A humble parking lot has gotten a gorgeous green makeover at Helderberg Hospital thanks to urban greening projects and many green thumbs.
Somerset West, South Africa (26 February 2025) — Urban greening projects led by environmental conservation organisation Greenpop and Stellenbosch University have helped transform Helderberg Hospital’s Parking lot gorgeously. The green makeover isn’t just aesthetic, though. It’s essential for a healthier environment that healthcare workers and patients alike can all enjoy.
Recently, Greenpop and the university, along with not-for-profit Public Benefits Organisation Nature Connect, all joined forces for a big planting day. Weeding, pruning, and making space for new plants to grow, the collaborative effort saw all hands on deck to give the garden more love.
Urban greening projects like this one are helping people in urban areas access nature and all its benefits—from soothing mental health perks to ecological assets like temperature regulation.
Greenpop has been greening urban spaces since 2010.
For healthcare facilities, efforts like this one make significant differences—especially when it comes to the mental well-being element of having access to green spaces. If healthcare workers clocking lengthy shifts can enjoy the relief and relaxation that comes from admiring a garden, or patients can calm their nerves thanks to the green array, then all that grows has nurtured more than what meets the eye.
Nature Connect, too, knows the power of transformations like this, especially when it comes to the next generation. Dealing in the intersection between young minds and eco-good, the organisation’s own Sustainable Schools Programme helps learners and their teachers take initiatives that are clean and green and lean toward a better future for the planet and people.
Recently, KwaZulu-Natal Schools were awarded for their super sustainable efforts, which you can read about here.
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