To Till and to Tend

Last night we surprised my son by showing up at his 25th birthday get-together, attending the Phillies-Nationals ballgame at the Nationals' beautiful new stadium. The Phillies won big-time, so Happy Birthday Zach! It's awesome to see the Capitol in the cityscape from the park, and they even shoot off fireworks when you get to "the rockets' red glare", and "bombs bursting in air" in the Star Spangled Banner. (I think they should substitute a release of peace doves for the "bombs bursting in air", but it's a nice feeling place all around.)
The stadium has impressively green kudos which are touted all over the stadium - urban infill, reusing a brownfield, superb metro connections and obscenely expensive parking, to discourage car use, green roofs, and an emphasis on materials from a 500-radius used in its construction, including salvaged content. Yes, it has recycling bins, a big improvement over other most public places I visit.
The food concessions present a different picture, less green by far, perhaps since they're subcontracted. Even though the food choices are conventional,  the plastics are by Greenware, composed of biodegradable material and therefore compostable. Though there was no evidence of actual composting, it's still great that they're not sourced from petroleum like conventional plastic. What I found a bit of a cognitive dissonance was the lack of anything fresh. It's true that people don't expect or even want ballgame food to be healthy, but I was hoping for a veggie hotdog. It would match the green cred of the stadium. Non-meat eaters can find fried fish. Vegetarians can go with pizza or nachos.  Vegans will need to stick to fries, pretzels, or the kosher garlic potato knish at the Kosher kiosk on Level 4.  (Yes, the Nationals Ballpark has a Kosher concession, but that doesn't help the planet much, serving tons of red meat requiring endless inputs.  So kosher, yes, but ecologically responsible, no.)
Good luck sneaking in a piece of fruit! And of course, no tap water allowed....

This week I could not have been in a better time or place. Spring has sprung in New York City and it is beautiful, beautiful beyond my imagination.  Daffodils, tulips, magnolias, even ornamental cherries are out in full bloom, turning the bare parks and streets (yes, many of our streets have flowering flora) into public havens.

I have been taking walks every chance I could - Wednesday in Byrant Park, Thursday in the Carl Schurz Park, Shabbat in Central Park, and today in Madison Square Park.  But the best part about each stroll was that we (my walking buddy of the  day and I) were never alone.  The parks were filled with others who craved outdoor space, fresh air and sights of spring.

Hundreds of years ago people did not lack greenery or nature - urban sprawl hadn’t yet been invented.  Still, rabbis understood that no matter how close nature is “out there,” cities need a bit of it “in here."

“It is forbidden to live in a city that does not have a garden or greenery." - Mishna Kiddushin 4:12

As I have referenced before, I do my best to connect with life sustaining earth, even as I live three floors from it.  Having potted gardens and backyards are wonderful for personal pleasure, but this text goes beyond.  It requires us to live in a city with a garden, not a home.  This week reminded me why.  In a city of 8 million people, I went to the parks and immediately became part of an intimate community.  Each park, a unique community, all sharing a time and place among the natural beauty.