Last week on the blog, I stated “Asthma and obesity go hand-in-hand in low income urban neighborhoods across the country. In these neighborhoods, there is limited access to healthy food. Part of the problem is awareness and education…”
Then, I discovered this opportunity for Chicagoans to help change the narrative of Chicago and make it a hub for sustainability and community health and well-being. Chicago is offering plots of land for just $1 each on the South Side. You can read the resources below. One article stated, “The City found when lots are owned the streets are cleaner, safer and quieter. The community also becomes more involved because many of the lots are used for gardens.”
What I want to highlight in particular are some of the uses being encouraged for the lots that I just love:
🌿 Community Agriculture
⛹🏿 Landscapes + Athletics
⛹🏿 Playgrounds
🍃 Sustainable Strategies – Green roofs, solar panels, wind turbines, rainwater harvesting & other green technology for private or public use.
🌿 Greenhouses
These $1 lots provide an opportunity for people who have not had the access to investment opportunities to now become investors, get a tax credit like other investors, and be change makers in their community. With all of these sustainability and health focused projects that can be established on these lots, you can envision and execute on the Chicago you want to experience.
👩🏿🌾 https://largelots.org/lot-uses
👩🏿🌾 http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2018/05/18/large-lots-vacant-lots-one-dollar
👩🏿🌾 http://wgntv.com/2018/05/17/chicago-selling-3200-vacant-lots-for-just-1
I mention in the episode the issue with the silver tsunami and did not do the best job of explaining it so here it is according to Big Think:
“the enormous baby boomer generation is aging, and public health officials warn that a “Silver Tsunami” is coming. Worldwide, those age 60 and over are expected to double by 2050, and triple by 2100. As workers age, fewer young people are around to replace them, and that means less taxpayers for Medicare and abroad, for socialized medicine. In Europe, a staggering 34% of the population is projected to be over 60 by 2050. What’s more, Europe’s population is forecast to plummet 14%.”
http://bigthink.com/philip-perry/can-the-world-sustain-9-billion-people-by-2050
// INSPIRING READ:
// EPISODE RESOURCES:
🍌10 Simple Steps to Alleviate Asthma Symptoms
📖 My book, You Can Afford to Be Healthy
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