph. Now New York are getting on board.

There seems to be so much going on with their campaign that it's hard to know what to quote, but here's a little snippet:

20’s Plenty for Us welcomes the call by the EU Committee on Transport and Tourism for 30km/h (20mph) speed limits in all residential areas. 

........The Committee sets out specific measures to reach this goal and in its press release[1] identifies 20mph limits as key for protecting children :-

Protect Children
MEP’s call for a 30km/h speed limit in all residential roads and on single-lane roads without cycle tracks, to help cut the number of children under 14 years old killed by 60% and those seriously injured by 40%. They also say children should be taught road safety at the youngest possible age.

 Brilliant stuff. Check it out yourself.

21 Ways to Plant a City

Richard Louv outlines ways Landscape Architects can get on board to green cities.

I think our profession has a huge responsibility to join the fight when it comes to greening and increasing nature in our cities and hope it won't become a lost opportunity in these tough economic times. Landscape Architects are the perfect profession to carry the torch and push themselves forward to be the change makers.

Check out the 21 ways in the link above, and plant some native plants while you're at it......

Solar Powered Internet School

This I love.

"Samsung this week unveiled its first Solar Powered Internet School in South Africa to help students in their studies without having to worry about electricity or Internet connectivity. The environmentally-friendly, transportable classroom is a perfect fit for Africa as it addresses one of the region’s biggest challenges – providing stable supply of electricity in rural areas."

Michael Chabon

I must have been living in my cave again as I haven't read any of Michael Chabon's books but saw this post over at Swissmiss and think I need to rectify that. This comes from his book called "Manhood for Amateurs".

“What is the impact of the closing down of the Wilderness on the development of children’s imaginations? This is what I worry about the most. I grew up with a freedom, a liberty that now seems breathtaking and almost impossible. Recently, my younger daughter, after the usual struggle and exhilaration, learned to ride her bicycle. Her joy at her achievement was rapidly followed by a creeping sense of puzzlement and disappointment as it became clear to both of us that there was nowhere for her to ride it—nowhere that I was willing to let her go. Should I send my children out to play?

There is a small grocery store around the corner, not over two hundred yards from our front door. Can I let her ride there alone to experience the singular pleasure of buying herself an ice cream on a hot summer day and eating it on the sidewalk, alone with her thoughts? Soon after she learned to ride, we went out together after dinner, she on her bike, with me following along at a safe distance behind. What struck me at once on that lovely summer evening, as we wandered the streets of our lovely residential neighborhood at that after-dinner hour that had once represented the peak moment, the magic hour of my own childhood, was that we didn’t encounter a single other child.

Even if I do send them out, will there be anyone to play with?
Art is form of exploration, of sailing off into the unknown alone, heading for those unmarked places on the map. If children are not permitted–not taught–to be adventurers and explorers as children, what will become of the world of adventure, of stories, of literature itself?”