UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Nature impacts our quality of life, health, cost of living, sense of place and economy, according to organizers of an upcoming Penn State Extension land-use webinar. This session will explore nature’s worth from a health and economic perspective.
Presenting the 75-minute webinar at noon March 20 will be Thomas West, principal of Greener Planning LLC and a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners; Kathy Henderson, director of economic development and executive director of Carbon Chamber and Economic Development Corporation; and Christine Proctor, conservation director of Audubon Mid-Atlantic.
In both urban and rural areas, natural systems offer tangible and significant benefits, organizers noted. These services provide millions of dollars every year in recreational revenues and cost savings for governments, businesses and residents.
Mother Nature doesn’t write receipts. As a result, nature often is overlooked or undervalued in policy debates, investment decisions and personal choices, organizers said. When nature is undervalued, it can result in choices that lead to forest fragmentation, stormwater issues, flooding, pollution and loss of habitat, impacting the sustainability of natural systems and the economy.
Experts have pointed out that once lost, these benefits are expensive and difficult to replace. To maximize health, safety and social welfare — and to preserve public natural resources — policy processes should identify clear and concrete economic values for decision-making, they said.
Presenters will discuss the Carbon County Return on Environment Report, which demonstrates how open space positively impacts the local economy, lowers living costs and enhances the quality of life for residents.
"Return on environment" is the process of estimating the financial value of open space. Rather than seeing nature as a commodity or unnecessary expense, these studies can show nature as a portfolio of financial assets and explain nature’s invisible financial value in terms everyone can understand. Putting a dollar value on nature is a new way to help policymakers, businesses, investors and residents realize the financial value of natural-system services in all resource-related decisions, presenters said.
“Defining Nature’s Worth From a Health and Economic Aspect” is the third webinar in Penn State Extension’s Winter/Spring 2024 Land-Use Webinar Series. The series is aimed at informing municipal elected and appointed officials, planners, landowners, farmers, and community organizations about land-use issues and decisions in their communities.
All webinars are recorded and available for future viewing. Other programs in the series include:
— Jan. 17: “A Case for Communities to Drop Parking Minimums” (recorded).
— Feb. 21: “Harnessing Photosynthesis for a Carbon Negative Bioeconomy” (recorded).
— April 17: “Norris Square Community Profile: A Process for Community Engagement, Capacity Building and Equitable Development.”
— May 15: “Green Infrastructure Planning for Healthier, Resilient Communities.”
The cost of the webinar series is $50 for all five sessions, or $95 for all five sessions for those who want to receive AICP certification-maintenance credits from the American Planning Association. The cost also is $95 for all five sessions for professional engineers needing PDH credits. In addition, registered landscape architects can receive continuing-education credits for a fee of $65.
For anyone interested in a particular topic from the series, individual session registration is available for a fee of $15 per session. Those needing assistance can access a scholarship option.
For more information, contact Peter Wulfhorst at 570-296-3400 or by email at ptw3@psu.edu. To register for the webinars, visit the Penn State Extension website.