Planting Green Areas in Rio de Janeiro
2020-01-30
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1Recently, Alê Roque walked among a group of trees that she helped plant last year in the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro.
2The small piece of land is near Providencia.
3It is Rio de Janeiro's first poor neighborhood, known in Brazil as a favela.
4There, homes lie close to one another.
5Bullet holes suggest the presence of violence.
6The green area is a kind of garden.
7It is one of many places where trees are making the city of Rio greener.
8"This is cacao, developing well...Look at this lime tree, it's full...Lots and lots of tomato...," Roque said.
9As she walked, she saw a yam, and reminded herself to pick it with the children that she teaches to garden.
10In addition to providing free food to residents, the small piece of land provides something else.
11It is cooler in the shade - something rare in this part of the city, far from the sea breeze of Copacabana and Ipanema.
12The activist group Catalytic Communities has mapped sustainable projects across Rio de Janeiro.
13Theresa Williamson, the group's executive director, said there are more and more new green projects.
14"There seems to be now, all of a sudden, in the last six months even, a growth in interest," she said.
15Rio is famous for its coastal forests.
16But Rio's dense neighborhoods have little plant life.
17Around 80 neighborhoods have less than 1 percent tree cover.
18Most are in the industrial North Zone.
19Without shade, these so-called "heat islands" make summer even hotter.
20This month, the city's highest temperatures reached around 40 degrees Celsius.
21People in Rio also talk about the "apparent temperature," a measure that includes wind and humidity.
22That number reached as high as 54.8 degrees Celsius on January 11.
23Washington Fajardo is a visiting housing policy researcher with Harvard University.
24He said green projects represent a break with Rio's recent past.
25Fajardo also is the former mayor's special advisor on urban issues.
26He told Associated Press reporters, "To get a tree to grow in an urban environment requires irrigation, because pollution makes it much harder for a sapling to reach adulthood. We knew how to do that better at the start of the 20th century than we do today, strangely."
27Cecilia Herzog is the president of Inverde, an organization that researches nature and urban structures.
28She said Rio's public policy for green spaces is far behind the policies of other major cities.
29So people are taking matters into their own hands, she said.
30The city has begun paying attention.
31Rio this month started planting native trees to create 25 "fresh islands" in the city's West Zone.
32In the Providencia neighborhood, Alê Roque irrigates her plants and teaches young people how to compost.
33Roque argues that if children spend their days surrounded only by alleys, bullets, and trash, they will struggle to do good in the world.
34They need places to play and pick flowers, she said.
35"How are you going teach kids about Mother Nature if they don't have contact with it?" said Roque.
36"This could be happening in places all over the world, in other favelas, other little areas."
37Why does Roque work so hard in the heat?
38"I want to make the world green!" she said and laughs, then collects herself.
39"It's because someone has to do it, truthfully that's it. Someone has to do it."
40I'm John Russell.
1Recently, Alê Roque walked among a group of trees that she helped plant last year in the Brazilian city of Rio de Janeiro. 2The small piece of land is near Providencia. It is Rio de Janeiro's first poor neighborhood, known in Brazil as a favela. There, homes lie close to one another. Bullet holes suggest the presence of violence. 3The green area is a kind of garden. It is one of many places where trees are making the city of Rio greener. 4"This is cacao, developing well...Look at this lime tree, it's full...Lots and lots of tomato...," Roque said. 5As she walked, she saw a yam, and reminded herself to pick it with the children that she teaches to garden. 6In addition to providing free food to residents, the small piece of land provides something else. It is cooler in the shade - something rare in this part of the city, far from the sea breeze of Copacabana and Ipanema. 7The activist group Catalytic Communities has mapped sustainable projects across Rio de Janeiro. Theresa Williamson, the group's executive director, said there are more and more new green projects. "There seems to be now, all of a sudden, in the last six months even, a growth in interest," she said. 8Rio is famous for its coastal forests. But Rio's dense neighborhoods have little plant life. 9Around 80 neighborhoods have less than 1 percent tree cover. Most are in the industrial North Zone. Without shade, these so-called "heat islands" make summer even hotter. 10This month, the city's highest temperatures reached around 40 degrees Celsius. 11People in Rio also talk about the "apparent temperature," a measure that includes wind and humidity. That number reached as high as 54.8 degrees Celsius on January 11. 12Washington Fajardo is a visiting housing policy researcher with Harvard University. He said green projects represent a break with Rio's recent past. 13Fajardo also is the former mayor's special advisor on urban issues. He told Associated Press reporters, "To get a tree to grow in an urban environment requires irrigation, because pollution makes it much harder for a sapling to reach adulthood. We knew how to do that better at the start of the 20th century than we do today, strangely." 14Cecilia Herzog is the president of Inverde, an organization that researches nature and urban structures. She said Rio's public policy for green spaces is far behind the policies of other major cities. So people are taking matters into their own hands, she said. 15The city has begun paying attention. Rio this month started planting native trees to create 25 "fresh islands" in the city's West Zone. 16In the Providencia neighborhood, Alê Roque irrigates her plants and teaches young people how to compost. 17Roque argues that if children spend their days surrounded only by alleys, bullets, and trash, they will struggle to do good in the world. They need places to play and pick flowers, she said. 18"How are you going teach kids about Mother Nature if they don't have contact with it?" said Roque. "This could be happening in places all over the world, in other favelas, other little areas." 19Why does Roque work so hard in the heat? 20"I want to make the world green!" she said and laughs, then collects herself. "It's because someone has to do it, truthfully that's it. Someone has to do it." 21I'm John Russell. 22David Biller reported on this story for the Associated Press. John Russell adapted it for Learning English. Mario Ritter, Jr. was the editor. 23________________________________________________________________ 24Words in This Story 25breeze - n. a gentle wind 26sustainable - adj. involving methods that do not completely use up or destroy natural resources; able to be used without being completely used up or destroyed 27humidity - n. moisture in the air 28irrigation - n. the act of supplying (something, such as land) with water by using artificial means (such as pipes) 29sapling - n. a young tree 30interior - n. an inner part, area, or surface 31compost - v. to change (plant materials) into compost 32endure - v. to experience (difficulty, pain or suffering) for a long time 33We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section.