In Ottawa, we regularly stroll, bike, or drive previous the Nationwide Gallery of Canada, with its iconic spider sculpture by the artist Louise Bourgeois. A few years in the past, following conversations with Algonquin Elders from the unceded territory upon which the Nationwide Gallery is positioned, a banner was added to emphasise their objective to “amplify the communities we serve.”  In giant letters, the banner stated Ankosé, an Anishinaabemowin phrase, together with translations into English (Every part is Linked) and French (Tout est Relié). This long-held philosophy in lots of cultures of every part being related struck a chord with us and it’s integral to the Protected System Strategy, a foundational precept of a lot of TIRF’s work and the work in street security around the globe right this moment.

The connection between street security & nature

In street security, the Protected System Strategy merely means we should take your entire system under consideration and supply many layers of safety in opposition to crash danger and harm for ourselves as fallible, weak people. We contemplate preventive measures that intervene earlier than, throughout, and after the crash to stop critical harm and demise. Within the broadest sense, nevertheless, a protected system considers many different features of well-being and neighborhood well being – psychological well being, bodily exercise, the setting, social connections, and fairness.  And nature touches on all of those areas and extra.

The connection between street security and nature just isn’t one we historically take into consideration, however as a public well being scientist working in transportation security (Bella) and a physician-researcher and pediatrician investigating the linkages between nature and human well being (Robert), who’re married, we’re discovering our work can and will overlap for the good thing about neighborhood well being and security. We’re working collectively in methods we didn’t initially think about and discovering that our completely different occupations are intersectional.

By way of the lens of street security, nature is commonly considered first as a danger, and understandably so, given the very actual difficulty of wildlife-vehicle collisions (WVC). But, whereas being conscious of the dangers posed by wildlife and utilizing instruments such because the Wildlife Street Sharing Useful resource Centre created by TIRF and sponsored by Desjardins Insurance coverage to stop such crashes, we can also make the most of the strengths related to  the interconnectedness of nature to advertise lively transportation and different advantages to communities. In an analogous method, many individuals are afraid to spend time exterior given the dangers of being outside in nature. Along with being a scientist, Robert additionally works as a nature and forest remedy (NFT) information. Within the work of an NFT, guides like Robert want to make use of the phrase consciousness somewhat than danger. Being conscious of your setting, typically often known as situational consciousness, has two benefits – security and elevated focus, which is itself therapeutic. Elevated deal with nature has been utilized in applications to enhance nervousness, power degree, reminiscence, and stress.

How the Protected System Strategy advantages completely different communities

TIRF, the FIA Basis, PRA, and different companions are working with two communities to offer supplemental efforts to enhance their U.S. Division of Transportation Protected Streets and Roads for All (SS4A) complete street security motion plan efforts. These two communities, the Blackfeet Nation and the East Finish District, could seem very completely different in some ways (rural in comparison with city, an space of 1.5 million acres in Montana in comparison with a comparatively small however densely populated space inside the Metropolis of Houston, a tribal nation in comparison with a bilingual Spanish/English talking neighborhood with a lot of immigrants). But, they share the traits of being vibrant, culturally wealthy communities that have transportation inequities and extremely worth each nature and street security. They inherently perceive the Protected System Strategy they usually acknowledge that every part is related.

The Blackfeet Nation, Montana

The Blackfeet Nation is a federally acknowledged tribal nation with lands positioned inside the State of Montana. Initially spearheaded by the Blackfeet Honor Your Life Workplace which focuses on public well being efforts, the undertaking then transitioned to the Blackfeet Tribal Transportation Workplace which is now working with a various coalition of companions (together with Honor Your Life) to create essentially the most moral and inclusive security motion plan potential for the Blackfeet Nation. This can be a difficult however rewarding job for a neighborhood with roads that traverse 1.5 million acres of tribal land. On the similar time, nice emphasis is being positioned on creating an setting the place individuals of all ages and talents can keep wholesome and safely cell in an effort to get pleasure from the advantages of their stunning nature-rich lands, in addition to profit from, and additional develop, the data and tradition current inside the Blackfeet Nation. Though this effort is in its very early phases, all of us look ahead to the protected techniques work we might be doing collectively.

The East Finish District, Texas

The East Finish District (EED) is an unbiased political subdivision of the State of Texas positioned inside the boundaries of the Metropolis of Houston. PRA, with grant funding from the Psychological Perception Basis, collaborated with El Centro de Corazón, a Federally Certified Well being Middle (FQHC), in 2023 to offer not solely indoor vegetation and nature pictures inside their well being centres, however a nature and forest remedy stroll/expertise in lieu of their employees assembly.

With pending funding from different sources, in 2024, El Centro hopes to proceed protected outside, nature-rich lively transportation experiences and tree planting/tending alternatives – not just for the healthcare professionals, however for your entire well being centre employees! Texas A&M engineering college students are additionally presently volunteering their time to find out the commonest routes taken by employees and sufferers to entry well being companies akin to scientific care, vaccines, diet help for pregnant girls and kids, and extra. These engineering college students will assist decide potential security enhancements that may be piloted as a part of the SS4A motion plan efforts.

When lively transportation meets nature

Given the extent of burnout and ethical harm amongst healthcare professionals, and their general receptiveness to lively transportation nature-based actions, like nature and forest remedy stroll/experiences, it’s straightforward to see how we are able to work collectively to create alternatives for communities to be extra lively, safely, in nature-rich environments.

TIRF and the FIA Basis are additionally working with Wellness on Wheels (WOW), a brand new nonprofit based mostly within the East Finish District, that gives bicycles, helmets, coaching, and rides to highschool college students at a big East Finish highschool. Impressed by a psychological well being enchancment effort led by a highschool counselor with an curiosity in biking, WOW has advanced to focus additionally on street security, bodily exercise, and being in nature.

On a extra private notice, TIRF and PRA are the recipients of a fundraising effort by TIRF COO Dr. Ward Vanlaar who’s finishing the equal of a full Ironman by himself on Could 28, 2024. He has named his effort “Iron Ward for Roads and Parks” due to his longtime work in street security and his love of the outside. You may contribute to 2 wonderful causes, nature and street security, on the similar time, by clicking right here.

One more inventive instance of mixing nature and street security in motion!

Nature and street security appear to be two very disparate matters however, like the 2 completely different communities highlighted right here that are the Protected System communities of the longer term, these fields share necessary values and priorities. Nature and street security each affect our bodily and psychological well being, our well-being, and our interconnectedness. They’re intertwined and needs to be thought-about collectively as complementary priorities for general neighborhood well being. Nature and street security, collectively, are clearly necessary to our communities right this moment, and prioritizing them will proceed to be necessary to our communities sooner or later.

Every part is related.

#MySafeRoadHome weblog co-authors: The Honorable T. Bella Dinh-Zarr, PhD, MPH, is the previous Vice Chairman and 42^nd Member of the U.S. Nationwide Transportation Security Board (NTSB) and presently serves as Senior Advisor for Public Well being & Transportation to TIRF and the FIA Basis.  Dr. Robert Zarr, MD, MPH, is a pediatrician, researcher, and founding father of PRA/Nature Prescribed.  He is also an authorized Nature and Forest Remedy (NFT) Information.  Bella and Robert have been married for 26 years and luxuriate in out of doors actions akin to ice skating, cross-country snowboarding, climbing, biking, and kayaking.