PARK(ing) Day Comes to Britain

Grassroots Movement Greens and Reclaims our Streets

18 September 2009

"PARK(ing) Day" – an annual, global event where metered parking spaces are reclaimed for the public's enjoyment and transformed into temporary parks – has come to the UK for the first time.

Brought to Britain by eco car insurance provider ibuyeco and US art collective Rebar, PARK(ing) Day UK was the first official, nationwide event of its kind in the UK and is part of International PARK(ing) Day – an annual, one-day, global event where artists, activists and members of the public collaborate to temporarily convert paid-for parking spots into beautiful green spaces.

Held in celebration of the little things that make a big difference to the environment, the inaugural official PARK(ing) Day UK took place on Friday (September 18) in London and saw a small part of London's busy, bustling South Bank transformed into a miniature urban oasis for all to enjoy. Other installations are expected to spring up as the grassroots movement takes hold and members of the public get involved across the country.

Lucy Bailey, head of ibuyeco said: "Being a car insurance provider, we know how important cars are to us as a nation but there are things we can all do to change our behaviour and limit their impact on the environment. We see PARK(ing) Day UK as a great way to do this – and a great way to get together, have fun and brighten up our communities."

"We want to help people make small but significant changes in their everyday lives so that they can be more eco friendly and save money while doing it – whether it's recycling, turning down the heating, switching off the car engine once in a while or creating a miniature oasis for PARK(ing) Day."

The PARK(ing) Day project began in 2005 when Rebar, a San Francisco-based art and design studio, converted a single metered parking space into a temporary public park in a part of San Francisco that lacks public open space. Since 2005, PARK(ing) Day has blossomed into a global phenomenon: PARK(ing) Day 2008 included more than 500 PARK installations in over 100 cities on four continents.

Matthew Passmore, founding member of Rebar, says "For one day in the year, PARK(ing) Day is an opportunity to challenge the norm and create something beautiful and meaningful. If we all did one small thing to help the environment, we could collectively make a great difference. We hope that Britons get behind the idea and get PARK(ing)!"

Some facts...

• There are over 245,000 miles of road in the UK*
• There are nearly 34 million cars in the UK*

Lucy Bailey continued: "We are really excited about bringing PARK(ing) Day to the UK and continuing our work with eco-charities and collectives. Since June this year, when somebody buys a new policy or renews their car insurance with ibuyeco, we make a £5 donation to either The Woodland Trust, Borneo Orangutan Survival or The Converging World. As the charity donation is completely funded by us, our consumers can make a contribution to an eco charity without seeing a rise in their premium."

* Department of Transport, Transport Statistics Great Britain: 2008 edition