Understanding and supporting our natural world starts at our backdoors, says the TurfMutt Foundation. As we celebrate Earth Day, the Foundation offers tips to help everyone better enjoy the nature that is waiting in our backyards, parks, schoolyards and other managed green spaces, year-round.
Watch the video here.
“Every day can be Earth Day,” says Kris Kiser, President of the TurfMutt Foundation. “By using and caring for the green space around our homes, schools, municipal parks and other managed areas, the outdoors can be available to anyone at any time. And if we learned anything in the last few years, is the stress relief and health benefits available through connecting with nature.”
Think of the ways you can move activities normally done indoors, outdoors. From playing to working, from exercising to dining, more people are finding their front and backyards are an extension of their home. Consider what you can take outside instead of settling for the artificial light and closed spaces of our indoor areas. They’re wonderful in inclement weather, but the outdoors is terrific for grabbing some Vitamin D, fresh air and stress relief.
Utilize the best video call backdrop, naturally. No need to turn to technology when outdoors. The natural setting created by your yard’s living landscape – trees, flowers, bushes and other plants – is the best video call background, bar none.
Explore a living laboratory. Your backyard or park is an active and growing place for learning even when school isn’t in session. Take online classes under the shade of a tree. Do homework at a patio or picnic table. Brush up on STEM education by planting and studying flowers, insects, wildlife, and weather watching.
Enjoy a truly “green” spa. The healing power of nature is only a few steps away. Let stress blow away in the breeze as you swing in a hammock. Clear your mind with a few breaths of fresh air. Meditate to the sounds of nature. Do yoga to the soundtrack of songbirds. Make your lawn your exercise mat.
Create a five-star event space. The pandemic made traditional celebrations and gatherings challenging. But the outdoors came to the rescue for events. Now we all know the family yard and community park are five-star event spaces that are always easy to book for graduation parties, family reunions, birthday celebrations and holiday gatherings.
Set the stage for your backyard. Creating a yard that supports all of the aspects of your family’s outdoor lifestyle means taking stock of what you might need to care for your green space. Take an inventory of your yard, your individual needs, landscape and equipment need to care for to make sure your space will always be there for backyard memory-making.
