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Middle class people are sharing how much they have left after paying bills and its revealing

"You have left over money?"

middle class squeeze; middle class shrinking; living paycheck to paycheck; middle class; inflation; cost of living
Photo credit: Canva

Middle class people reveal what's left after paying bills

The economy is a bit of a struggle for just about everyone lately. Everything seems to be more expensive, from everyday essentials to the cost of housing. It seems there's nothing that inflation hasn't touched and the issue appears to be financially crushing the middle class. Throughout this increase in cost of living some families may be feeling alone in their burden of trying to make ends meet when on paper many are earning more than they ever have.

But as people become more comfortable with sharing salaries and financial status, it's becoming obvious that it's not just a handful of families who are struggling. Recently a social media page called Mid-Continent Funding shared a video of a woman sitting at a computer with text overlay that reads, "just curious how much money everyone had left over each month after paying for all their bills, mortgage and necessities. I've got about $72 and I'm debating on if it should go to retirement, savings or food."

The woman in the video appears to be a mortgage broker bravely sharing that she is also struggling with making ends meet. This theme is something that has become a normal struggle for middle class families. According to a 2024 Bank of America survey nearly 50% of adults report living paycheck to paycheck while 2024 Bankrate surveys report that only 27% of adults say they have an emergency fund.

Tax The Rich Stock Market GIFGiphy

"Roughly one in four Americans with credit card debt (24 percent) feel less confident in their ability to get out of credit card debt now than they did at the beginning of 2022. Furthermore, about one in six (17 percent) worry they might not be able to make their minimum credit card payment at some point in the next six months," according to another Bankrate survey completed in 2024.

There's also another factor to consider when looking at the squeeze middle class Americans are feeling, the income of middle class families hasn't risen at the same rates as upper income families according to Pew Research. So while people are earning more than they have previously, their earnings are not increasing as quickly as those in the tax brackets above them. This means post covid inflation is absorbing any extra income they may be bringing home and people are feeling it.

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Viewers of the video asking how much money people have left after paying their bills responded with eye opening results that give a glimpse into how folks are fairing. The revelations also serve as a reminder that people are not alone in their financial struggles.

One person writes, "Left over? We're supposed to have that??"

Another says, "you have left over money? after bills I don't even have enough to cover meds and groceries."

A different person says they only have $11 left to last until the next paycheck while another commenter admits to overdrawing her account every month.


@midcontinentfunding Just curious. #mortgage #homeowner #homeownership #firsttimehomebuyer #finance #bills ♬ sad SpongeBob music - michael

Someone chimes in, "It used to be thousands now I’m always waiting for our paychecks to hit our account," with another person replying to their comment offering solidarity, saying "legit same here. nothing has changed, actually make more than we used to, yet scraping for pennies every check nowadays. idk how people do it."

Saving money for an emergency fund or freeing up money so you'e not living paycheck to paycheck may seem impossible but credit counselor and head of community at Self Financial, Inc. Monique White shares a few tips with NPR that people may find useful. One of the first tips she shares is to contact your creditors to see if they can lower your monthly payments or lower your interest rates to help free up monthly cash.

Episode 12 Snl GIF by Saturday Night LiveGiphy

First Financial Bank advises people struggling with finances to participate in weekly money saving challenges, use money saving apps, make grocery lists, utilize rebates and shop in bulk. The prospect of looking at your personal finances just may make some people queasy but hopefully a few of these tips can be beneficial to someone's financial situation.

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Sweden makes stunning decision to trademark its name to avoid confusion

The country is taking historic steps to fix the problem.

via Visit Sweden (used with permission)

A Swedish woman taking things into her own hands.

True

Sweden has existed for over 1,000 years, but travelers across the globe are confused because other places, inspired by the country’s untouched beauty and joyously inclusive culture, have taken its name.

Seven other places in the world call themselves Sweden, so to distinguish itself from the name-alikes, the Kingdom of Sweden is taking a bold, historic step that no country has before. It’s become the first to apply to trademark its name with the European Union Intellectual Property Office.

Visit Sweden likens the country’s problem to a luxury brand that has to contend with dupes, knockoffs, or bootlegs that fall short of the glory of the genuine article.

“It’s flattering that other places want to be called Sweden, but let’s be honest, there should only be one. Our Sweden. The one with the Northern Lights, endless forests, and the world’s best flat-pack furniture,” says Susanne Andersson, CEO at Visit Sweden.

- YouTubewww.youtube.com

By trademarking its name, Sweden will make things much less confusing for travelers worldwide. It’d be a shame for someone looking to visit Sweden’s majestic Lapland to mistakenly wind up in a place with no reindeer, Aurora Borealis, or cloudberries to be found.

The world-class research team at Visit Sweden knew it had to act when it realized that other destinations with the same name had tripped up travelers. People looking to vacation in Portland, Oregon, have accidentally wound up in Portland, Maine. Travelers yearning to experience the fall in Manchester, New Hampshire, have been deplaning in Manchester, England. “It happens more than you think!” the researchers admitted.


sweden, visit sweden, swedish vacation The Northern Lights in Sweden. via Visit Sweden, Photographer: Jann Lipka/imagebank.sweden.se

The E.U. Intellectual Property Office must act swiftly and allow Sweden to trademark its name so that travelers worldwide don’t miss the opportunity to experience an utterly unique country known for its serene landscapes, commitment to deep relaxation and personal freedom.

No one should ever miss out on staying on one of Sweden’s 267,570 islands, more than any other country. The Swedish archipelagos offer luxurious glamping, peaceful hikes, tranquil solitude and awe-inspiring, pristine nature.

sweden, visit sweden, swedish vacation A woman camping in the Swedish archipelago.via Visit Sweden, Photographer: Anders Klapp/imagebank.sweden.se


Sweden is a beautiful place to visit all year round, with bright summers, colorful falls, vibrant springs and dark, crisp winters. It is also a place to delight your tastebuds with a cuisine centered on healthy, locally sourced produce, with some preparation methods dating back to the Viking era.

The original Sweden is a place where one can relish Old World European history while also enjoying the modern pleasures of the most progressive countries in the world. Travelers can be whisked back into history by visiting the Naval Port of Karlskona, a well-preserved European naval town from 1680. Or, enjoy cutting-edge design, delicacies, art, music and culture in hip metropolitan destinations such as Stockholm or Sweden’s “coolest city,” Gothenburg.

Did we mention Sweden has an ABBA museum? Wait till the other 7 Swedens find out about that.

As you can see, Sweden is an incredibly unique destination that cannot be duplicated. It would be a tragedy for anyone intending to visit the original Sweden to mistakenly find themselves in a name-alike place that lacks its Scandinavian charm. You can do your part to stop the confusion by signing a petition to let Sweden trademark Sweden at Visit Sweden (the original).

sweden, visit sweden, swedish vacation A Swedish Midsommar celebration. via Visit Sweden, Photographer: Stefan Berg/Folio/imagebank.sweden.se

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Millenials share their boomer parents’ 15 quirky (and frustrating) habits they just don't get

"They act jealous of us traveling but refuse to go anywhere."

via Canva/Photos

Boomer parents who don't like to travel, but say they do.

When it comes to intergenerational conflict, you never hear too much about Gen Z having a hard time with Generation X or the silent generation having beef with the baby boomers. However, there seems to be some problem where baby boomers and millennials just can’t get on the same page.

Maybe it’s because millennials were raised during the technological revolution and have to help their boomer parents log into Netflix. There’s also a political divide: Millennials are a reliable liberal voting bloc, whereas boomers are the target demographic for Fox News. Both generations also have differing views on parenting, with boomers favoring an authoritative style over the millennials' gentler approach.

A Redditor asked Xennials, older millennials, and younger Gen Xers born between 1977 and 1983 to share some quirks of their boomer parents, and they created a fun list of habits that can be both endearing and frustrating. The users shared that millennials are frustrated with their parents' abilities to use technology but are touched when they send them a greeting card.



Of course, it is reductive to reduce generations into a series of stereotypes, whether it’s millennials or baby boomers. But, for many, hearing that they aren’t the only person who gets frustrated with their boomer parents can be pretty cathartic and make them feel less alone.

Here are 15 boomer parent quirks that Millenials just don’t understand.

1. They save everything

"They save EVERYTHING (containers, jars, boxes, etc.) just in case they might be able to use it for something later. I feel like this habit was handed down from our grandparents' Great Depression upbringing."

"Absolutely! Shopping bags, empty yogurt containers, boxes that some product came in…..although I love me a 'good box!' I have all my iPhone boxes for no reason."

2. Scary texts

"Will text something foreboding like 'we need to talk;' then turns out she forgot a recipe."

"My dad will text me 'You need to call me right now' when it’s nothing. And not tell me major life events until well after the fact. Like my aunt had a heart attack and I found out a week later from her son. (And my dad did know.)"



3. Stranger death toll

"My mom is ALWAYS telling me about dead people I’ve never met. I really do not care. I know that sounds awful, but I don’t have it in me to be sad for everyone on the planet when they pass."

“You remember my friend Carol? Her aunt had that above-ground swimming pool in her backyard. We swam in it a couple times one summer when you were about 9. Anyway, Carol’s mom just lost her brother-in-law. They were very close. Thought you’d want to know.”

4. They don't travel

"They act jealous of us traveling but refuse to go anywhere."

"Ooh good one. Mine act jealous of anything we do/buy that they can't solely because they can't get out of their own way and actually make things happen."

5. They print everything

"My Boomer FIL prints out EVERYTHING from his computer. I understand printing out instructions or recipes to help remember but do you really need a file cabinet full of forwarded emails from friends and sale adverts from 5 years ago? Oh well, at least he keeps it organized. Also, both TVs in the house run 24/7 playing reruns of 'CSI: Who Gives a Sh*t Anymore?'"

"I'm not on Facebook, but my dad is. Last year, he made a celebratory post on my birthday and all his church friends liked and commented on it. He printed up the post and all of the comments, stapled it into a little book, and MAILED me the printed Facebook comments..."



6. 'From, dad' texts

"My dad sends text messages with, 'From, Dad' at the end of them. It cracks me up every time. He also states who he is every time he calls me."

7. Irrational fears

"One quirk my dad had was that he was deathly afraid of the house burning down. Not from the standpoint of the danger of fire but when he was growing up, if your house burnt down, you were basically homeless and destitute. My mom is much more level headed about it. She always told my dad, that is why we have homeowners insurance."

8. Expired food

"My mother-in-law doesn't throw out expired food. She has food in her pantry that is several years past their expiration dates. Same with condiments in her fridge. You just can't trust any of the food she has on hand because more than likely than not it's way expired. When we have brought this up, that she needs to throw some stuff out, she insists it's absolutely fine. It's not. "

"My grandmother is the same way. Once, she opened her refrigerator, and there was a jar of pickles with mold floating on the surface of the liquid. I pointed it out, and she said it was still good. She would just scoop the mold out at a later time. She has an incredibly strong stomach and immune system."



9. Smartphone addiction

"You always hear a kids 'these kids always on their damn phones.' But when it comes to phone addiction, boomers are far worse."

"My mom drives five hours to see us, then spends the whole time texting people from her church or looking at Facebook."

"I once sat in their living room for over an hour before they decided to put their phones down and speak to me, only to phub me and pick them right back up."

10. Rigid gender roles

"My dad still clings to the traditional division of 'men's/women's work.' He'll fix a car, do any outside work, clean out a clogged drain. Cooking? If it's any more complicated than making coffee or calling in a pizza, he can't/won't. I don't think he even grills anymore. Laundry? Hell no. Taking care of small children? He'll play with them but that's it."

11. The TV is constantly on

"In-laws leave the TV on for all waking hours. And FIL gets irritated if someone talks over the episode of MASH or Walker, Texas Ranger, that he's already seen 50 times. Like clenching his teeth and stomping the floor."

"TV on 24/7. Constantly flipping between some version of Law and Order, HGTV, and Guy Fieri. Asking me 'did you see that commercial where…' No mom. I don’t have cable. I don’t see commercials. All of the time."



12. They are always right

"My dad...he's has to be right about everything and doesn't know what to do if you beat him to the point on something. He once was giving me a recipe that required cinnamon, cardamon, and clove and told me just to use Pumpkin Pie Spice! It's the greatest thing! 'Dad, I don't need to. I have all those spices on hand (I bake)' But...no! You have to use this. 'No, I don't. I don't need to buy something that I already have" It happens all the time."

"My parents are always right and they are not impressed about anything."

13. Obsessed with the weather

"Yes, my dad should have been a meteorologist. He used to have a weather alert radio that would sound off in the middle of the night and he would watch the weather channel constantly. We all had to quiet down when your local weather forecast on the 8's came on. He gets really excited about severe weather like when we might get thunderstorms or a tornado."

14. One more thing

"Without fail, every time I'm leaving my mother's house and backing down the driveway, she comes back out of her house and stops me to say something else, even though we'd just spoken."

15. Mail stress

"My mom has an anxiety attack during the entire journey of a package or piece of mail she dispatched to me. No, she doesn’t know how to track. She will not rest until she knows that a package has arrived or a nominal check has been cashed. She calls when she is thinking about sending something, when she sent it, when it’s en route, and when it’s expected to arrive. God forbid it’s late. And if I don’t issue a prompt thank you, she will guilt me."

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Woman receives unexpected letter from her mailman of 22 years and it leaves her in tears

"He watched me grow up, and I watched him grow up, too."

sauceaccount06/TikTok & Brian Patrick Tagalog/Unsplash

Madison Vaughan has had the same mailman for 22 years, which is not uncommon. Being a mail carrier is a great, steady, and even lucrative government career — so people tend to stick around for a long while, often keeping the same route for years or even decades. Madison initially got to know her mailman, Tim, when she was a kid living with her parents. When she moved out, she didn't go far, moving into an apartment down the road that was still on Tim's route.

So when it came time for Vaughan to finally move away for good, she felt it would only be right to say goodbye to the man who had been there throughout so many big moments in her life. As a kind, simple gesture, she gave him a card and a little money for the holidays, just as a Thank You for all his years of friendly service. What she never expected was to get the response that she did.

Vaughan recently shared a video on TikTok of her opening the lengthy and heartfelt card that her mailman, Tim, left her in return.

She struggles to hold back her emotion as she shows off the card, which was left mysteriously in her mailbox with just her name on the front.

"He wrote such a thoughtful thing," she says, opening the card and holding in the tears. Inside, there's a letter several paragraphs long, and in beautiful penmanship, too!

"Good luck on your move," Madison reads from Tim's card. "I will be retiring at the end of the year anyway. ... It has been a pleasure being your mailman."

She then attempts to put into words why the gesture means so much to her. "He has watched me grow up, and I've watched him grow up, too. ... This ruined me, I'm going to keep it forever."

Watch the whole beautiful moment here.

@sauceaccount06

y’all im so unwell, love my mailman

The next thing Vaughan didn't expect was the overwhelming response to her video.

Though she only has a few hundred followers on TikTok, Vaughan's video quickly launched itself into the viral stratosphere.To date, it has over half a million views. In the comments, there was an outpouring of love from people who felt similarly about their own mail carriers, people who had been present in their lives for decades.

Here are some of the best comments and sentiments:

My childhood mailman came to my mom’s funeral and I lost it

my dad was a mailman and he used to come home and tell us about every kind person and every dog, cat etc. you'd have made his day

My mailman did something similar and wrote “from Mickey Mouse birthday cards to college acceptance letters, it’s been a pleasure to deliver them all” I cried

Grew up poor with few opportunities. Had the same mailman for 18 years. He came in my house while I opened mail from my dream college and celebrated my acceptance! Community = everything

My dad was a mailman for 20 plus years on the same route. When he died people from his route and the convenience store where he got his coffee everyday came to the funeral! Not all heroes wear capes.

My husband is a mailman and he hand writes personal thank you cards for everyone who gives him treats/cards etc for the holiday. He also gives all the doggies on his route boxes of biscuits for Xmas

Vaughan's story shines a spotlight on the importance of so-called 'background characters' in our lives.

Us postal service mail truck Photo by Joel Moysuh on Unsplash

Vaughan admits that she and Tim weren't great friends, necessarily, but that didn't make his everyday presence in her life any less meaningful. I think that's an idea we can all relate to.

If you stay in one place long enough, you start to see the same faces. I see a few of the same joggers every morning, the same cashiers at the grocery store, the same woman working the drive-through at McDonalds, the same guy walking his dog, the same dozen or so people who go to the same at the same time as me. Sometimes you chat with these folks and maybe even get to know them a little bit, sometimes there's just a silent acknowledgment, and sometimes maybe nothing at all. But regardless of how close, or not, you are, there can still be a sense of loss when it's time to say goodbye.

It also shines a light on the importance of mail carriers and the US postal service. In recent years there's been a push to get rid of the USPS and privatize the whole thing. But that idea ignores the role mail carriers play in communities, the lifesaving and important work of delivering mail every day on time, and the role the post office plays in a fair democracy. It also ignores mail carriers like Tim, who would lose their jobs and their routes, and even more importantly, all the little connections they make along the way.

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Mailman shares his massive paycheck, encouraging others to consider working for the post office

"We need help and the post office pays well."

Photo credit: Canva

Mailman reveals his massive paycheck to recruit others

People often overlook the "people in our neighborhood" as Mister Rogers would call them. Their presence is so common that we don't always notice them until they're gone for a day or two. These are people like sanitation workers, delivery drivers and postal workers. Of course people know they exist and that they're there to do a job but because their presence is sort of in the background of daily life we may not give their jobs much thought.

There's the thought that "someone has to do it" when it comes to the service they provide but sometimes that "someone" is you. Or at least it could be you, especially after hearing how much one of those jobs pays. A mailman that works for the U.S. Postal Service decided to share his paycheck with social media in an attempt to help the post office recruit more mail carriers.

The post office continues to have a shortage in mail carriers in certain areas, especially in rural settings. This shortage causes delays in receiving mail and longer hours for current mail carriers. While the post office has been working to fill in the gaps by doing more hiring, it still isn't enough with the large number of USPS workers that are nearing retirement. It seems to be a constant struggle to keep an adequate amount of mail carriers throughout the areas that need them most.

Postal Worker Dog GIF by The DodoGiphy

One of the barriers to people applying to the Postal Service may be that they don't know they're hiring since some people may see mail carriers as background characters. Another concern may be that people are not sure if they can make a livable wage working for the post office, but that's where Lukas' video can help fill in the blanks. In response to viewers not believing he actually made six figures, the mailman shares a screenshot of his paycheck showing he brings home $4,423.09 every other week, which averages out to just over $100K a year.

Being fully transparent, Lukas shares that his paycheck includes 23 hours of overtime due to the extra hours he has to work from being short staffed.

valentine ts GIFGiphy

"On one of my previous videos somebody said, 'prove it' on one of my checks, so here's one of my last checks. As you can see, the overtime hours, plus my normal pay all equals up to $4,423...so, and that's for two weeks of work. I'm working too much but if you were to multiply that by 26 weeks that's over $100,000. We need help and the post office pays well," he says.

Lukas reiterates throughout his video that the post office is hiring and they need help desperately but the comments were mixed on if working at the post office was a good move.


@lukasthegiant We're Hiring and Yes, We Pay Well. In some cases, over 100k!#greenscreen #werehiring #paidwell #tallestmailman #needhelp #getpaid #100k #usps #apply ♬ original sound - Lukas

"I mean he’s technically making 25.00 hourly and $38 for each hour of OT. You’re forgetting the minimum wage in majority of states is 7.25," one person writes.

"Post office is recession safe. Been there 30 years," another commenter shares.

Someone else chimes in, "been working at the post office for 5 years just made regular. it is not easy when you start but once you know how to do it it's a BREEZE."

Charlie Brown Mail GIF by PeanutsGiphy

A former postal worker reveals, "I worked there 6 years and had no life. Worked 12 + hrs for 7 days a week. I wasted most of my 20s working. NO THANK YOU!!!!, before adding. "When I started years ago it was $15 an hr when I left it was $25.

The post office seems to be much like any other job. Some people have a great experience working there while others do not, but if someone is looking for a chance at a new career that offers retirement benefits, it sounds like USPS could be a place to land.

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Health

A man in India was declared dead until his ambulance hit a speed bump and he came back to life

He was being sent back home to be given his last rights.

Photo credit: Canva

A man in India was considered deceased until his ambulance hit a speed breaker.

A 65-year-old man was declared dead but news of his passing hit a speed bump— literally!

Reported by India Today, Pandurang Ulpe, a senior citizen of Kolhapur, Maharashtra, India, suffered a heart attack and was rushed to the hospital. It was there where he was declared dead by his doctors. When Ulpe’s family got the news of his passing, they arranged for his lifeless body to be transported home to be given last rites. That’s when it happened.

As the ambulance drove over a speed breaker on the road, his family looked at the body and noticed something— Ulpe’s fingers moved! Upon noticing this, they alerted the driver and had the ambulance redirect towards the nearest hospital.

At the second hospital, Ulpe received an angioplasty operation and was sent home after a 15-day stay for recovery and observation.

An older man sleeping in a hospital bedA speed bump changed a trip to the morgue to a trip back to a hospitalPhoto credit: Canva

“I had come home from a walk and was sitting after sipping tea. I felt dizzy and breathless,” said Ulpe. “I went to the bathroom and vomited. I don’t remember what happened afterwards, including who took me to the hospital."

Thanks to the alertness of his family, the glimmer of hope upon seeing his fingers twitch, and quick action, Pandurang Ulpe was saved from an early grave. Hope is in short supply, depending on who you talk to. Per recent Gallup polls, just a little over half of Americans see hope in the near future. Thinking negatively is understandable and, for some, instinctual. It helps prevent disappointment or can help better prepare people for legitimate concerns or danger. That’s why insurance was invented, right?

You may think that hope is just wishing for the best or blanket optimism, but according to professor of psychology, Dr. Chan Hellman of the Hope Research Center, that’s just not true. “We often use the word ‘hope’ in place of wishing, like you hope it rains today or you hope someone’s well. But wishing is passive toward a goal and hope is about taking action toward it,” says Hellman.

Remember, Ulpe’s family didn’t just see his fingers move and did nothing while hoping he was still alive. They took action and had the ambulance driver go to another hospital.

Hope doesn’t just provide some spiritual benefits to life but has science to back it up. Per a study posted by Science Direct, hope effectively helped offset anxiety, depression, and despair during the COVID-19 pandemic. There are also studies provided by the National Library of Medicine and the American Psychological Association that suggest that hope can improve a person’s mental health and even create new neural pathways in their mind. These neural pathways not only lead to more resilience to stress in your mind but also access new ways of thinking along with a mentality that welcomes other possible solutions. In short, hope could make you not just feel better, but think better, too.

An x-ray look at the brain thinking, with sparks indicating thought patternsScientific studies show that being hopeful makes you think better.Photo credit: Canva

Having hope isn’t just a lightswitch that you can turn on or off. Hope is a skill that needs to be practiced and honed before it shows its more tangible positive effects. If you’re new to it, don’t be discouraged. Have hope in your hope.

For hope can possibly save lives. That and a second opinion at a different hospital.

A hand holding a note that says "hope"It's better to act with hope, rather than be passive with despair.Photo credit: Canva

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Japanese microforests invented in the 1970s are transforming cities around the world

A microforest can achieve 100 years worth of growth within a single decade.

Wikimedia Commons

A microforest at Edappally Eranakulam

City life has its benefits, but usually at the expense of the environment. However, a trend in urban planning has been growing like weeds throughout various metropolitan areas. They’re called “microforests” and they’re bringing nature back to our streets.

The concept of microforests (also known as “tiny forests” or “Miyawaki forests”) was inspired by the work of Japanese botanist and plant ecologist Akira Miyawaki back in the 1970s. Using what is known as the “Miyawaki Method,” people would plant a diverse set of native plants and trees within a dense pace, usually in plots of land less than 100 square feet in size. If properly cared for, these trees and plants grow rapidly. In some cases, according to Euro News, a microforest can achieve 100 years worth of growth within a single decade when compared to the growth rates of regular forests. Which is good since monoforests are subjected to massive deforestation.

While there have been agreements and efforts to combat deforestation, a study from the World Resources Institute showed that 3.7 million hectares of tropical forest land was lost in 2023 alone. That’s ten soccer fields’ worth of trees lost every minute. With the United Nations projecting that 68% of the human population will live in an urban area by 2050, it’s looking like more and more of our world will be colored with gray concrete instead of lush green. But microforests could offset that.

Over recent years, microforests have become more commonplace throughout the world, in England, Belgium, India, Pakistan, China, Japan, and the United States among other countries. This trend of adopting the Miyawaki Method has been proposed and practiced through all levels, from political action to city planning to just a local citizen getting a petition or permission to grow a microforest. It’s not surprising since microforests are a smaller task and ask compared to other environmental proposals being offered.

Not only that, but microforests are shown to be an effective way to improve the environment of a metropolis. They help cool a city down by reducing carbon emissions and providing additional shade from the tall trees. These healthy forests can also help enrich the local soil and water resources in the city, too. They also double as a local wildlife refuge and living space for animals that have been displaced due to city expansion.

The benefits of microforests aren’t limited to just the environment, and provide more than just an aesthetic contrast to the streets and buildings surrounding citizens. Microforests provide a meeting place for organizations and friends like a public park. The cleaner air doesn’t just combat climate change, but also reduces the amount of pollutants and smog inhaled by city dwellers. Per the National Institute of HealthBaumpflanzaktion Bönningstedt Citizens Forest

Baumpflanzaktion Bönningstedt

A microforest in Baumpflanzaktion B\u00f6nningstedtA microforest in Baumpflanzaktion BönningstedtWikimedia Commons

If this is something that interests you for yourself or your community, you can take action. Depending on where you live and if you own property, you could even grow a microforest in your backyard if you wish. If you live in a city, you know how cramped it can be and how cooperation is necessary when living within a mass of thousands of people. Having something like a microforest to cool everyone down, physically and emotionally, can only benefit everyone.

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