Today’s Solutions: July 12, 2025

Across the United States, areas that were previously bloody battlefields are being turned into memorials and parks to recognize the violence that took place there and to offer a new purpose of life and recreation for these places.

There are 25 national battlefield and military parks in America which draw visitors intrigued by their historical significance and natural beauty. These parks serve as what scholars Smallwood and Lookingbill call places of “collateral value.” These are areas previously used for violence that are now repurposed for recreation, wildlife conservation, and pollution reduction.

For example, the land where the Battle of Gettysburg took place receives millions of visitors each year. Abroad, the trench warfare site of WWI in Verdun, France is now 25,000 acres of regenerated forest and Germany has turned the remnants of the Iron Curtain into conservation areas and trails which make up the European Green Belt initiative

Using these sites of great historical violence as conservation and regeneration areas not only serves to protect the environment but also serves as a symbol of healing and remembrance by repurposing these lands as areas of peace.

Solutions News Source Print this article
More of Today's Solutions

4 simple ways to feel at your absolute best this summer

The sunshine of summer is enough to make you feel better than you usually do throughout the year. But with a few changes to ...

Read More

New electrolyzer improves green hydrogen production

Green hydrogen continues to gain momentum in funding and research. The hydrogen market is projected to grow to $2.5 trillion by 2050. "Green" hydrogen ...

Read More

Young driver fatality rates in the US are falling, thanks to education and te...

The newest Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) report contains excellent news for young drivers in the United States. There has been a dramatic decline ...

Read More

France will test a nationwide mobile phone ban for students under the age of 15

BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM In an ambitious bid to reduce excessive screen time among young children, France plans to trial a mobile ...

Read More