April 2022 Issue ​
KEEPING UP WITH THE TITANS
Titan Today
The Importance of Restoring our Local Wetlands: Taking Part in the Kia Kaha Restoration.
written by Ahmad Jenkins
Living next to a wetland area helps me to appreciate nature, not only for its beauty but also for how important it is to the environment. I often take my children for walks along the path and allow them to explore as much of it as possible. It’s healthy for them and for me in that we need the fresh air and green space to decrease stress. Not only that but it also reminds me of home, in SW Louisiana, where there was no end to wooded areas for me and my siblings and cousins to explore.
It's calming and relaxing to just walk in nature away from the noise of the urban setting we are used to in our busy life. To paraphrase fellow writer Kalvin Satiacum, it helps to lift the burden of living in such an environment off of your shoulders.
This can even be backed up by science, researchers agree that contact with nature improves mental health, well-being, and quality of life. One of the many theories these researchers have is called the attention restoration theory where they’ve learned that green spaces help to replenish your attention capacity through experiencing natural settings (Olszewska, Sia, Fogel, Ho 2022). Meanwhile, back in Tacoma there are increasingly more areas reserved specifically as green spaces as well as for local wildlife, and plants to thrive. Unfortunately, as is the case with living in urban areas litter and garbage can collect in these areas causing harm to wildlife living there and make those areas unsightly as well as damaging to the environment in numerous ways.
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To help combat the littering and pollution of TCC’s local wetland during Earth Week there will be the TCC Kia Kaha Restoration, and if you don’t mind getting a little muddy here’s your opportunity to not only do your part, but also get out in nature and enjoy some of the benefits with fellow students.
Join us this upcoming Monday, April 17 from 3pm-4:30 p.m where the group will meet in front of Bldg. 15 to walk down to the site. Oh and don't forget to wear boots and clothing for getting dirty. We are all stewards of the larger ecosystem in which we live in, and so if you have the time, or rather if you are inclined and passionate in putting your time to good use then do so by contributing to this effort, and the other events that will be going on during earth week. After all, if we don’t put forward an effort to preserve our environment and help beautify it, then we can’t complain when it’s destroyed beyond repair.
Works Cited
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Olszewska-Guizzo, Agnieszka, et al. “Features of Urban Green Spaces Associated with Positive Emotions, Mindfulness and Relaxation.” Scientific Reports, vol. 12, no. 1, Nov. 2022, pp. 1–13. EBSCOhost, https://doi-org.tacomacc.idm.oclc.org/10.1038/s41598-022-24637-0.