from the president
PRESCRIPTION: PARKS
It’s an idea that dates back to the oldest parks: outdoor exercise and time spent in nature are good for your health. Nineteenth-century urban parks were extolled as the “lungs of the city,” offering fresh air and a refuge from crowded neighborhoods. And pioneer conser- vationists like John Muir believed that every- one needed places where “nature may heal and give strength to body and soul.” This common-sense notion has experienced
a revival as the nation faces an expensive epidemic of obesity, type 2 diabetes, and other conditions associated with inactivity—and as modern science confirms how important exercise and nature are to our health and well- being. We now know that parks and nature can help heal everything from heart disease to depression and attention deficit disorder. A few years ago, I was privileged to attend
the Healthy Parks Healthy People conference, a National Park Service meeting on the rela- tionship between parks, nature, and health. The park service feels so strongly about this connection that it has launched a “parks pre- scription” program: doctors can order exercise in a national park, just as they would prescribe a drug. As park service director Jonathan Jarvis puts it, it’s as if a patient were told, “Take a hike and call me in the morning.” Thought about in this way, parks really are
“PaRx”—prescriptions for health. The Trust for Public Land is now working with the National Park Service to install one of our Fitness Zone® exercise areas near a popular playground and picnic area in Anacostia National Park in Washington, DC. Our health is influenced by how we live, and how we live is shaped by where we live. The nation’s prescription for better health must include communities where people can get
around on foot or by bike and enjoy close-to- home access to outdoor places to stay healthy. At The Trust for Public Land, we believe that no one should live more than a ten-minute walk from a playground, park, trail, or natu- ral open space. People also need wholesome food—one reason we work to protect gardens and local farms. In fact, our work promotes all kinds of
health: physical health, mental and spiritual health, environmental health, and the eco- nomic health of communities. Parks and con- served lands are good for us in so many ways! I hope you enjoy this special health issue
of Land&People. In it you will hear stories of people who have experienced dramatic healing in nature, and about how cities are changing to improve the health of their residents. Exciting transformations like these are made possible by your support. Thank you for help- ing us create and protect the places people need to get fit and stay healthy. We couldn’t do it without you.
Will Rogers president
TPL.ORG · 11
sara cozolino
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