Bye-Bye Birdie, Bye-Bye Trees and Bye-Bye Green Scenes

In the past few months, the unclaimed land located behind the English and the Science departments has been deforested. This issue has caused several students as well as several teachers to feel unhappy with the decision.

In an interview, the new Social Studies teacher John Kennett stated that the area provided a “nice view,” but now that the area has been cleared, he believes that the owner should at least start developing the land or else it would be “disappointing.” Another teacher, Steve Owen, also expressed some frustrations and stated that he would “rather see just the trees” and green scenery than another building erected next to our school.

Similarly, some students were upset with this decision, and some even stated that it “bothers and interferes with their thinking” during class. One particularly angry student, Michelle Chen, mentioned that this piece of land was once a “peaceful scenery in such a busy city” and that it is “depressing” and “annoying” to see “no further developments made” after they cut down the trees. She strongly believes that “preserving the nature” is much more important than constructing new buildings in this area.

According to recent studies, exposure to nature lowers one’s stress level, making one “happier and less brooding,” relieving one’s “attention fatigue” as well as increasing one’s creativity. These are just a few of the many advantages we gain from being in a natural setting, further accentuating on the significance of the presence of nature. We live in a world where we spend more time indoors and have lesser interaction with the natural environment.

The deforestation of the land behind our school most definitely left some members of AISG upset. Some stressed the importance of being exposed to nature as it allows them to find peace in their fast-paced lives. The emptiness felt by the AISG body caused by this unfortunate deforestation will continue until new changes are applied.

Source: https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/how_nature_makes_you_kinder_happier_more_creative