Where I grew up, I had two swimming choices. The first was in various rivers and ‘swimming holes’ (deeper parts of rivers, where the shape of the riverbank creates a calmer, very slow-flowing area to bathe in) around the town I lived in, and the second was the local public swimming pool. The former, while preferable, required transport — which, back in the day, my family rarely had access to. The latter was better than many, in that it was an open air public pool (no roof), so, like in the rivers, we could swim with sunshine and the great blue sky overhead (or even in the rain). But, as is usually the case, the public pool, devoid of any natural biological cleaning elements, necessitated the use of chemicals — notably chlorine, with its associated negative health effects.
Watch the video above to see another alternative — natural public swimming pools that cleanse themselves, increase biodiversity, and bring each swimmer into a closer connection with nature, and, significantly, imbue people with a greater understanding of natural systems.
I love this idea. Not only can people enjoy swimming in a way that is far more natural, and far more inspiring for the soul, but it’s much healthier too. And when I say healthier, I don’t just mean the absence of chemicals, but I’m referring also to the presence of biological life. In today’s world, I believe, our lives are far too ‘sanitised’ and unnatural. The result is weaker immune systems, allergies and general ill health. In contrast, swimming in a biologically rich environment would conversely strengthen our immune systems, whilst providing healthy outdoor exercise.
If your local village/town/city is looking at creating a new public swimming pool, now is your opportunity to get it done right! And who knows, some progressive local bodies may even consider retroffitting their existing pool.
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