The planning phase for Black Oaks finished recently, and if all goes according to plan, the first phase will be installed in the late spring. It’s exciting to think about what they’re doing and that there’s the possibility to see if ecological restoration and human health restoration are symbiotic. The research I’ve read and done on healing rates in hospitals and managed care settings clearly says that exposure to green spaces can reduce stress levels, heart rates, pain medications and increase healing times. Why can’t those landscapes have plants or food that can be taken internally to boost those recovery rates? I believe when you give people a stake in the world around them, and create a motivation for them to get involved, then amazing results can occur. I am hopeful that at Black Oaks that will happen, and serve as a model for other communities.
I’ve included some images of what the proposed landscape might look like.
