Moving through the green blue city

with Dr. Joanna Ashworth

In order to talk with you a little bit about the rain garden work I've been doing and about green infrastructure, I'd like to guide you on a little tour of what I mean by a green blue world.

Take a deep breath in and exhale.   

Imagine you've woken up in a world that is your dream of a blue, green world.

You move effortlessly through the streets, noticing the boulevards dividing a busy road that is quiet, with electric vehicles that make no sound.

Look, the boulevard is full and lush with tall grasses and wildflowers, and they sway in the soft breeze.

You notice the wide walking trails and biking trails accessible to rolling and riding and walking. You see the paving stones lining the roads. Grass is visible between the pavers.

Asphalt is nowhere in sight.

The path you’re on is lined with trees and the canopy protects you from the bright sun.

But now the rain is coming, and softly at first you hear it.

You feel it.

And now it’s really coming down.

The rainwater flows and pools on the street, but it mostly seems to just vanish into the spaces between the paving stones.

The excess water flows into a green line bioswale, the wide grassy ditch you see. There, the water is briefly held before it percolates down into the ground, back to groundwater.

Now you are moving up slowly.

Hovering, you see green roofs on top of every major building.

The plants in the gardens on the roof shimmer with the rain.

Now the storm is passing, and you slowly touch down, back to ground, continuing to walk, roll or ride.

You can hear birdsong and the humming of bees intermingled with the soft sound of water moving freely.

The sounds fill you up with a sense of well-being and connection with the place, with all that sustains us, with the water, with nature, with the trees, with your bluegreen world.

Just take a moment to imagine the creation of that blue green world.

 From a talk given by Dr Joanna Ashworth

at the Water Teachings Workshop May 15, 16, 2021 @ MascallDance.

Photo Credits: unsplash Eddie Kopp, Heather Mount