Gardens By The Bay, Singapore's Sustainable 'Superpark'

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Singapore's government is on a mission to transform their island nation into a "city in a garden." Sounds pretty dreamy, right? Their National Parks Board moved this vision right along by creating a man-made mechanical forest inside their 250-acre landscaping project, Gardens by the Bay. It's a breathtaking, solar-powered urban oasis.

Why we're covering this:

Did you take a look at those super trees?! And they're good for the environment, to boot.
This urban park should top your eco-tourist destination bucket list.

A Sustainable Wonderland

Gardens by the Bay opened in 2012 in the Marina Bay area of Singapore's south side. The national garden is comprised of three distinctive waterfront gardens: Bay South, Bay East, and Bay Central, which are maintained by an in-house team of landscape designers, horticulturists, arborists, engineers, and other plant specialists. Their team aims to both entertain visitors and educate them about sustainable development and conservation. Also, to wow everyone with their badass supertrees (we presume).

So, what's so special about these supertrees? We're glad you asked. These manmade structures tower at over 164 feet (50 meters), and, according to CNN, they "act as vertical gardens, generating solar power, acting as air venting ducts for nearby conservatories, and collecting rainwater." They also absorb and disperse heat, provide shelter, and eleven of the supertrees are fitted with solar photovoltaic systems that convert sunlight into energy. Did we mention that they're pretty? The artificial trees are covered with tropical flowers and climbing ferns. To see them up close, you can take a stroll across their connecting bridges, called "skywalks."

Cloud Forest Dome at Gardens by the Bay in Singapore

Supertree garden at night, Garden by the Bay, Singapore

Take A Walk In The Superpark

Your trip to the Gardens won't be complete without visiting their two green conservatories, the Cloud Forest and Flower Dome. These climate-controlled biomes were inspired by the shape of an orchid flower, and they're the size of four football fields (housing 220,000 plants). Don't forget to bring your camera.

View of Singapore Gardens by the bay river, Supergrove trees, Flyer observation wheel glasshouses

Gardens by the Bay and Cargo ships of Singapore.

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Singapore's Urban Oasis

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Gardens by The Bay | Grant Associates

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The Legacy of America's National Park Service

Today, the National Park Service is home to hundreds of parks across the U.S., but the country's very first national park was actually established decades before the NPS came into being. That national park was Yellowstone, which was established on March 1, 1872 by Congress "as a public park or pleasuring-ground for the benefit and enjoyment of the people." Yellowstone wasn't just America's first national park; it was the world's first. Its founding soon set off a movement that led to more than 100 nations establishing their own national parks and preserves. It wasn't until 35 more parks were established over a period of more than 40 years that President Woodrow Wilson finally signed the act that created the National Park Service on August 25, 1916. Today, the National Park Services oversees more than 400 areas covering over 84 million acres throughout the 50 states, plus the U.S. territories and the District of Columbia. Take in the majesty of our national parks with the videos below.

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The Biodiversity of Yasuní National Park

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Amazon Adventure—Documenting Life in Ecuador's Yasuní National Park | National Geographic

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Key Facts In This Video

Yasuní National Park is one of the most biodiverse places on Earth, and is under threat due to its reserves of oil. 00:08
Photographers use camera traps to take pictures of an elusive jaguar. 01:44
One of the indigenous communities living in Yasuní, the Waorani people have also been affected by the presence of oil companies. 02:38

Toronto's Corktown Common Park Recycles Its Rainwater

One park in Toronto is doing more than its share in recycling natural resources. Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates Inc. designed the Corktown Common park, which takes water recycling to the next level. As Emily Mueller De Celis, project manager of Corktown Common park, told Popular Science: "Every drop of water hitting the park is reused at least two or three times before it's absorbed or evaporated away." For example, rainwater that drains from the playground flows through an ultraviolet filter as well as a constructed marsh before feeding into the park's irrigation storage. According to the design firm, the park saves about 550,000 liters of rainwater per day in the peak season. This system also prevents flooding of the surrounding residences during heavy storms.

See what a rainwater harvesting plant looks like

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Gardens By The Bay, Singapore's Sustainable 'Superpark'

A Sustainable Wonderland

Take A Walk In The Superpark

Watch And Learn: Our Favorite Content About Parks

Singapore's Urban Oasis

Share the knowledge!

Gardens by The Bay | Grant Associates

The Legacy of America's National Park Service

Hear the story of how it began arrow_forward

The Biodiversity of Yasuní National Park

Share the knowledge!

Amazon Adventure—Documenting Life in Ecuador's Yasuní National Park | National Geographic

Key Facts In This Video

Toronto's Corktown Common Park Recycles Its Rainwater

See what a rainwater harvesting plant looks like arrow_forward

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Hear the story of how it began

See what a rainwater harvesting plant looks like