A primary school in north London has recently unveiled a new playground with a difference - parts of it you can eat.
The Rotherfield primary school in Islington has transformed part of their outdoor space into an inviting fruit and vegetable 'edible playground'.
School children enjoying their new playground
The Tree Council's Seed Gathering Season -launched on Wednesday 23rd September and going through until 23rd October -is already in full swing, with coordinated events and informal activities taking place all over the country. Events run by the Tree Council's member organisations, it's volunteer Tree Wardens and other supporters, are currently taking place throughout the country (see www.treecouncil.co.uk for details)
The National Health Service is drawing up plans to plant 1.3 million trees on its hospital and health centre lands after research has shown that trees not only improve staff morale but can also speed up patient recovery times.
A group calling itself NHS Forestry – with a logo “growing forests for health” – has already started work on pilot schemes in partnership with the Woodland Trust and the Oxford-based charity Campaign for Greener Healthcare.
A new report from the UK body for public health specialists has found that parks aren't just good fun, they are also good for the nation's health.
In India, where traditionally boys have been preferred over girls, a village in Bihar state has been setting an example by planting trees to celebrate the birth of a girl child.
In Dharhara village, Bhagalpur district, families plant a minimum of 10 trees whenever a girl child is born.
And this practice is paying off.
Nikah Kumari, 19, is all set to get married in early June. The would-be groom is a state school teacher chosen by her father, Subhas Singh.
You can’t see the wood for the trees at a Birmingham hospital that is piloting a new NHS Forests scheme.
Northfield’s Royal Orthopaedic Hospital, which is known locally as The Woodlands, is taking part in a project to plant a tree for every health worker in the NHS.
Co-ordinated by the charity Campaign for Greener Health, 1.3 million trees will be planted nationally to increase the amount of green spaces at health trusts.
Penny Venables, Hospital chief executive, said: “We aim to play our part by expanding our collection of mature trees by 800.
The Campaign for Greener Healthcare has linked to the Climate Change Health Project run by the Greater Manchester Public Health Team with the aim of promoting the NHS Forest and to engage more trusts in the issues associated with the project encouraging sign up to the scheme.
The Climate Change Health Project is focused on strengthening the NHS contribution to climate change and sustainable development but also ensuring a wide appreciation of the effects on population health and health inequalities of climate change.
Birmingham Orthopaedic Hospital organised for children at a nearby primary school to carry out acorn collecting on the 5th October 2009. It was a highly successful event with local children taking away acorns to plant at their school. The following year it is hoped that there will be a number of saplings to put into the ground at the hospital.
The NHS Forest Launch is to be held to celebrate the NHS Forest and to showcase the work carried out so far at the pilot sites around the country. It will provide the publicity and impetus for Trusts throughout the UK to sign up to the scheme.
The NHS is realising that sustainability is part of the core business of the health service rather than a green add-on. It is one of the biggest resource users and carbon generators in the UK and there are many efforts underway both nationally and locally to reduce the carbon footprint.
School children local to Birmingham Orthopaedic hospital will begin acorn collecting on the week beginning the 5th October. These acorns will then be used for planting at the hospital or nearby school.