Logan Laplante

This is just brilliant.

The open spaces where we played are cruelly lost to today's children

"So many places, from city squares to airports, have dispensed altogether with the concept of people with arms and legs that swing and stride, with bodies that need to move, and eyes that want to look, and souls that yearn for a horizon, or even for a mature tree."

Sobering article by Rachel Cooke over at The Guardian.

Hamburg’s Plan to Eliminate Cars in 20 Years

 

"About 40% of the area of Hamburg, the second largest city in Germany, is made up of green areas, cemeteries, sports facilities, gardens, parks and squares. For the first time ever, the city has decided to unite them together via pedestrian and cycle routes. It’s all part of the “Green Network Plan,” which aims to eliminate the need for vehicles in Hamburg over the next 20 years........

.......The city will also construct new green spaces that should help absorb CO2 and regulate the city’s climate (Hamburg’s average temperature has risen about 9ºC in the last 60 years). These spaces will also help to prevent flooding: in the same 60 year time period, Hamburg’s sea level has risen about 20 centimeters and is expected to rise another 30 centimeters by 2100."

Wonderful.

Via Archdaily.

Dansk Legeplads Selskab

I wrote an article for the Danish Playground Society (Dansk Legeplads Selskab), who do great work for supporting play and play culture conditions. The article was about the Nordic Conference I attended in September.

Here is the danish version that appeared in the magazine in December:

Legepladsen.pdf

The english version is here.

The lovely hidey hole and firepit above is from a fantastic forest school just outside Malmo.

Big Garden Birdwatch

 This weekend the RSPB is calling on the British public to spend an hour spotting and recording birds in local gardens and parks for its annual Big Garden Birdwatch.

Also at The Guardian is a great little interactive way to learn to identify the birds by their song as well as their appearance. I'm going to swat up......

Wild Me

Wild me.  \0/

Edward Abbey's advice

"Be as I am - a reluctant enthusiast....a part-time crusader, a half-hearted fanatic. Save the other half of yourselves and your lives for pleasure and adventure. It is not enough to fight for the land; it is even more important to enjoy it. While you can. While it’s still here."

Via Redefine the mind.

Be as I am – a reluctant enthusiast…a part-time crusader, a half-hearted fanatic. Save the other half of yourselves and your lives for pleasure and adventure. It is not enough to fight for the land; it is even more important to enjoy it. - See more at: http://www.refinethemind.com/edward-abbeys-advice-to-environmentalist/#sthash.LeSs8FPw.dpuf

Be as I am – a reluctant enthusiast…a part-time crusader, a half-hearted fanatic. Save the other half of yourselves and your lives for pleasure and adventure. It is not enough to fight for the land; it is even more important to enjoy it. - See more at: http://www.refinethemind.com/edward-abbeys-advice-to-environmentalist/#sthash.LeSs8FPw.dpuf

“Be as I am – a reluctant enthusiast…a part-time crusader, a half-hearted fanatic. Save the other half of yourselves and your lives for pleasure and adventure. It is not enough to fight for the land; it is even more important to enjoy it.” - See more at: http://www.refinethemind.com/edward-abbeys-advice-to-environmentalist/#sthash.LeSs8FPw.dpuf

“Be as I am – a reluctant enthusiast…a part-time crusader, a half-hearted fanatic. Save the other half of yourselves and your lives for pleasure and adventure. It is not enough to fight for the land; it is even more important to enjoy it.” - See more at: http://www.refinethemind.com/edward-abbeys-advice-to-environmentalist/#sthash.LeSs8FPw.dpuf