In honor of National PARK(ing) Day, students from Syracuse University and the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry (SUNY-ESF) worked with COLAB to convert 20 parking spaces into public relaxation spaces including a beach, a kitchen table and a yoga instruction spot.
 
According to Chris McCray, COLAB’s “mad scientist,” COLAB is an initiative that spurs students to make a difference in the community.
 
Rebar, a San Francisco art collective, began PARK(ing) Day in 2005 with the conversion of one metered parking space to a temporary public park.
 
The green event has grown both as a national event and on the Syracuse campus. It jumped from four spaces last year and three involved students to 20 spaces with a mirrored increase in participants (45 from SUNY-ESF alone) according to Sally Greenfield, administrative secretary at COLAB.
 
“We are asking people, not only to slow down one day a year to hit a plastic golf ball in a bucket with a pitching wedge or paint a watercolor in a parking space, but to consider slowing down the pace of our lives and enjoy the space that we have,” said Greenfield.
 
According to their Facebook page, COLAB calls on students and faculty of all disciplines "to learn how to approach problems collaboratively and share multiple perspectives while working toward creative solutions."

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