Connecting with nature makes us healthier and happier people - something that few of us nature lovers would argue with. There are a growing number of studies and campaigns bringing forward evidence about the importance of our connection to nature. Exposure to nature not only makes us feel better emotionally, but contributes to our physical wellbeing, reduced blood pressure, heart rate, muscle tension and the production of stress hormones.
Everything that humans have needed to survive and thrive was provided by the natural world such as food, water, medicine, materials for shelter and even the natural cycles; for instance the climate, changing seasons and nutrients.
Yet, we have disconnected ourselves from the natural world, that it is easy and often convenient to forget that nature remains as giving as ever, although it is vanishing rapidly. Through the rise of technology and industry we have distanced ourselves superficially from nature, but it has not changed our reliance on the natural world. Most of what we use and consume on a daily basis remains the product of variable interactions within nature and our environment; with many of those interactions being more and more destroyed.
The development of urban areas has reduced natural environments globally on a big scale. Have we lost our affection for nature? Not according to studies focusing on “environmental psychology”, which show that humans still have positive reactions to nature and natural environments; in fact rather an instinctive “biophilia”. For example, one of the most famous studies in this field demonstrated that people who were hospitalised recovered more quickly with a view of trees than with a view of a brick wall. (For more information please visit: https://www.psychologistworld.com/issues/environmental-psychology)
Despite buildings and cities seeming to represent human disconnection or escape from the natural environment, nature has always had a place in the built environment. Parks have long been central to urban planning providing space for leisuretime, activities and children’s playgrounds. Also house plants have been utilised to improve the indoor environment for a long time.
But as the world’s population continues to grow at an unsustainable rate, accompanying problems are compounded by an overall trend towards urbanisation. That is, a higher proportion of people live in the city, or within a close radius, in order to take advantage of economic opportunities. Space is at a premium. Vertical gardens might be one of the solutions to green cities around the world. In addition to positive impact on human health, such initiatives improve the aesthetics of the city overall and help to tackle climate change through the extra consumption of carbon dioxide.
May it be a National Park, a park in the city, the trees in your street or the plants on your balcony, find time every day to go outdoors, take a deep breath and maximise your connection with nature - even if it is only a few minutes at a time.
🎥 10 Reasons Why Nature is the Best Medicine (3:40)
“It is not so much for its beauty that the forest makes a claim upon men's hearts, as for that subtle something, that quality of air that emanation from old trees, that so wonderfully changes and renews a weary spirit”.- Robert Louis Stevenson
What does “nature” mean: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nature
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REFERENCE
Enviroblog.net, 2018 (viewed 30.12.2018)
GRESB, 2018 (viewed 30.12.2018)
Mongabay News&Inspiration, 2011 (viewed 30.12.2018)