
by Dr. Ventra Asana, Field Team Manager, StAND
- Make plans to enjoy the holiday season: Even though we’re unable to spend the holidays like in the past, we can still have a good time. Plan a contest with friends and family on who can assemble the prettiest (or weirdest) holiday decorations and share them on social media. Don’t forget to plan for a festive meal, whether you cook it yourself or support local businesses using carryout.
- Devise a health plan: Ask yourself, “what are my plans to get healthy or stay healthy”? Plan to “go outside” even when it’s cold. Just getting fresh oxygen has many benefits, including increasing energy, and improving mental sharpness. Include a new winter activity like ice skating, building a snowman, walking in the snow, or exploring a park in your neighborhood.
- Make plans for the New Year: What do you envision for the coming year? At some point a vaccine will have arrived and we will slowly come out of restrictions. Plan for what you want to accomplish in 2021, especially the first six months. Will you go see family when it’s safe again? Or will you finally explore your own city’s cultural and historical sites? Dream about what might be next for you.
The Nature Gap (July 21, 2020)
Clean drinking water, clean air, public parks and beaches, biodiversity, and open spaces are shared goods to which every person in the United States has an equal right both in principle and in law. Nature is supposed to be a “great equalizer” whose services are free, universal, and accessible to all humans without discrimination. In reality, however, American society distributes nature’s benefits—and the effects of its destruction and decline—unequally by race, income, and age.
A SYMBOL OF SPRING AND A SIGN OF HOPE -- DAFFODILS BLOOM ACROSS Detroit (APRIL 27, 2020)
A symbol of spring and a sign of hope -- Daffodils bloom across Detroit. Get outside and enjoy nature! Watch this video highlighting the work of Barry Burton of Detroit Parks and Recreation Department.