In The Beginning There Was Concrete....
Recently a friend and I discussed ideas for reaching out to an urban community in order to host a nature program. I suggested a school in town. My friend looked at me and said: "But there's nothing there!"
My friend expressed a viewpoint held by far too many people. "There's nothing there." The implication is an urban setting is completely without any nature components. The only "nature" available to urban residents is elsewhere, but definitely not right out their own door.
This is a myth I hope to dispell. Through NatureHood my wish is to reach out and touch many lives. My desire is to give people the opportunity to find the beauty and the nature wherever they are, even if it appears to be nothing but a desolate, paved over school yard. There is life there! Ants, flies, birds, squirrels, dogs, cats, fungi and microbes! There are people there enjoying it as much as they possibly know how: playing games, walking across the parking lot; sitting and chatting. There may appear to be "nothing there," but the truth is so much life exists everywhere, seen and unseen. It is for us to be willing seek out the beauty and wonder of this magnificent creation we call "Earth". To do less than that is to take Earth for granted.
I look forward to taking this journey with you. Please share ideas and thoughts with me. Please share photos and stories of favorite places. Please share with me the beauty of your neck of the 'hood!
