The entries are in for Pare Corporation’s 4th Annual Earth Day Photo Contest!

This year’s theme for Earth Day is Green Cities. We asked Pare employees to submit photographs and a brief summary of why they thought it best represented this theme. Like in year’s past, we received some great entries. Take a look below and choose your favorite!

#1 – Sprouting Boardwalk

A sign that creating a sustainable community is easier than you think is observed in “Sprouting Boardwalk” photographed at Goddard Memorial State Park in Warwick, RI.  Mother Nature leaves hints of innovation throughout our daily lives; it is just a matter of discovering these hidden elements.  An organic planter lines the boardwalk in a decaying wooden structural element filled with wind-blown sand and just the right mixture of light and nutrients to support these budding spires of grass.

#2 Climbing to the Future

As host of the 2013 USGBC Green Build Conference, the City of Philadelphia is a leader in the implementation and advancement of “green technology”. This photograph, taken at the foot of the iconic Philadelphia Art Museum steps, embodies the future of green initiative. While our generation has taken the first step to help future generations achieve this monumental design standard, there remains much work ahead to ensure that we as the human race continue to strive to reach our goal of a sustainable future.

#3 Settling Down in the Suburbs

A city or town is only truly “green” when all its inhabitants are accounted for! I was lucky enough to witness this pair of Osprey building their nest only a short distance from a busy state highway in a suburb of Providence. Manmade platforms like the one pictured here allow these fish-eating birds of prey to thrive in developed coastal areas.

 #4 Cape Town

A city surrounded by mountains.

#5 Piece of Nature

I took this photo in October on a hike in New Hampshire.  It is looking at Mt. Chicora from the middle sister mountain.  Getting people out into beautiful places like this is becoming more and more popular, and each time we bring a little piece of nature back with us that inspires us to make our cities better.

#6 High Line

What was once an abandoned elevated freight line is now one of Manhattan’s most loved new attractions: The High Line. Rather than demolishing the historic rail line, the City of New York preserved it, transforming it into a linear park complete with a walking path, landscape areas, food vendors and outdoor art displays. Great Cities like New York embrace their parks and green spaces as important public gathering spots. Green Cities do the same.

 #7 Water Taxi

Our cities and urban centers offer a multitude of opportunities for living, working, and playing. More and more they also offer a multitude of sustainable transportation options, from subways and light rail to zip cars, bike share, and waterborne taxis and ferries.

 #8 Vegetation

This photo seems to suggest vegetation can grow just about anywhere naturally, city or country.  However, it also reminds us that this is the type of vegetation that we will be left with if we don’t take the time to preserve the natural open spaces of the natural landscapes and provide ample room for other flora to grow and flourish.

#9 Container Gardening

Many people think living in a city means you can’t enjoy gardening or growing your own food. Container gardens can allow you to grow your own vegetables in a relatively small footprint, which can make City living both more attractive and more sustainable.

Celery Haiku

Celery in cups

Grow it on your deck or porch

Ants on a log, yum.

#10 A Walk on Wood

In Portland Oregon you will find a unique experience, a wooden sidewalk that spans four downtown blocks connecting Jamison Square Park and Tanner Springs Park in Portland’s Pearl District.  The wooden walkway and parks were planned as a way to reconnect this part of downtown Portland to the Willamette River.  The parks and surrounding area within the Pearl District have many sustainable design elements to enjoy.  Besides utilizing wood as a renewable resource material for the walkway, there is a fountain that simulates a shallow tidal pool, and the recreation of a natural wetland and pond in an urban setting.

I found it to be a very relaxing experience while walking the four blocks as the sound of the wood below your feet seems to transport you out of the urban environment.  I would recommend the journey if you are in Portland.

Please vote for your favorite photo/message by sending an email to dpoulos@parecorp.com.  Simply indicate your choice of Photos 1 – 10.

Thanks for participating!