Edwardsville Losing Green Space: How We Can Sustain Our Community Better

I go to school in Edwardsville, Illinois. It is a beautiful town with a lot to offer its residents. However, in recent years, the city has been losing green space at an alarming rate. This is a problem because green space is essential for our community's health and well-being. Most recently, we lost an entire area to Orchard Town Center, where we will now have more restaurants and shopping and fewer trees, plants, grass…all replaced by buildings and concrete.

Greenspace provides several benefits for our community. It helps to improve air quality, reduce noise pollution, and regulate the climate. Greenspace also provides a place for people to relax and connect with nature.

Unfortunately, the city of Edwardsville is losing greenspace at a rate of 2% per year. This is due to several factors: development, population growth, and climate change.

If we continue to lose greenspace at this rate, it will have several negative consequences for our community. The air quality will worsen, noise pollution will increase, and the climate will become more extreme. People will also have fewer places to relax and connect with nature.

We need to take action to sustain our community's green space. These are some things we can do, including:

• Zoning regulations that protect greenspace

• Public education about the importance of greenspace

• Incentives for developers to preserve greenspace

• Community initiatives to plant trees and gardens

Call to action:

If you are concerned about the loss of greenspace in Edwardsville, there are a few things you can do to help. You can contact your elected officials and urge them to take action to protect greenspace. You can also volunteer with a local environmental organization or plant a tree in your yard.

Together, we can make a difference.