If you live in Vancouver as I do, or whether it is a city in any other developed country in the world, you probably see a park or green space attached to a school in the city as often as I do. In the city of Vancouver where I live, even though it is one of the most expensive cities in the world, most schools do not skimp on the size of the green spaces that come with them. These green spaces are available for students to play outdoors and often as part of the community for neighbors to walk, walk their dogs, play, etc.
Canada’s ubiquitous parks make me feel like the whole city is a journey strung together by parks as I walk around. The huge green space at Mckay Elementary school is near where I live. It is located right next to the street and is something I often pass when I go out. In the afternoon, there are often also many residents walking and walking their dogs, and children will play in the recreational facilities. Without a doubt, such green space planning largely enhances people’s happiness. In addition to people being one of the groups that use the green space, animals are also visitors to the green space that I often observe. When I pass by or walk around the site, the wildlife I can most often see are hares and squirrels, and even flocks of Canada geese are often seen on recent evenings. The large scale of snow geese that are frequently seen can be considered one of the unique sights of Canada. They inevitably make me curious and recall the relationship between the ecosystem of them. As the term “thinking par le milieu” is about a double meaning of milieu in French — “both the middle and the surroundings or habitat”(Stengers 187). When I rethink the habitat of geese in relation to the surroundings of that address, well-tended sports fields or lawns are often used by geese as grazing habitat. They forage in the park and even consume large amounts of crops. Related to the official Richmond government website on wildlife, Richmond may have a special attraction for snow geese. Due to their growing numbers and their inland food-seeking habits, large numbers of snow geese sometimes even destroy their natural habitat. Their numbers and regulation are therefore an international and complex issue of concern.
Meanwhile, lawns are the latest development in human history to change the environment (D’Costa, “Scientific American”). The experience of living in a city with large green areas is like enjoying country life in the city. The school has a large, evergreen lawn and playground facilities in all seasons, on which people play sports, gather, exercise, as a part of disaster shelter, and so on. Such a beautiful environment brings a touch of peace to the students’ learning environment. Who wouldn’t feel relaxed to breathe in the clear, fragrant smell of nature from time to time?
“Theory is generated and regenerated continually through embodied practice and within each family, community, and generation of people” (Simpson 8).
Greenfield’s theory of the education system is also based on and is a result of a long-term healthy social system. For most people who go through K-12 in the education system of their lives, the necessity of green space for educational impact cannot be ignored. Moreover, the green space around the campus is very likely to improve academic achievement (Browning et al. 12). For children, activities in green spaces provide rich opportunities for discovery, creativity, and adventure that can have a positive impact on children’s brain development and cognitive function. Campus greening can achieve harmony between students and the ecological environment, creating a sustainable campus environment. In more detail, students’ attention span is effectively enhanced when they can see the green environment outside their windows (Li 12). What is more, the study of The Association between Green Space and Adolescents’ Mental Well-Being: A Systematic Review by Zhang et al. indicates the positive mental health and cognitive benefits of green space for youth. The mental health benefits of green space for students are particularly in reducing stress, positive mood, reducing depressive symptoms, improving emotional health, etc. It somehow reminds me of horticultural therapy. People heal from mental illness through a series of processes that involve further contact with the natural environment, such as actually taking care of plants on their own. It is also a widely used form of healing in medical institutions, such as psychiatric hospitals and nursing homes.
However, with the increase of educational stages, it seems that greening in Vancouver’s universities is not done as well as in K-12 schools. From my personal experience, I went to two universities for study in Vancouver, one is the University of Victoria and the other is Emily Carr University of Art + Design. The University of Victoria is on Vancouver Island, and the university is located in a large area, far from downtown and close to the San Juan Islands. Much of the campus’s land is made up of natural surroundings and includes an 11-acre forest area and park. There is a wide variety of wildlife to be found on campus, including deer and owls. However, my current university, Emily Carr University is just a few steps to downtown Vancouver, so there is little green space due to its limitations of geographic location. But being outside the university, I was also often able to look out at the distant snow-capped mountains as a view — as one of my little approaches to nature in school.
As Amelia Steele suggests, “higher education providers must use the funding to design more green spaces on-campus and factor more outdoor time into students’ schedules” (Steele, “Study International”).
That’s what I’m hoping for as well. University is one of the toughest stages of the education system for most people as well as one that is prone to mental illness. I think that if there were more green spaces and activities that allowed students to engage with nature, students’ well-being might be able to be greatly enhanced as well. In the case of mental health disorders, especially suicide, perhaps the popularization of green spaces in universities could help curb such tragedies.
How do you feel about the green space to a school or university? What is your special experience of it? If there is anything you want to share, the comments are always open for you in Medium!
Works Cited
Browning, Matthew H E M, and Alessandro Rigolon. “School Green Space and Its Impact on Academic Performance: A Systematic Literature Review.” International journal of environmental research and public health, vol. 16,3 429. 1 Feb. 2019, doi:10.3390/ijerph16030429. Accessed 9 Apr. 2021.
D’Costa, Krystal. “The American Obsession with Lawns.” Scientific American, Anthropology in Practice, 3 May. 2017, blogs.scientificamerican.com/anthropology-in-practice/the-american-obsession-with-lawns/. Accessed 9 Apr. 2021.
Li, D.; Sullivan, W.C. “Impact of views to school landscapes on recovery from stress and mental fatigue.” Landscape and Urban Planning, vol. 148, 2016, 148, pp. 149–158. doi.org/10.1016/j.landurbplan.2015.12.015. Accessed 10 Apr. 2021.
Simpson, B. Leanne. “Land as pedagogy: Nishnaabeg intelligence and rebellious transformation.” Decolonization: Indigeneity, Education & Society, vol. 3, no. 3, 2014, pp.1–25. jps.library.utoronto.ca/index.php/des/article/view/22170/17985. Accessed 9 Apr. 2021.
Steele, Amelia. “Universities must integrate more outdoor time and space to boost students’ mental health.” Study International, 22 Jan. 2019, www.studyinternational.com/news/universities-must-integrate-more-outdoor-time-and-space-to-boost-students-mental-health/. Accessed 10 Apr. 2021
Stengers, Isabelle. “Introductory Notes on an Ecology of Practices.” Cultural Studies Review, vol. 11, no. 1, 2005, doi.org/10.5130/csr.v11i1.3459. Accessed 9 Apr. 2021.
Urban Wildlife in Richmond. Snow Goose. City of Richmond, British Columbia, Canada, 15 Jan. 2020. Accessed 9 Apr. 2021.
Zhang, Yijun, et al. “The Association between Green Space and Adolescents’ Mental Well-Being: A Systematic Review.” International journal of environmental research and public health, vol. 17,18 6640. 11 Sep. 2020, doi:10.3390/ijerph17186640. Accessed 10 Apr. 2021.