In search of greener pastures: why protecting our green spaces and adding more is vital

As the warmer months emerge and the days lengthen, we will get more opportunities to appreciate green spaces. Unfortunately, millions in the UK lack access to them.

The pandemic altered our perception of many aspects of our lives, forcing us to turn inward and reassess our priorities. While travel was restricted, many of us had the chance to appreciate our surroundings and neighbouring areas- we lived in a closer, more intense version of the suburban way of life. It’s no coincidence that house prices in the suburbs rose following months of lockdown.

Without the commute to work there was more time to go on walks, sit outside in the garden (if you were lucky enough to have one) and, in general, pay attention to your surroundings. This meant gaining an appreciation for the local countryside and parks, or perhaps noting their absence.

Nature as an escape

While it might not have been quite like Henry David Thoreau’s experience out in the wilderness, alone in a cabin in the woods as he wrote about in Walden (1854), I’m sure many of us can say that we found comfort in our local green spaces.

Whether it be taking the dog for a walk or a stroll in the woods after a day of being cooped up inside, there is something liberating about having some greenery to access; the chance to clear one’s head, to listen to the ground and bark crunch underfoot as the birds sing and fly between trees overhead.

It’s hardly a secret that time spent among natural surroundings is good for our mental health. Rural areas, with their woods and sprawling greenery, have long been a place for people to ‘retreat’ to; the fact that nature is framed in such a way, as an escape and a refuge, shows us a great deal about our modern way of life and its obvious detriment to our wellbeing.

Living in a city should not have to mean living away from nature. We should not have to venture far to find trees and parks, living in places deprived of that basic life medicine. Unfortunately, many do not have easy access to such spaces.

A class divide

The poorest areas have the fewest trees and green spaces: ‘The Green Space Index by Fields in Trust found that more than 2.5 million people lived more than a 10-minute walk from the nearest area.’

Research commissioned by the National Trust found that nationally ‘there are 295 deprived neighbourhoods of 440,000 people that are grey deserts, with no trees or accessible green space.’

And, among the most disadvantaged communities, it tends to be those of ethnic minority backgrounds that miss out on green spaces the most. ‘The study found that Black and Asian people visit natural settings 60 per cent less than white people.’

However, a 2008 study published in the Lancet journal reached a somewhat encouraging conclusion, revealing ‘that in rural areas with plenty of access to green spaces, the life expectancy of those on the highest and lowest incomes was roughly the same.’

Two birds with one stone

Bringing more greenery into our urban areas will increase our wellbeing. As well as improving our mental health, it will do wonders for our lungs; as more and more of the world’s population moves into cities, an increasing number will be vulnerable to air pollution.

With that in mind, preventing a generation of people affected by lung problems seems obvious. Because, as with any public health issue, prevention is always more worthwhile than the cure. Despite the landmark Clean Air Act of 1956, and subsequent legislation, we still deal with deaths related to air pollution year after year.

Let’s fund our NHS instead

The Woodland Trust claimed that ‘the NHS could save £2.1bn a year if everyone had access to green spaces’ (fancy seeing that on the side of a bus). This claim was put forward alongside case studies that linked green spaces and their influence on people’s wellbeing and quality of life.

It’s no wonder the NHS has begun ‘Green social prescribing’ as a way of addressing patients’ issues.

Trees can also help regulate the effect on urban temperature, a common side effect of hot weather in a concrete jungle:

‘The urban heat island effect appears in towns and cities as a result of human activity. The heat generated by people, transport, shops and industry is trapped in the narrow roads and concrete structures, unable to escape to the atmosphere. This can bring the temperature in urban areas up 3-4°C higher than the surrounding countryside, and with that comes a vicious cycle.’

Preservation and proliferation

Aside from planting trees, we also need to protect the green spaces we already have. We need to encourage people to plant trees in their gardens. We need new building construction to incorporate green spaces into them, be it housing or commercial real estate.

Rooftop gardens, which provide a variety of insulation benefits as well as improving the aesthetics of an area, need to be a fixture.

Climate change and net zero

This blog space often sees a great deal of pessimism directed at the lack of concrete action to combat climate change, but if there is hope in an area of environmentalism that can unite people it is this.

Even in a fractured political environment, where some political actors seem less inclined to devote time and energy to climate solutions, there is always genuine public support for parks and nature.

Climate change will happen, whether we like it or not. Our rivers will flood, and soon our cities will. In many countries they already have, as they already are.

Adding more trees, growing our parks and preserving these havens of nature and biodiversity can help mitigate this damage.

Boosting mental health and making our lives and communities prettier, green spaces breathe life into the world. They can help save us from the damage of air pollution, prevent hospitalisation and death.

Get involved

At Groundwork we are engaged in tree planting initiatives and conservation efforts for our woodland areas.

If you want to get involved, do not hesitate to get in touch. Be it through our social media channels or through email, we’d love to hear from you.

 

Matthew Thomas,

matthew.thomas@groundworknottingham.org.uk

Groundwork Greater Nottingham (@GroundworkGN) / Twitter