London became the first National Park City in the world back in 2019. You may ask, “What’s that?” It’s a city that tries hard to give its residents and visitors lots of park space and to promote “green living.”
Daniel Raven–Ellison, who used to teach geography, started the ball rolling in 2013 when he first raised money through crowdfunding for London’s green dream.
Raven–Ellison said at the time that London was not just a city but also a landscape. It is a landscape with nearly nine million people and the same number of trees. We live in the same city as 15,000 different kinds of animals.
Out of 30 global cities
London has more public green space per person than New York, Berlin, and Paris. It is ranked tenth out of 30 global cities, ahead of cities like New York (12th), Berlin (20th), and Paris (24th).
Therefore, when London signed the commitment to become greener and more wild, it took on a mission that encompasses not just the large parks and wetlands that cool our city but also the tiny plots of land that are cared for by locals and companies and have an impact on London’s biodiversity and air quality.
So the greenest hotel could become the best hotel in Central London one day. But being green is as much about the power of people as it is about big projects. For example, Aldgate Connect is a way for the local Business Improvement District to work with the community, in this case, through a monthly gardening club at lunchtime. The club is back because people asked for it, and the next workshop will be about growing herbs from seeds.
Some people in the hospitality industry have worn the environmental badge with pride for a long time. Blue Orchid Hotels use local suppliers and products that are good for the environment and come from sustainable sources. Its newest hotel, the Tower Suites in Tower Hill, has a modern, high-quality design that uses less energy. It more than meets the City Corporations’ plan for developing clean energy by 2026, so it got an “Excellent” rating.
Bigger Greener Better
At the moment, green space already covers 47% of Greater London. But the city wants that number to go up to more than half.
There are already 3,000 parks in London that are all of different sizes and called “public open spaces.” But London also wants to grow plants on walls and roofs and build places for wildlife. It also wants to make cars less dirty.
And groups like the London Gardens Trust have done much for the city. It keeps track of and protects our green treasures in the capital. Their headquarters are on beautiful Duck Island in the middle of St. James’s Park. They also put out a cool journal.
From the Kensington and Westminster Royal Parks, which cover a lot of lands. In the pocket gardens in the City of London, there are long walks and hidden green spaces to discover. On top of that, there are canals, wetlands, and waterways. The London Wildlife Trust cares for many of these places.
A large-scale Urban Nature project has already been started at the Natural History Museum in South Kensington. which will quadruple the size of its own Wildlife Garden and implement comparable initiatives around the UK. The goal is to bring nature into cities and towns. A big British institution is making a very public commitment to conservation.
Then there’s Kew Gardens, which takes care of 500 acres of wood and is the world’s biggest seed-saving project. Its well-known Botanic Gardens are a UNESCO World Heritage Site with more than 50,000 healthy plants.
The Green Canopy of the Queen
One of the most thoughtful things to come out of the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee is an initiative to plant trees. This will be done to honor her long reign by asking people and groups to plant a tree for the Jubilee. See below for tips on how to plant trees in a way that is good for the environment. The planting season is from October to March. So now is a good time to learn about trees and plan for that time.
To commemorate her 70 years of service, Her Majesty will plant 70 new trees, dedicate a network of 70 historic forests around the UK, and name 70 ancient trees.
Superbloom at The Tower of London
After a cold and dry start to the year, Superbloom at The Tower of London has more than lived up to its name. People are amazed and happy to see so many wildflowers, hear the buzz of pollinating insects, and hear birds singing. This big, ambitious project is good for the environment and people.
It was made for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee this year, but it will still be around in 2022. There will be flowers again.
Turning the Tower’s moat, which is 14,000 square meters, was difficult to turn into a flowering meadow. Back in May, when the Chelsea Flower Show was being built with plants that had been carefully cared for, the 20 million seeds hand-sown for Superbloom had to deal with nature at its least caring: weeks without rain and frosts in April.
Professor Nigel Dunnett, who came up with this flower success, is happy with the result, and so is the rest of the world.
Dunnett is the sort of environmentalist who emphasizes the value of urban parks and gardens and the use of vegetation in high-density construction projects, buildings, and around them. He talks about how plants can make cities more colorful, low-maintenance, and “ecologically tuned.”
The Tower of London is the proof. We will enjoy a walk through the cornflowers, sweet peas, poppies, and toadflax every year. “The happiest place in London” is how one person recently put it.
There is also a big slide that kids and adults can use to get into the moat quickly. And Blue Orchid London has some great staycations and afternoon tea deals, like tickets to Superbloom and the Tower. There is “Afternoon Tea,” “Superbloom,” and “Royal Staycation.”
Read Also: 19 Best Things to do in Yosemite National Park
The Museum of Natural History
The urban nature project at the Natural History Museum in South Kensington is gradually taking form and is scheduled to debut in 2023. The five-acre outdoor area of the museum will be turned into a welcoming wildlife oasis with a wide range of plants and animals. The Museum’s scientific staff will also keep a close eye on how the garden affects wildlife in the city and how different species adapt.
It can also be used as a learning tool. Long-term, it will figure out the best way to take care of wildlife in cities and find the species that can warn of trouble ahead.