Spirit & Place celebrates the importance of green spaces in our community

Green spaces include more than just playgrounds, hiking trails, and picnic tables. Green spaces help bring communities together and they have many benefits for the well-being of the people they serve.& By partnering with arts, humanities, religious and other community partners and hosting its annual festival, Spirit & Place has been a catalyst for community engagement by creating and supporting dynamic events for nearly three decades. And with the emergence of green spaces around Indianapolis, Spirit & Place hopes these spaces will continue to bring the community together.& & “Without fail, Spirit & Place’s community partners have created festival events centered on the power, joy and communal aspects of nature and green spaces,” said Erin Kelley, the program director for Spirit & Place. What are green spaces? Green spaces, according to the World Health Organization, are classified as “all urban land covered by vegetation of any kind.” There are a wide variety of different types of green spaces, from large parks to community gardens and, even, small patches of open land around cities.& Why are green spaces important? Green spaces can improve both physical and mental well-being. Green spaces encourage exercise and provide good quality air, which reduces the risk...