Other factors keep East Boston’s demand strong. Our crime rates are lower than most Boston neighborhoods, and our green spaces are constantly expanding and improving: Piers Park, the Belle Isle Marsh, the Greenway, the Bremen Street Park all provide recreation, respite and beauty. The steady increase in community gardens brings neighbors together, and a healthy arts scene at 80 Border Street has created a group of concerned and involved residents.

We are fortunate to have a pedestrian friendly village where we can walk to stores and restaurants and see our neighbors. Urban planners talk about developing safe housing close to transportation with green spaces and local businesses nearby. East Boston, especially with its diverse mix of young professionals, growing families, and older lifelong residents, has what urban planners consider ideal.

Please check back as we continue to update you on East Boston real estate happenings. To see all our listings, or to search MLS properties, head to the Tony's Realty Website.

Email Tony with your questions or comments.

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Whether or not outdoor spaces are green and vegetated had been found to be one of leading reasons these spaces are used. The presence of trees encourages outdoor use. Several studies have found a correlation between the presence of trees and the amount of physical activity of neighborhood residents. When there are more trees, people are more physically active. Considering our nation's record high rates of obesity and considering the rising rates of childhood obesity and the increasing prevalence of other "adult" diseases in children, like diabetes, planting trees should be done to encourage physical activity.     

Other physical health benefits of trees, in addition to reducing asthma, includes the reduction of inhalation of toxic carcinogens. Emissions from cars include VOCs, Nitrogen Oxides, Carbon Monoxide, smog causing ozone, and particulate matter so small that it can be inhaled into the lungs and even passed into the blood stream. Levels of these pollutants are significantly lower around trees.

The symptoms of attention "disorders" in children, like ADHD, are reduced by outdoor play. Children given the opportunity to play outdoors in green spaces pay attention better, are better able to complete tasks, follow directions, and score higher on tests. 

Knowing the results of this research, both physically and mentally, this makes me think that these disorders may be more a symptom of the environment we are raising children in. There is a clear link between many physical diseases in children now and the decreased amounts of physical activity. The link  between green spaces and attention disorders is less clear. One suggestion is that learning shares a region of the brain with observation of our surroundings and our brain pays particularly close attention to nature, thus engaging learning as well. Instead of treating with drugs, maybe we should address the cause of these symptoms by encouraging outdoor play and developing better more naturalistic green spaces, especially around schools.

The programme is funded by SITA Trust and V, the youth volunteering charity, with BTCV, the BBC and the Wildlife Trusts also involved in the management and delivery of the programme.

Projects should be designed and delivered by young people aged 16-25 and focus on physical improvements to community green spaces.

There is a two-stage application process. Stage one applications can be made at any time. SITA Trust will contact you within 2 weeks of receiving your stage one application to let you know if your project is eligible to proceed to stage two. Then the next deadlines for stage 2 applications are 22 August, 24 October and 15 December 2008.

More information is on the SITA Trust Greenprints website.

I really never thought I'd find photographing barns and fields so interesting, but in Appalachia (and every where else for that matter), barns are freestanding testiments to a way a of life most of us don't see, never knew, or dont' remember.  I'm seeing more and more of this art on barns around here, but haven't figured out the story yet.

While Israel's environmentalists have successfully pushed through the establishment of a number of national parks in recent years, they've been less successful at protecting green spaces that aren't parks. Yet the preservation of pristine areas between urban areas is vital if Israel's landscape and wildlife are to survive. In today's Ha'aretz (Hebrew edition), Tzafrir Rinat reports on how these areas are being encroached on by settlements and farms, and cut in pieces by new roadways. He writes:

Last month the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel published a report on the threat to open spaces in Israel. The report lists 60 building and development plans that will damage open spaces. Among the most prominent are new roads in the Sharon and Modi'in areas, construction in the Ramon Crater, and the mining of phosphates in the Negev.

As I noted in my post Why Israel is Losing Its Green Spaces: The Pointed Roof Hypothesis, living in the country has become something of an Israeli middle-class dream. Add to that the mystical-nationalist aura surrounding settlement in Israel and the result is that the country's open spaces are under a double threat.

Israel has more than enough cities and towns-and more than enough suburban communities and farms. Future residential construction must be confined to existing urban centers. Roads and railways are important in order to tie the country's disadvantaged and forgotten periphery to its center, but they must be planned in ways that minimize their damage to habitants and landscapes. And they must be kept to a minimum-impossible if new settlements kept getting built, each with its own access road.

And now for the real thing...small orange poppies dotted the field behind our newly found multi-purpose dwelling and gave some great views to sky above.

Highbury Park is in Kings Heath - one of the entrances is at the corner of Alcester Road and Queensbridge Road, on the No. 50 bus route.

"Grassland, ancient hedgerows, marshland, scrub, streams, pools and remnants of woodland are all to be found in the park as well as a host of ornamental trees and shrubs." It's a Site of Local Importance for Nature Conservation.

Touring the countryside, one just never knows what you may find, sitting in the parking lot of a canoe livery/diner/art gallery.

"Water for Life Sponsored Cycle Ride

"Funds raised will be used to support Islamic Relief's water related projects in the most desperate areas of the world.

"Food stalls and family entertainment available on the day."

Choice of 15 and 25 mile routes.

Registration

"Pre-registration required for all participants: go to www.cyclerelief.com or phone 0121 622 0622

"Adult: £10.00
Child: £5.00 (under 16's)
Registered participants will receive a pack which will include; Cycle Relief 2008 T-shirt, event stamp/checklist card, sponsorship forms and useful information and advice. Participants will also receive a medal on the day of the event."

Deadline: 5.00p.m on Friday 20th June 2008. (IF there are any places left you can register on the day between 9am and 10.30am - go to the bandstand in the park.)

Event Details from the bikeweek.org.uk website

• Pick up a map and cycle a 2km, 5km or 10km route
• Have a go on a selection of weird and wonderful bikes
• Watch a special cycling stunt show
• Borrow a bike to cycle around the park
• Enter a competition to win a brand new bike

More information on the Birmingham City Council website.

Six acres to explore, including a hazelnut tunnel and a stream area. Some highlights:

Working with the weather

"Green gardening doesn't mean an unsightly garden. Visit our lovely little 'back garden' area where you can learn about ways to cope with climate change in your own garden."

Lunchtime walks

Wednesdays 11 June, 9 July, 6 August, 3 September - a different theme each time. These guided walks cost £1.50 on top of the normal entry fee.

Practical mornings

10.15-12 noon, £15. Advance booking essential.
Friday 18 July: Propagation
Friday 15 August: Pruning
Friday 19 September: Wildlife gardening.

Gardeners' Open Days (special reduced entry)

Sundays 15 June and 17 August, 10am-5pm, £1.50.

Opening times and prices

April to September: Mon-Fri 11am-4pm, Sundays 1-5pm
October to March: Mon-Fri 12-3.30pm

Adults: £3. Children 5-16: £1.50. Children under 5: free.

Contact

0121 414 3832
Winterbourne Botanic Garden, University of Birmingham, 58 Edgbaston Park Road, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2RT

www.botanic.bham.ac.uk (includes a "virtual tour")

INFORMATION TAKEN FROM THEIR 2008 LEAFLET

If it is the natural and untamed you seek, Ireland is ready to spoil you with some of the wildest and most glorious sights you will ever see. Why not take in the stunning view from the Cliffs of Moher in County Clare? Not only is the view of the Atlantic Ocean breathtaking, there are some sumptuous trails along the eight kilometres of cliffs that offer the chance to stretch your legs and fill your lungs with the salt sea air.

If you prefer something a touch more mystical, you may want to travel to County Laois and walk through the Slieve Blooms. Lush, green glens, tranquil streams and wooded trails all await you, offering the traveler the chance to clear his mind and rest his soul. Or, if it’s the truly Irish you long for, you need look no further than the River Shannon, the waterway that showcases the beautiful city of Limerick. Just a short drive outside the city you can stroll through the countryside along the banks of Ireland’s longest river, taking in the view.

Of course, if you prefer something more maintained, Ireland can offer you that, too! Many of the fine country homes also have exquisitely-maintained gardens, and several cities offer rich botanical gardens as well. Wild or civilised, whatever your pleasure, if it’s nature you’re after, Ireland is the place to find it.

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As you step out of the waterfall-filled Boone Fork drainage, the Boone Fork Trail leads you through this field. It's a favorite spot to spend time in the sun and find a quiet seat to enjoy views of the backside of Grandfather Mountain.

The layers of spring stretch from high to low, and some of the most dramatic lye on the forest floor. On that note, anyone know what these are? I've looked everywhere and can't find a name for them.

The willingness of nature to survive and thrive is beyond me. Instead of failing, this seed spread its' roots down over 6 feet of exposed rock to find the soil.

Along the Boone Fork Trail there are many chances to see what this Appalachian region offers in color, texture, and composition. Someday, I might even be able to really capture some of it.

The Tanawha Trail is my most frequented trail. It's allure is the wide open space, great views, and peacefulnesss.

Fall lends so much color to so many different aspects of a landscape. My favorite are the streams and rivers found in the mountain sides.

This boulder field rests along the Blue Ridge Parkway and captures great light from winter sunsets.

We haven't had much snow this season, but this day we awoke to heavy fall and fog in Valle Crucis.

This 1956 Studebaker Transtar lays dormant and awaiting a caretaker on a beautiful farm in Valle Crucis, NC. I couldn't decide which photos to post, so here's most of the ones I took.