“The thing with gardens is… it’s common ground.They bring people together.”
-Ron Finley, The Gangster Gardner
If you follow me on twitter (@tam_soliman) or our film on Instagram (@thegreatdisconnectfilm), you would’ve known that I attended the Healthy Neighbourhoods, Healthy Cities conference in Edmonton. I was out there to screen my documentary The Great Disconnect and spread the word on the importance of community wellbeing.
More and more research is coming out that shows the link between our sense of community and our physical, mental and even our environmental health. Studies show that if you DON’T have a strong sense of community, you’re more likely to:
- Succumb to food marketing and eat more processed foods rather than local foods
- Suffer from feelings of loneliness and isolation, which has a similar impact on your physical health as smoking two packs of cigarettes a day
- Drive, rather than walk, to nearby places
I feel that if I truly want to inspire health and longevity for the people I serve, then discussing community wellbeing is essential. Which leads me to ask…
How are you doing when it comes to your sense of community?
Think about it for a minute. Then, hit “reply” to send me a message telling me one thing that you’ll do to increase your sense of community. Need some ideas? Check out this list from Live Happy here.
The Healthy Cities, Healthy Neighborhoods conference was put on by the amazing community development change agents at the Tamarack Institute in partnership with all the amazing people in the City of Edmonton.