Main points from the article:

• “Imagine a therapy that had no known side effects, was readily available, and could improves your cognitive function at zero cost.” What therapy method is Roger Walsh talking about? One hint, we have plenty of it here at Northwest Passage… it is Nature!
• Research suggests an inescapable link between mental health and nature.
• Nature heals and calms, removes mental trivia, and reminds one of what really matters.
• Artificial environments have noise, low-quality light, non-natural spectra and rhythms. The psychological costs of these features of the great indoors impact our minds and our ability to perform academically.
• We consume hours of multimedia stimuli every single day which impacts how we live and communicate and our brains!
• Nature can lead to greater cognitive, attention, emotional, spiritual, and subjective well being.
• Nature offers the gift of silence!

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• Great tips for why and how to enjoy nature: How the Simple Act of Being in Nature Helps You De-Stress

• Our connections with nature could just be the best medicine for people of all ages–improving our health, happiness, and well-being.
• There are no required classes in nature connectedness in our schools, nor is nature a well-utilized tool for teaching kids to critically think about the world around them. New research, however, suggests our relationship with nature may be deeply linked to our happiness.
• Nature relatedness often predicts happiness regardless of other psychological factors.
• Psychological connections with nature have the capacity to facilitate sustainable attitudes, and may be an important tool in preserving our environment.
• Many experts have sounded the alarm about our disconnection from the natural world, from the Industrial Revolution onward. But the Digital Age evokes additional concerns.
• Kids who learn in outdoor classrooms improve their science scores by 27% and when we feel connected to nature, we are more likely to live sustainable lifestyles.

Richard Louv says:

• “The future will belong to the nature-smart—those individuals, families, businesses, and political leaders who develop a deeper understanding of the transformative power of the natural world and who balance the virtual with the real. The more high-tech we become, the more nature we need.”
• Last Child in the Woods

Today our children face a crisis as:

• 90% of them spend time indoors
• An average of 50 hours per week is spent on media
• Obesity has risen to 20%

But nature can help as it has been used for families of both married and divorced parents to help their children become more environmentally engaged as well as helping to prevent “therapy fatigue.”

• Check out this article on the topic: Why the Tech Generation goes to Wilderness Therapy

Benefits of children and adults spending time in  nature includes:

• Improved physical and mental health
• Lower rates of heart disease, osteoporosis, MS, and some cancers
• Lower obesity rates
• Lower anxiety, stress and depression
• Better focus, particularly for those with ADHD

However, we are in the midst of a crisis as:

• Many kids get less than an hour outside each day
• Many schools have completely removed recess
• In one generation, child obesity has tripled
• Many kids have an average of 7 hours and 40 minutes of screen time per day

On the bright side:

• We can incorporate technology into environmental learning such as using a smartphone to capture photos of differing aspects of nature.

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