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科学美国人60秒 SSS 行善应先对社区进行调查

时间:2019-12-10 07:05:55

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This is Scientific American — 60-Second Science. I'm Jason Goldman.

Trees in cities do measurable good for biodiversity and for human health. They scrub pollution from the air. They provide habitat for wildlife. They make streets look nicer. And they even reduce stress and have been linked to reductions in crime.

Back in 2015 a group of Toronto-based researchers discovered that planting just eleven more trees per city block would reduce heart-related conditions by the same amount as if everybody living on that block became a year and a half younger.

But in Detroit between 2011 and 2014 a quarter of eligible1 homeowners t??urned down an offer from a local nonprofit for free street trees. Ironic2, considering Detroit's nickname was once the City of Trees.

"It was actually over 1,800 trees that were rejected out of an eligible 7,425. So it was a big enough issue at that point where it warranted further investigation3."

Forestry4 researcher Christine Carmichael, who did the research at Michigan State and has since moved to the University of Vermont.

The nonprofit created an education campaign to get more residents to accept the free trees. The assumption being that if people had all the facts, they'd be more likely to take the trees. But when Carmichael talked to residents, she found that they understood the benefits of trees. Their unease was about trust.

"Basically what I found was that opposition5 in Detroit to tree planting among some of these residents resulted primarily from negative past experiences with street trees, particularly in low-income neighborhoods that were grappling with blight6 from vacant properties, which created an additional burden of care for their neighborhood."

In the last half-century or so, more than half a million Detroit trees died from disease and neglect. At the same time, the city underwent dramatic demographic shifts. By 2016, Detroit was 82 percent African-American and had the highest percentage of low-income residents in the country. As a result, it was primarily low-income African-American communities who were forced to deal with the consequences and the hazards, like falling limbs, posed by dead trees.

In speaking with residents, Carmichael found that they would be more willing to accept free trees if they could be more involved in the decision-making process. Locals wanted input7 on tree size and whether they produced flowers. They also very reasonably wanted to avoid trees that could drop rotting fruits or sap on cars and sidewalks. The findings by Carmichael and Maureen McDonough are in the journal Society and Natural Resources.

"It's important to provide a space for people's stories to be heard, about what their experience of community change has been. And let them know that you understand and respect their experience. I think that would open people up more to trusting the intentions of organizations that come into a neighborhood to do good."

Thanks for listening for Scientific American — 60-Second Science. I'm Jason Goldman.


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1 eligible Cq6xL     
adj.有条件被选中的;(尤指婚姻等)合适(意)的
参考例句:
  • He is an eligible young man.他是一个合格的年轻人。
  • Helen married an eligible bachelor.海伦嫁给了一个中意的单身汉。
2 ironic 1atzm     
adj.讽刺的,有讽刺意味的,出乎意料的
参考例句:
  • That is a summary and ironic end.那是一个具有概括性和讽刺意味的结局。
  • People used to call me Mr Popularity at high school,but they were being ironic.人们中学时常把我称作“万人迷先生”,但他们是在挖苦我。
3 investigation MRKzq     
n.调查,调查研究
参考例句:
  • In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
  • He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。
4 forestry 8iBxk     
n.森林学;林业
参考例句:
  • At present, the Chinese forestry is being at a significant transforming period. 当前, 我国的林业正处于一个重大的转折时期。
  • Anhua is one of the key forestry counties in Hunan province. 安化县是湖南省重点林区县之一。
5 opposition eIUxU     
n.反对,敌对
参考例句:
  • The party leader is facing opposition in his own backyard.该党领袖在自己的党內遇到了反对。
  • The police tried to break down the prisoner's opposition.警察设法制住了那个囚犯的反抗。
6 blight 0REye     
n.枯萎病;造成破坏的因素;vt.破坏,摧残
参考例句:
  • The apple crop was wiped out by blight.枯萎病使苹果全无收成。
  • There is a blight on all his efforts.他的一切努力都遭到挫折。
7 input X6lxm     
n.输入(物);投入;vt.把(数据等)输入计算机
参考例句:
  • I will forever be grateful for his considerable input.我将永远感激他的大量投入。
  • All this information had to be input onto the computer.所有这些信息都必须输入计算机。

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