Author: ADMIN

Blog

Finding solace, resilience and connection in nature during the pandemic

As cities continue to grow and multiply, we get more disconnected from nature and become less aware of the impact our modern lifestyles have on the environment. Conversely, experiencing nature in our busy urban lives provides a powerful way to restore our sense of community, well-being, and stewardship for a healthy planet. Looking at the ways in which nature has appeared to us during the COVID-19 pandemic, whether in parks, forests or other green spaces, helps us gain important insights into this.

Read more

Blog

Green spaces & urban forests during the COVID-19 pandemic

In the last few months, the COVID-19 pandemic has spread all across the world and is still dominating the headlines at this time. Notwithstanding global and regional differences, the basic elements of how we live have radically changed due to government prevention policies, the fear of contracting the virus and the actual spread of the disease. In this context, at CLEARING HOUSE, we realised that it was not possible to carry on our work and research as if nothing was happening.

Read more

Blog

Classes and parks during COVID-19

April 15 in Brussels, I leave my confinement to record a radio report.

My guest for today is a teacher who describes how he helps his 10-year-old pupils deal with the confinement imposed upon them. He maintains an almost daily link with his pupils from underprivileged backgrounds. Mental health, learning, family disharmony and the need for social contact are all destabilizing factors for these children.

Read more

Nature-based solutions

Our first newsletter is out!

The recent developments on the COVID-19 have illustrated people’s need for forests and green space close to where they live: in countries where the restrictions allowed visits to green areas, an immense increase in visits to forests, parks and green spaces has been noticed. This illustrates the timeliness of the CLEARING HOUSE project, in supporting cities to deliver ecosystem services through urban forests and urban trees.

Read more

Blog

Why not hold more classes outdoors?

This article is an English translation of the original version in Catalan.

 

The European project CLEARING HOUSE has launched a survey of primary and secondary school teachers throughout Catalonia to discover whether or not they hold classes outdoors, what they feel the drawbacks or obstacles are to doing so, and in what subject areas they bring up urban green spaces.

Read more

Blog

Surge in forests visitors after COVID-19

This article is an English translation of the original version in German.

“Under COVID-19, visitor numbers have experienced an unprecedented boom. The Kottenforst was already a popular forest area before, over the year we counted an average of 290 passers-by per day. But in March and April, the number increased by a factor of 2.4,” says researcher Jakob Derks of the European Forest Institute (EFI), impressed by the results at an open-air press conference held in the Kottenforst on 14 May 2020.

Read more

Blog

Heroes’ forest – honouring those who keep us safe during the pandemic

Belgian Flanders is a European region notorious for its lack of green cover: roughly 23 percent of the country is covered in forest and less than 11 of Flanders, the country´s most densely populated region, is forested. During the COVID-19 pandemic, green spaces and forests all over the world have become tremendously popular for citizens looking for meaningful ways to fill their days and stay healthy.

Read more