‘#Microforest’ takes root amid city streets of #ProvidenceRI, reflecting worldwide trend

“As more and more people see it, they’ll be inspired,” said Jeff Matteis of the Pearl Street Garden Collective. “It’s just like one little point, but it just radiates benefits out.”

By Edward Fitzpatrick, September 27, 2025

PROVIDENCE — "The asphalt grid of South Providence is lined with multifamily homes and concrete sidewalks. But along Pearl Street, one lot stands out.

"It’s lush and green, with nearly 270 trees packed into a 1,000-square-foot lot. Officially called the Pearl Street Garden, it contains a tiny forest in the middle of the urban jungle.

" 'Microforests' like this one are cropping up in places ranging from #ElizabethNJ to #CambridgeMA, to #Pakistan. South Providence has two, both along Pearl Street, created by #GroundworkRhodeIsland and the #PearlStreetGardenCollective. The goal is to combat climate change and bring cooling shade to urban areas that lack the leafy boulevards of wealthier neighborhoods.

" 'This isn’t habitat restoration on the scale that is needed in terms of the world,' said Jacq Hall, director of special projects at Groundwork Rhode Island, an environmental group that works to create healthier, more resilient urban communities in Rhode Island. 'But it is a really great way, especially in a city, for people to become very in close touch with biodiversity and why it’s important and why it’s also beautiful.'

"In May, more than 100 people came out to plant the microforest.

" 'There’s microforest momentum happening around the world right now,' said Jeff Matteis, cofounder of the Pearl Street Garden Collective, a group of artists, gardeners, and educators championing #ecological land #stewardship. 'I think as more and more people see it, they’ll be inspired.' "

Read more:
https://www.bostonglobe.com/2025/09/27/metro/microforest-takes-root-amid-city-streets-of-providence-reflecting-worldwide-trend/

Archived version:
https://archive.ph/ZSUcw

#SolarPunkSunday #MoreGreenSpace #UrbanForests

#Montana - #PollinatorCorridors are the next big thing in urban and suburban #gardening

Mandy Applegate Jul 24, 2025

"#Pollinator corridors are quickly becoming the next big focus in urban and suburban gardening, with more than 22% of native pollinators in North America facing serious threats to survival. As concerns grow, these pollinator corridors offer a practical solution by linking private gardens, parks and roadside green spaces into a continuous habitat. Without focused intervention, the steady decline of pollinators could fracture the ecological links that support food production, wildlife health and #ecosystem resilience.

"A network of #NativePlants

"Pollinator corridors are strips of pesticide-free native plants that give wildlife room to move and thrive in built environments. These stretches serve as travel routes where bees, butterflies and other pollinators can consistently access food, shelter and nesting areas. They also let residents reconnect with #nature while building attractive, water-wise gardens suited to their local climate.

"Local programs are expanding efforts to help residents support pollinators in their neighborhoods. By offering planting guides, hands-on workshops and access to native species, organizers are making it easier for people to turn yards, balconies and curbside strips into productive habitats.

"These corridors play a key role in reducing #HabitatFragmentation, which poses a major threat to pollinators. Instead of relying on scattered gardens, pollinators can follow a connected trail of habitat through neighborhoods, parks and roadside spaces. The result is a more livable landscape for #wildlife and a stronger sense of community #stewardship."

Read more:
https://www.montanarightnow.com/national_news/pollinator-corridors-are-the-next-big-thing-in-urban-and-suburban-gardening/article_bc1b8c70-df36-59e0-b00f-92d48da2d7fe.html

#UrbanGardening #SuburbanGardening #GardeningForPollinators #GardeningForButterflies #SolarPunkSunday #MoreGreenSpace

#ChattanoogaTN Just Became North America’s First National Park City. Here’s What That Means

The designation was awarded by a London-based charity that aims to make cities more like national parks: “greener, healthier and wilder”

by Sarah Kuta - Daily Correspondent
April 23, 2025

"#Chattanooga has been named North America’s first #NationalParkCity, a designation that acknowledges the city’s abundant green spaces and commitment to environmental stewardship.

[...]

"In Chattanooga, city leaders have used the initiative to encourage residents to 'think about Chattanooga as a city in a park, rather than a city with some parks in it,' says Tim Kelly, the mayor of Chattanooga, in a video announcing the designation.

" 'The outdoors is our competitive advantage,' he adds. 'It’s at the heart of our story of revitalization, and it’s at the core of our identity as Chattanoogans. We’ve always known how special Chattanooga’s connection to the outdoors is, and now it’s going to be recognized around the world.' "

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/chattanooga-just-became-north-americas-first-national-park-city-heres-what-that-means-180986465/?utm_source=firefox-newtab-en-us

#GreenCities #SolarPunkSunday #GreenSpaces #MoreGreenSpace #MoreParks #EnvironmentalStewardship

How our noisy world is seriously damaging our health

James Gallagher, March 15, 2025

Excerpt: "Dr Natalie Mueller, from the Barcelona Institute for Global Health, takes me for a walk around the city centre. We start on a busy road – my sound meter clocks in at over 80 decibels – and we head to a quiet tree-lined avenue where the noise is down to the 50s.

"But there is something different about this street – it used to be a busy road, but the space was given over to pedestrians, cafes and gardens. I can see the ghost of an old cross roads by the shape of the flowerbeds. Vehicles can still come down here, just slowly.

"Remember earlier in the lab, we found that some sounds can soothe the body.

"'It is not completely silent, but it's a different perception of sound and noise,' Dr Mueller says."

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/crmjdm2m4yjo
#NoisePollution #MoreGreenSpace #SolarPunkSunday #NatureWalks #GreenSpace #UrbanGreenSpace

The #nature cure: how time #outdoors transforms our #memory, #imagination and #logic

Without engaging with #NaturalEnvironments, our #brains cease to work well. As the new field of environmental neuroscience proves, exposure to nature isn’t a luxury – it’s a necessity

by Sam Pyrah
Mon 27 Nov 2023 05.00 EST

"You are probably aware of studies showing that green (#vegetated) and blue (moving #water) environments are associated with a reduction in stress, improved mood, more positive emotions and decreases in anxiety and rumination. But there is growing evidence that nature exposure also benefits cognitive function – all the processes involved in gaining knowledge and understanding, including perception, memory, reasoning, judgment, imagination and problem-solving. One study found that after just 40 seconds of looking out at a green roof, subjects made fewer mistakes in a test than when they looked at a concrete one."

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2023/nov/27/the-nature-cure-how-time-outdoors-transforms-our-memory-imagination-and-logic?utm_source=pocket-newtab-en-us

#SaveNature #NaturalWorld #MoreGreenSpace #Gardens #OpenSpace #NatureIsATemple #ProtectTheForests #ProtectNature #NatureBathing #GreenSound