New 'pocket forests' are transforming cities in a quiet way: 'They become magnets for human connection'
Two companies have been busy planting beautiful urban microforests, and the results are astounding.
"They become magnets for human connection," Elise Van Middelem, CEO of Sugi, told Euronews. "People take respite during the heat of the day or visit to read a book; at other times the forest becomes a place of dancing, learning, discussion, and leisure. They are self-sustaining within 2-3 years from an ecological standpoint, but at a much deeper level, community members become stewards of the land itself."
Van Meddelem went on to explain that proximity to forests has significant mental health benefits. Urban forests also have loads of other benefits. For one, they provide great homes for pollinators and other wildlife. The added shade of trees also combats urban heat islands, which are especially prominent in lower-income areas. Deep root systems help prevent soil erosion and increase the capacity for capturing water during potential flood events. Of course, trees are great at sequestering carbon and increasing local air quality too.
Do you worry about air pollution in your town?
All the time
Often
Only sometimes
Never
Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.
If you're interested in building your own tiny forest, check out our guide on rewilding your yard. You'll have a local biodiversity hub in no time.
Sugi has used the Miyawaki method to plant 230 forests in 52 cities. This technique is a way of planting extra-dense forests in urban environments. It involves restoring soil to near-natural status with multiple layers of amendments and then densely planting native forbs, shrubs, and trees together. This arrangement produces competition that can get trees to full maturity up to 10 times faster than normal.
Sugi isn't the only organization leveraging this innovation in forestry. Since 2022, Earthwatch Europe has planted 285 tiny forests in 52 cities. None of that is possible without community engagement, however.
"It is necessary to effectively engage stakeholders in the community and get resident buy-in," said Van Middelem. "A pocket forest cannot be planted without their approval. However, none of these challenges are insurmountable."
Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
21 hours ago
- Yahoo
Where in Europe are workers losing ground as taxes rise faster than wages?
Among the 27 European countries covered in the OECD's Taxing Wages 2025 report, seven recorded a decline in real post-tax income in 2024 compared to 2023 for the average single worker without children. This measure reflects the amount of money left to spend or save after taxes are deducted and inflation is taken into account. The countries affected were Italy, Estonia, Czechia, France, Greece, Belgium, and Spain. In Italy, the average wage increased by 3.9% in 2024. With inflation at 1.2%, this translated to a real wage growth of 2.7% before taxes. However, the personal average tax rate—which includes both personal income tax and employee social security contributions—rose sharply by 7.5%. This created a significant gap between real wage growth and the increase in personal taxation, ultimately eroding much of the benefit from higher wages. Cristina Enache, global tax economist at the Tax Foundation, emphasised the impact of increased social security contributions. While this highlights a growing gap between wages and taxation, it doesn't directly reveal how much real post-tax income changed. Personal average tax rates also increased by more than 4.5% in Estonia and Czechia, leading to lower real post-tax incomes in 2024, as real wage growth did not keep pace. Enache of the Tax Foundation noted that in Estonia, the tax burden rise was driven by the removal of certain tax allowances. In Czechia, the increase was primarily due to higher social security contributions from either employees or employers. In France, real wages grew by 0.7%, but the personal average tax rate increased by 1.7%, resulting in lower real post-tax incomes compared to 2023. During this period, Portugal, the UK, and Turkey recorded the highest increases in real post-tax incomes. In Portugal, the personal average tax rate fell by 8%, while real wages grew by 4.7%. 'Portugal reduced its income tax rates for the first six tax brackets, reducing the overall tax wedge for the average income earner,' Cristina Enache told Euronews. In the UK, the average tax rate dropped by 8.7%, although real wage growth was modest at 1.6%. In Turkey, despite a 3.9% increase in the personal average tax rate, a substantial 15.5% rise in real wages led to significantly higher real post-tax incomes in 2024 compared to 2023. However, some critics have accused the national statistical office of manipulating inflation figures. Cristina Enache explained that "real post-tax income" refers to the income a person takes home after taxes, adjusted for inflation. 'A lower real post-tax income means that after taxes and inflation, the individual has less money to spend. Therefore, a decrease in the real post-tax income between 2023 and 2024 means that the worker earning the average wage is losing purchasing power,' she said. 'Bracket creep' occurs when income growth causes individuals to pay higher average income tax rates over time. This typically happens when inflation pushes taxpayers into higher tax brackets or erodes the value of tax credits, deductions, and exemptions. According to the Tax Foundation, 'bracket creep' leads to higher income taxes without any real increase in income. 'Indexing the income tax (and, depending on the design, the social security contributions) to inflation would avoid bracket creep and could mitigate the decrease in real post-tax income for workers,' Enache pointed out. The Euronews article titled 'Where did real wages rise and fall the most in Europe in 2024?' takes a closer look at how wages changed compared to 2023—examining nominal increases, inflation, real wage growth, and average salaries. Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
Watches and Wonders 2025: how the industry is adapting to growing demand from young collectors
At Watches and Wonders 2025 in Geneva, the fine watchmaking industry focuses on engaging young collectors. Brands showcase innovation in design, materials, and marketing to attract the next generation of enthusiasts. View on euronews
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
What's the average UK house price? May's market data shows resilience
UK house prices edged up slightly to 3.5% on an annual basis in May, up from 3.4% in April, according to Nationwide's latest House Price Index report. This was ahead of analyst estimates of 2.9%, pointing to a still-resilient UK housing market, despite cost challenges following stamp duty threshold decreases at the start of April. On a month-on-month basis, UK house prices jumped 0.5% in May, bouncing back from a -0.6% fall in April. This was more than the 0.1% increase expected by the market as well. The average UK house price was £273,427 (€324,232.5) in May, up from £270,752 (€321,053.7) in April. Nationwide's chief economist, Robert Gardner, said in the May house price index report on the company's website: 'Official data confirmed that there was a significant jump in residential property transactions in March, with buyers bringing forward their purchases to avoid additional stamp duty costs. 'Owner occupier house purchase completions were around twice as high as usual and the highest since June 2021, which was also impacted by stamp duty changes.' He also noted that mortgage approval data suggests market activity has remained resilient following the end of the stamp duty holiday, with underlying UK housing market conditions staying robust despite broader global economic volatility Alice Haine, personal finance analyst at online investment platform Bestinvest by Evelyn Partners, said in an email note to Euronews: 'While some buyers are clearly pushing ahead with their purchase journey, others may now be mulling their options more carefully as higher costs pose a fresh challenge. Lower stamp duty thresholds have the biggest impact on first-time buyers as they must now save enough to cover a potentially sizable tax bill in addition to their deposit.' Related European property market: Where have housing costs soared the most? She noted that this may encourage lenders to offer 100% mortgages to help first-time buyers get started on the property ladder, especially as several loan providers have already relaxed their requirements in an effort to draw more clients. Falling interest rates as the Bank of England loosens monetary policy somewhat has also helped borrowing conditions, although sticky-high inflation may slow progress. Businesses passing on higher employment costs to consumers, mainly because of changing US tariff conditions, could impact the housing market as well. 'Uncertainty is becoming the new normal and for many first-time buyers or home movers looking to refinance their existing mortgage soon, it may be better to push ahead with a purchase rather than wait for the ideal borrowing conditions,' Haine noted. "Plus, the traditional surge in listings at this time of year is a positive buyers can take advantage of, as a wider stock of homes to choose from raises the potential for heavier negotiation on price,' she added. According to a recent special report by Nationwide, average house prices in mainly rural areas have continued to grow faster than more urban areas, rising 23% between December 2019 and December 2024. This is compared to an 18% increase in mainly urban areas. Nationwide's chief economist, Robert Gardner, highlighted: 'The pandemic had a significant impact on housing demand during 2021 and 2022, with a shift in preferences towards more rural areas, particularly amongst older age groups. Whilst these effects have now faded, less urban areas have continued to hold the edge in terms of house price growth.' The report also revealed that among house owners who have moved in the last five years, 63% moved within the same type of area, mainly between large towns or cities. 9% of homeowners moved to rural areas such as hamlets or villages from towns and cities, whereas 7% did the opposite. Perhaps unsurprisingly, younger movers between the ages of 25 and 34 preferred to move to more urban localities, whereas older people, especially above 55 moved to more rural places. Sign in to access your portfolio
