News Round Up

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Nine-year-old scuba diver spearheads plastic clean-up in India

Women aren’t the only ones leading today’s environmental movement — girls are doing their part, as well. Fourth grader Thaaragai Aarathana has collected 1,000 kg (over 1.1 U.S. tons) of plastic during her dives off the coast of Chennai in India. On her very first dive, she discovered “many beautiful fish — and basically an equal amount of plastic.” So she decided to do something to help. Watch the video to meet Aarathana, her father and the rest of her allies working to clean up marine pollution in their community. DW.

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Botanical gardens ‘most effective’ green space at cooling streets in heatwaves

A recent review of existing research around the world has found that botanical gardens are the most effective type of green space to mitigate heat during heatwaves — an increasingly common occurrence in today’s global climate. Botanical gardens reduced air temperatures during city heatwaves by an average of 5 degrees Celsius, or 41 degrees Fahrenheit. Wetlands, parks, playgrounds and trees planted along streets also had drastic cooling effects. “By implementing just some of the measures we describe, cities can become more resilient, and their citizens can be healthier and happier too,” explained Prof Prashant Kumar, the lead author of the study. The Guardian.

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Finding freedom brings joy

Western Australian nonprofit Nature Play WA works to ensure that children have access to the time and space needed to freely play. In this piece, Nature Play WA CEO Kelsie Prabawa-Sear details the importance of unstructured independent play in the outdoors. Citing academic research on the topic, she notes that many of today’s children are suffering from over-supervision. “If you’re looking for a place to start, I suggest asking the kids what they’d like to do. Ask them what makes them feel free and happy,” she says. West Australian.

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How an unlikely birder found activism — and community — in nature

Author, ecologist and human-rights journalist Dr. Trish O’Kane found her way to birding and ornithology in an unlikely way: when returning to her home in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, she was struck by the resilience of the birds who’d survived the devastation. Now a senior lecturer in ornithology at the University of Vermont, she pairs her college students who have experience birding with elementary students as “bird buddies,” creating opportunities for community-building across age groups. “One of the main goals of my class is to build a flock,” she explains. Revelator.

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Stat Sheet
Benefits of gardening and agriculture for youth
5.6%
Higher average science test scores from students participating in hands-on gardening activities, compared to those in the control group with no gardening participation (1)
10
Unique research articles demonstrate that urban agriculture education programs prepare youth for future civic engagement (2)
½ serving
Increase in daily consumption of vegetables among students who participated in a gardening, nutrition and cooking study (3)
12
Distinct possible positive health and well-being outcomes that children experienced associated with school gardening programs, based on a review of 40 international studies (4)
50%
Of alumni from an urban community gardening internship program described improvement in their communication and social skills, including public speaking and customer service, as a result of the program (5)

 

Sources
  1. ​​Klemmer et al., 2005
  2. Russ & Gaus., 2021
  3. Davis et al., 2021
  4. Ohly et al., 2016
  5. Sonti et al., 2016

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