It was January, 2016. As the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School
Principal and I watched the heavy machinery level the last of the
dilapidated portable classrooms, an idea flitted across my mind. On a
whim, I asked if a portion of the land being cleared might be set aside
for science/STEM purposes—perhaps a garden? After considering the
proposal for a few days, Mr. Thompson generously offered the Science
Department an elongated strip of land adjacent to the tennis courts. Not
expecting to receive such a large tract (~ 9,000 sq. ft.), I began to
sketch out the basic layout of what would become “Marjory’s Garden.”
An opinion piece by pediatrician Robert Zarr and TLN Founding Director Naomi Sachs was published yesterday in The Hill, titled “Prescribing nature for improved health makes an economic case for the Land and Water Conservation Fund.” Here are a couple of snippets, and you can read the full piece here.
In memory of the lives that were lost, saved, and changed forever in the attacks on September 11, 2001, here is a review of Bill Thompson’s recently published book, From Memory to Memorial: Shanksville, America, and Flight 93. Thank you, Lisa Horne, for this review
Stephen R. Kellert, “biophilia” scholar and lifelong champion of the natural world, died on Sunday, November 27, 2016 of multiple myeloma. I learned of his death yesterday from a lovely post by Richard Louv and The Children and Nature Network.
My colleague, Dak Kopec, asked me to write a piece on healing gardens for his forthcoming book, Environmental Psychology for Design, and he has graciously given permission to share it with you here on the TLN Blog. Dak is Director of Design for Human Health at Boston Architectural College and has written many books and other publications on the role of the environment in human health. Thank you, Dak!
To celebrate, you can visit one (or more!) of the NPS’s 412 parks for FREE from 8/25 – 8/28. Check out the terrific Find Your Park website to help you locate the nearest park and to see lots of great photos and stories. And why not leave a comment here about your favorite national park, or a story about a memorable NP experience? I’m sure you’ve got some great stories to share…