Green Spaces Project

According to UNICEF green spaces support the learning process:

• Better balance and motor coordination

• Improve cognitive development and academic performance

Green spaces also provide new avenues for learning:

• Hands-on experience with curriculum such as biology, botany, agriculture, and more!

• Give students access to more than just a classroom environment promoting imagination and real-world application of concepts.

According to PennState Extension:

• The presence of trees and vegetation at schools, parks, and neighborhoods supports children's development, learning, focus, and can reduce the symptoms of Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). 

• Research at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign found that young girls that grew up with greener settings showed better concentration, exhibited less impulsive behaviors, had higher self-discipline and were able to handle peer pressure. 

• Middle-school students with views of nature at school showed reductions in misbehavior, feelings of unfriendliness and absenteeism. 

• A study of public high school students found consistent improvements in student behavior and performance when there were views of nature. The presence of nature (even just views) help student recovery from mental fatigue and stress. 

According to UNICEF green spaces provide an array of benefits for children, from infancy to adolescent: 

• More physical activity

• Less likely to develop nearsightedness

• Reduced parenting stress

• Increased concern for nature

• Stronger neighborhood social cohesion

• Fewer behavioral and social problems

• Increased mental health and well-being and reduced stress and depression, including in adverse circumstances such as humanitarian contexts

According to PennState Extension:

• even moderate shade from trees will benefit air quality, reducing rates of asthma and the brutal heat of summer 

• Trees and forests improve air and water quality, sequester carbon dioxide, reduce stormwater and flooding, shade and cool their surroundings, produce oxygen, provide habitat for wildlife, increase property values, and improve human physical and mental health. 

Trees do more than sit still and look pretty. Planting trees can help cool temperatures, improve air quality, replenish plants lost to human developments and more! 

According to One Tree Planted environmental benefits to planting trees include:

• Through their leaves and bark, trees absorb harmful pollutants and release clean oxygen 

• Trees absorb pollutant gases like nitrogen oxides, ozone, and carbon monoxide, and sweep up particles like dust and smoke 

• Healthy, strong trees act as carbon sinks, offset carbon and reducing the effects of climate change

• Their intricate root systems act like filters, removing pollutants and slowing down the water’s absorption into the soil 

• Prevents harmful waterslide erosion and reduces the risk of over-saturation and flooding 

• According to the UN Food and Agriculture Association, a mature evergreen tree can intercept more than 15,000 liters of water every year 

• A single tree can be home to hundreds of species of insect, fungi, moss, mammals, and plants 

• In cities, trees can reduce ambient temperatures by up to 8° Celsius 

• A mature tree can absorb an average of 22lbs of carbon dioxide per year, making cities a healthier, safer place to live.