Activity 4-4: Spread the Word
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Motivation I hope that you have enjoyed getting to know your park and your ecosystem so much that you want to share the experience with others. Whether you invite your human neighbors to join you at the park or share this practice with more distant friends to explore parks near them, you can help reweave connections between people and the more-than-human world. Many of the world's biggest problems can be traced to people separating themselves from the rest of nature, so the more people that can return to a sense of relationship and embeddedness, the better. |
Image by katerinavulcova from Pixabay
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Things to Try
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Share with Friends and Family
A great place to start is with those closest to you. Invite a friend or family member for a walk in the park and point out what you've learned about who lives there. Share a drawing or poem you created in one of the Appreciation activities. Connect with a friend in another place and compare notes on different parks as you go through this practice together. Or simply tell someone about something interesting or beautiful you observed. Post on Social Media
If you use social media, post photos and notes from the park. Share your experiences as you travel through your Start with a Park journey. Invite others to join you with the hashtag #StartWithAPark. (For the time being, I've pulled away from social media, but you can find some of my posts on Instagram @momentsinthepark. As of late 2024, Bluesky seems to be becoming the new gathering place.) A buckeye tree bears a burden of prickly globes, its branches temporarily weighed down by the potential of a new generation.
August 2, 2016 ~ Horton Park |
Write a Letter to the Editor
A letter to the editor of your neighborhood or local paper can be a great way to get the word out about the park and how your relationship with the park has affected your life. You could write about what you have learned about the park's inhabitants or the park's story. Or you could write about a particular experience you had or share something you created with inspiration from the park. Letters to the editor can be particularly valuable if policy changes or actions proposed by the city could harm the park. In these cases, demonstrating the importance of the park to you and the community can prompt others to speak up and shift public opinion on the proposed changes. For one example of showing the importance of a park through it's history in the community, see my article "Horton Park is a focal point for community" in the Park Bugle. |
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Suggested Reading
Braiding Sweetgrass chapter: "Maple Nation: A Citizenship Guide" - At a time when I, and many others, are wondering what it means to be a citizen of the United States, reading Kimmerer's exploration of what it would mean to be a citizen of Maple Nation seems especially poignant. Recognizing the gifts that Maple provides throughout the year, from firewood to syrup, she suggests that citizenship would entail a Bill of Responsibilities to care for the trees in turn. Part of that caring means giving a voice to the trees and ensuring that others recognize and honor their gifts. The Year Without Sunshine, by Naomi Kritzer - Blurb for story |