by Trevor Smith
The rising sun peeks over the Charles River, golden rays
explode through the towering oaken canopy. The heavy sweet scent of Clethra perfumes the
air with undertones of fresh water and earth. A heron is fishing for breakfast
just off shore, a deer walks up the bank from the water as turkey’s root around
in the leaf litter. The high pitched squeak
of a startled chipmunk pierces the air alerting the wood of my presence. A mother duck ushers her ducklings into the
water, the white tail of the deer is all I see crashing into the brush while
the turkeys just keep foraging. All of this and I haven’t walked more than 60
feet down the newly constructed permeable Wellesley Office Park Walking Path.
The half mile path was recently constructed in back of the Wellesley
Office Park on William Street with two boardwalk bridges and multiple vista
points overlooking the water. The land
is owned by the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR); however the
walkway was funded by John Hancock Real Estate USA. The walkway was installed using Porous Pave™
a durable pervious paving material and was designed to have little to no effect
on the delicate hydrology of the area.
Porous Pave is made from recycled truck tires that are ground up and
combined with a fine aggregate and a urethane binder. The mix is then spread like concrete and hardens
into an extremely durable, highly permeable surface strong enough for low speed
auto traffic and comfortable to walk on.
The Wellesley Office Park Walking Path diverted 6000 tires from the
landfill and can absorb 5,800 gallons of water per hour per square foot. In addition to the recycled content and high
permeability, the surface is freeze and frost-heave resistant and provides
significant traction. Normally such a permeable surface is used to reduce
flooding and the impact of storm water. It is great for driveways and walkways
because if resists freezing and cracking in winter and allows maximum return of
water back into the ground. In this case
however, the pervious surface is designed to provide a safe comfortable walking
path through the woods without disrupting the normal water flow to the river
and its inhabitants.
The Wellesley Office Park Walk is the largest Porous Pave
installation in the northeast. John
Hancock, in funding the project, has demonstrated the sustainable mission many
companies are implementing. Since many
companies are adopting creative strategies to improve the work environment for
their employees, this scenic escape could also be viewed as an added employee
benefit.
We have all heard about tech companies installing game rooms,
“bring your pet to work” days, etc. and this scenic escape falls right in line
with these. It may even be better,
because it gets you outside of the working world and immerses you in the
natural world.
The practice of Shinrin-Yoku, Japanese for Forest Bathing,
is becoming the latest fitness trend in the United States. Forest Bathing is simply connecting with a
natural space, often wandering through forest paths. Extensive studies have been done on
Shinrin-Yoku and have shown marked reduction in cortisol, the stress hormone, as
well as reduced blood pressure and an improved immune response and cerebral
blood flow. 
As the science between health and nature continues to grow
and more companies begin to look for workplace amenities that match their
sustainable mission and as cities and towns continue to convert old railways to
bike and walking paths it is increasingly important to do so responsibly. Fortunately, there are low impact solutions
to address these challenges that maximize people’s accessibility and connection
with nature without disrupting or significantly altering the delicate balance
of the natural world.