I Plant Therefore I Vote
By Marvin Miller, America in Bloom Past President
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One of the first reports shared in the earliest
years of America in Bloom came from research conducted at the University of
Illinois’s Human-Environment Research Laboratory (now called the Landscape and
Human Health Laboratory). In a study
conducted at Chicago’s Cabrini Green public housing development, residents of
buildings with more trees in their courtyards reported closer contact with
neighbors and a greater sense of community than did residents of more barren
but otherwise identical building courtyards located elsewhere in the
development. The green spaces fostered
folks spending more time outside and ultimately interacting with other
neighbors similarly inclined. This led
to a greater sense of community and involvement of neighbors with one another.
"Ten people
who speak make more noise than ten thousand who are silent."
Napoleon Bonaparte
Earlier this month, only an estimated 36.4% of
eligible voters nationwide cast a ballot in the November 4 mid-term
elections. This was the lowest turnout
in any election since World War II, when only 33.9% voted in the 1942 election. Even though most people live in relative proximity
to their polling place, mandatory gasoline rationing went into effect in May of
that year for the eastern half of the country, and gasoline rationing became a
nationwide phenomenon on December 1, 1942.
Though this November’s voting percentage was almost as low nationwide,
even as lower gasoline prices are being reported everywhere, the turnout varied
widely, as in Maine 59% of eligible voters cast a ballot, while in Indiana,
only 28% turned out to vote.
A recent editorial in the Baltimore Sun highlighted an interesting phenomenon that should speak well for both the
environment and civic engagement. In the
wake of these dismal voting percentages, author Dana Fisher noted a correlation
between those who volunteered to help green their cities and political
activism. Indeed, statistical evidence
suggests that those, who came out to plant trees as part of New York’s
MillionTreesNYC initiative, were more likely to engage in other types of civic
and political activities, than New Yorkers as a whole. (New Yorkers have planted over 900,000 trees
since 2007 with the help of thousands of volunteers) These folks, from across the political
spectrum, were more likely to engage in other political activities, whether
that was engaging in a political protest, signing a petition, attending a
public hearing or board meeting, or engaging in a political discussion on the
Internet.
Driven by their desire to give something back to
the city, these volunteers viewed their participation in the tree planting as a
kind of civic engagement, rather than a separate act act of
environmentalism. Conversations that
took place over the tree planting led to opening channels for further civic
engagement. The author concludes that
planting trees can be a viable way of getting people more involved in the
practice of democracy.
Fisher is a professor of sociology and the
director of the Program for Society and the Environment at the University of
Maryland. With Erika Svendsen and James
Connolly, Fisher has recently co-authored the book Urban Environmental Stewardship and Civic Engagement: How Planting Trees Strengthens the Roots of Democracy. The book will be
published in early 2015.
Fisher’s statistical conclusions about civic
engagement parallel the anecdotal evidence we have heard for years through
America in Bloom. The experiences
reported by mayors of many of the cities and towns in which America in Bloom
has been engaged suggest that the volunteers who become involved in the civic
beautification activities often stay involved as part of a core volunteer
group, helping the city in many additional activities over time. In a number of cities that have had long-standing
America in Bloom programs, these AIB volunteers often take on roles on other
city committees or even in the city administrations.
One of the first reports shared in the earliest
years of America in Bloom came from research conducted at the University of
Illinois’s Human-Environment Research Laboratory (now called the Landscape and
Human Health Laboratory). In a study
conducted at Chicago’s Cabrini Green public housing development, residents of
buildings with more trees in their courtyards reported closer contact with
neighbors and a greater sense of community than did residents of more barren
but otherwise identical building courtyards located elsewhere in the
development. The green spaces fostered
folks spending more time outside and ultimately interacting with other
neighbors similarly inclined. This led
to a greater sense of community and involvement of neighbors with one another.
At America in Bloom, we love promoting the power
of plants. We know that plants are great
for the environment. We know that green
spaces can help foster a host of positive economic results for a community and
its businesses and residents. And we
know that plants can help people immeasurably in psychological and sociological
ways, including a sense of connectivity of man with fellow man. It is exciting to add the positives of
democracy to the list of plant attributes, and it’s great that Fisher’s
research has now quantified a statistical basis for this phenomenon!
Perhaps, if we keep beautifying America with
more trees, shrubs, flowers, sod and groundcovers, we can also set a different
kind of record about voter turnout in upcoming elections. After all, a newly elected or re-elected
office holder will likely sense a greater urgency for doing a good job if
elected by the masses than if victory was claimed when only a paltry few
bothered to vote.
“America
is not anything if it consists of each of us.
It is something only if it consists of all of us.”
Woodrow
Wilson, 28th U.S. President
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Be sure to subscribe to our e-newsletter to see
how America in Bloom is helping cities plant trees, flowers and other plants.
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If you are attending the National League of Cities’
Congress of Cities and Exhibition later this week in Austin, Texas, please be
sure to stop by the America in Bloom booth to see how we can help beautify your
city, help you create a ready volunteer force, and to meet our AIB officers,
President Charlie Hall, Vice-President Katy Moss Warner, and Past-President
Marvin Miller.
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