A street makeover for San Francisco's Second Street is in the works. According to a news article from socketsite.com plans for the upgrades to Second Street include: bike lanes, sidewalks, plants, and safe roadways---all part of what a true complete street should look like. This project aims to make Second Street a complete street, or a street designed for all road users. According to a factsheet from the San Francisco Public Works department, after gathering all the necessary permits, construction for the project could begin in 2016 and be complete within about a year. Read more about this ...
Thanks to the support of community volunteers, two national organizations, and a private donation, kids living in the city of Tomball, TX can celebrate a new park! On the morning of December 5, a team of over 200 volunteers from 40 different organizations, gathered to donate their time and talents towards something that will benefit everyone---a new park. When kids have access to nearby parks, they're more likely to be physically active and healthy. That's why in 2011, Kaboom! and Humana teamed up to bring more parks to communities in need across the nation. According to a news article from the Houston Chronicle, in 2013, Humana's CEO Bruce Broussard, donated 14 acres of land to the city of Tomball. "I think they were skeptical at first," he stated in The Chronicle. "But ...
Many areas in central Florida lack easy access to fresh, healthy foods. Registered Dietitian Roniece Weaver recognized the problem 20-years ago in the neighborhoods around the center of Orlando. She teamed up with a few other dietitians to form Hebni Nutrition Consultants to educate people on how to prevent diet related diseases. But she wanted to do more. The group wanted to give the neighborhood better access to healthy staples like apples, lettuce, bananas, and tomatoes. So they figured they had two options: find local stores that will expand their fresh produce offerings, or try something a bit different---a mobile farmers' market. Weaver says the mobile market is a better solution. “We can expand our reach and be anywhere on any given day, and reach different ...
A group of parents in Miami, FL, who are seeking to ensure the safety of their children as they ride their bikes, is organizing the city's first ever "Kidical Mass" event. The event is set to take place in January 2015. According to a blog post from TransitMiami.com, the idea for Kidical Mass originated back in 2008 in Eugene, OR. The event has since spread to over 12 communities throughout Canada & the US. The purpose of the event is to raise awareness about the importance of respecting all road users, and to teach kids and parents riding and safety skills. The ride will be approximately 1-3 miles and will last about an hour. Children are expected to wear helmets and to ride with a guardian. Kids of all ages are encouraged to attend and to wear their favorite ...
In 2012, health officials from Buncombe County, North Carolina partnered with a local hospitals and community organizations, to conduct a community-wide health assessment. What they learned was that close to 30% of Buncombe adults were obese; 33% were overweight; 37% of adults had high blood pressure; and 7.9% of the community suffered from diabetes. After learning about the dire health challenges that residents faced, the county health department quickly took action by coming up with a plan to improve the health of the community. As part of the plan the health department formed local partnerships and came up with six health priorities which included goals to address obesity and improve child health. These key partnerships and collaborations, led to the formation a number of ...
The Children and Nature Network (C&NN) has recently announced a new partnership with the National League of Cities (NLC) which will lead to the expansion of programs and policies aimed at connecting underserved children and youth to parks and greenspace. The three year project called the Cities Promoting Access to Nature Initiative is being made possible through a grant from the JPB Foundation. According to a press release from the C&NN, representatives from the NLC, the YMCA, and the U.S. Department of the Interior signed a Memorandum of Understanding in April 2014, where they pledged to coordinate efforts to reduce the disconnect between children and the outdoors. Building upon this partnership the C&NN will work with the three groups to help advance the latest ...
What do park systems, pediatricians, health insurance and a new mobile app, all have in common? A need to get connected! The team over at Playorities has been working to develop software that would link all of the above in efforts to get more kids outdoors and playing. “We are engaging pediatricians, the Parks and Rec community, and parents and kids to help them stay focused on getting active at least 45 minutes a day," Playorities co-founder Allison Diego said in a blog post from The Post. Diego, a former assistant director with the Miami-Dade County Parks and Recreation Department, strongly believes that part of the solution to ending childhood obesity involves the use of after-school programs which reward kids for being active. She also believes in the power of park ...
Better bike infrastructure may be key for helping communities become more active. However, according to a recent blog post from People For Bikes, getting people to use bike lanes requires more than just building them. "It's relationships first, understanding the culture and motivations first, and then infrastructure can be a solution," said Anthony Taylor, of the Major Taylor Cycling Club of Minnesota, in a People For Bikes blog post. The addition of new bike infrastructure needs to be planned in accordance with activities such as bike repair workshops and opportunities to have access to bikes. Otherwise it may be much more challenging for communities to integrate biking into their everyday activities. "Infrastructure can't be the only thing we think about as we work for ...
Spanish-language TV advertising for sugary drinks and energy shots increased by 44% over the past few years, according to a new report. The report, Sugary Drink FACTS 2014, updates the Yale Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity's 2011 research on sugary drinks and advertising to children. The report highlights industry progress but also indicates that companies still have a long way to go to improve their marketing practices and the nutritional quality of their youth-marketed products. This is particularly relevant to Latino youth, who consume more sugary drinks than their white peers, with 74% of Latinos having their first sugary drink before age 2. Some progress was made in marketing to Latino kids: On Spanish-language TV, Kraft Foods and Red Bull eliminated virtually ...
