Health
The Grocery Bag Challenge
In 2015, the American Heart Association in Hampton Roads, Virginia added a new dimension to its annual 5k Heart Walk by inviting participants to take the Grocery Bag Challenge. Participants carried an eight-pound grocery bag for one mile of the walk to raise awareness of the difficulty faced by people without convenient transportation or grocery stores close to home. Participants reported that it was much harder than they expected!
Traffic Gardens to Teach and Inspire Kids
This guest blog post was written by Tiffany Lam, research adviser.
Some schools are experimenting with traffic gardens like the one pictured above. Photo: Fionnuala Quinn/Bureau of Good Roads
Four Things Healthy Food Advocates Can Do to Improve Access for People Without Cars
“There are too many places in this country where it’s easier to buy a grape soda than a bunch of grapes,” explains Caroline Harries, Associate Director at The Food Trust, when she describes food deserts. Although there are many definitions of food deserts, they are commonly understood as places where fresh, nutritious foods are not accessible within a reasonable or convenient distance to travel. They are often defined as one mile in an urban area and ten miles in a rural area. In a car, those distances are no problem.
Building Parks is Not Enough
Safe Routes to Parks is a national framework for ensuring that people can walk, bike or roll to a park or greenspace in a way that is appealing and safe from traffic and personal danger. Photo Naim Hasan Photography
It Doesn't Take as Long as You'd Think!
According to a recent study from Penn State, most people say they don’t walk or bike to work because they don’t have time and that it would just take too long. The same study debunks that claim!