And now I am going to say something positive about Brussels, for a change.
It is a city with many hidden features, one of which is a little ecological park - the Jean Felix Hap Park. It is on Chausee de Wavre, behind the white wall opposite the Brussels International Catholic School. Not a lot of people know about it, which is what makes it so perfect. This morning I was pleased to see the leaves turning red.
I'm very fond of this park. A few years ago I decided to add to my cv by taking a diploma in environmental policy. It was one of the most enjoyable subjects I ever studied, and Jean Felix Hap Park is where I tucked myself away with my textbooks during the summer months.
What particularly impresses me is the absolutely pristine condition of the park. If a plant wilts, the staff know about it instantly. It also boasts the source of Etterbeek's original freshwater source, and the small lake that still remains is superbly looked after.
http://www.opt.be/informations/tourist_attractions_etterbeek__jean_felix_hap_park/en/V/39602.html
What a beautiful photograph!
ReplyDeleteThere is no doubt that reading/studying outside in a garden or in a park is far more preferable to reading indoors.
There is something about the tranquil environment of a park in various shades of green, that is very relaxing. Relaxing, to the extent that it relaxes the mind, but also allows a stimulating array of thoughts to arise; thoughts, that perhaps have never been considered before.
This is why in the past psychiactric hospitals were always painted green, and the hospitals themselves situated in a country setting to aid calm and relaxation.
I myself, worked in a Psychiactric Hospital that had large, extensive grounds which added peace and calm to the environment. In the past, patient used to grow their own fruit and vegetables.
Psychologists says that green is a calming colour and has been used for decades by government organisations in their public offices to try and maintain a calm atmosphere!
In my experience, that has never been very successful. I have seen many people ranting and raving at the top of their voices in government offices complaining about the injustices of 'the goverment' or 'the bloudy council'!
In politics, we have the 'Greens', whom we are told care about the environment.
We must not forget that nature is not only green,but red,pink,orange,blue,purple,yellow,black,and white too.
Who knows, we might in the future have a lavender party!
It does not surprise me the least, that someone involved in politics should take such delight and interest in studying Environmental Policy as a chosen subject of further education.
ReplyDeleteAfter all,in its essence, politics is all about the distribution of resources of one sort or another, as well as the management of these resources.
In politics, housing, employment, society's infrastructures, the productions of goods, import and export is considered 'political'.
But it could also be considered environmental, if you think about it.
After all, housing and infrastructures needs raw materials,as does processing manufactured goods and the export of them.
In this 'modern age' we still rely consideraby on raw materials from the earth.
Gas and oil, both come from the earth and in the 21st century where we have all become so dependent on these resources, for cooking and heating, we would be in dire straights without them.
Both of these essential resources and the management of them, poses political headaches for governments as well as environmentalists too.
Whilst concern for the Environmental is 'fashionable' it is not only recently that people have known and recognised the dangers of mishandling the earth's resources.
Only a complete fool would not know that the fumes from burning fuels is harmful, or an atomic dropped on a country is dangerous to the environment.
In the past a person, would cough, become sick, crops would die, and commonsense would prevail. Everyone would recognise that the burning fuels or the atomic or nucleaur bomb testing was responsible.
Now, you have to prove it; with scientific evidence, the abundance of which contradicts one another!
How useful is that.
From poisening rivers with foul tasting substances, that make you sick, to atomic bombs, nucleaur tests,insectacides, people have always been able to recognise the dangers to the land and to human life.
When crops develop disease, wilt and die, and people become sick it is not difficult to add two and two to geather and make four.
Politicians, unlike Environmentalists and the concerned public do not add two and two toeather and make four, rather, they say it is five!
They will then use any scientific data that is available to them. Indeed, they might even commission it! In order to show that the environmentalists concerns are not valid.
For Governments, at the end of the day, the 'political aims and objectives' take priority over environmental concerns.
Believe anything else and you have been duped by those in power over you, who have the power to deceive you with 'manufactured, highly manipulated facts.