Keeping the Quiet

Newscast of protest

My name is Eileen Wurst and I am a psychotherapist Ph.D. student and researcher.  I have lived and worked in West Seattle for 14 years. I love Lincoln Park for its towering evergreens, abundant wildlife, and quiet clean spaces.   I have been coming here for over 20 years to enjoy this gift to our community. My interests as a scholar and researcher are in the emerging field known as ecosomatics, which seeks to expand our understanding of ourselves by recognizing the interconnectedness between our bodies and the environment. Many studies, including those conducted by the World Health Organization (2020) have shown that if we take the time to intentionally enjoy a green space in nature, we feel happier and less anxious (Büssing, et al., 2022).  But of course, we know this, right?

In fact, there are over 250K studies on how these urban green areas may improve peoples’ well-being. But just one study has shown that pickleball surpasses the environmental protection noise guideline.  In Massachusetts, they analyzed a day’s worth of pickleball sound and compared them to the EPA’s Noise Policy. Pickleball violated noise regulations roughly every two seconds during peak player activity (Weiss & Komrower, 2023).  Every two seconds?  Can you imagine hours of loudness interrupting this park’s tranquility?  How would that affect your well-being? Designing “noise-free” parts of outdoor spaces is important and imperative! (Gidlöf-Gunnarsson & Öhrström, 2007).  People’s physical and mental well-being and immune systems benefit from time spent in these natural and quiet settings.  When we slow down and connect with ourselves and with nature, we can access what is called ecological consciousness which encourages us to develop a profound regard and care for the Earth (Day, 1998).       

Pickleball courts, while they may have their merits, are incompatible with cultivating this kind of consciousness and the spirit of Lincoln Park. Their installation would disrupt the very essence of this place.  I care about this park for future generations.  Let us ensure that we can maintain a place where people can reflect and recharge in the embrace of nature and promote well-being in ourselves and our community.

For more information on Eileen’s background visit www.eileendeywurst.com. 

Join us in the community every Friday morning 8-8:30am for a free online meditation for peace and healing of our world and natural spaces meetup.com/reiki-fellowship.

References

Büssing, A., Recchia, D. R., & Baumann, K. (2022). Experience of nature and times of

silence as a resource to cope with the COVID-19 pandemic and their effects on psychological wellbeing—Findings from a continuous cross-sectional survey in Germany. Frontiers in Public Health, 10, 1020053.

Day, M. D. (1998). Ecopsychology and the restoration of home. The Humanistic

Psychologist, 26(1-3), 51–67. DOI:10.1080/08873267.1998.9976966.

Gidlöf-Gunnarsson, A., & Öhrström, E. (2007). Noise and well-being in urban residential

environments: The potential role of perceived availability to nearby green areas. Landscape and urban planning, 83(2-3), 115-126.

Irvine, K. N., Devine-Wright, P., Payne, S. R., Fuller, R. A., Painter, B., & Gaston, K. J.

(2009). Green space, soundscape and urban sustainability: an interdisciplinary, empirical study. Local environment, 14(2), 155-172.

Weiss, Z., & Komrower, J. (2023, May). Pickleball Noise & Political Ploys: A Cape Cod

Case Study. In INTER-NOISE and NOISE-CON Congress and Conference

Proceedings (Vol. 266, No. 2, pp. 443-454). Institute of Noise Control Engineering.

World Health Organization- Regional Office for Europe (2020). “Urban Green Spaces- a Brief for Action. The World Health Organization. Accessed online on October 24, 2020. https://www.euro.who.int/__data/assets/pdf_file/0010/342289/Urban-Green-Spaces_EN_WHO_web3.pdf%3Fua=.

Copyright 2023 Eileen D. Wurst