Reconnecting adults with nature
There has been a lot of articles about reconnecting children and young people with “nature” and the outdoors; but, what about adults?
In a recent survey of 2,000 adults, half couldn’t identify a house sparrow, a quarter didn’t know a blue tit or a starling, and a fifth thought a red kite wasn’t a bird. Another survey found, a third of adults unable to identify a barn owl, three-quarters unable to identify an ash tree – and two-thirds feeling that they had “lost touch with nature”.
Look up the definition of nature and you find, “The phenomena of the physical world collectively, including plants, animals, the landscape, and other features and products of the earth, as opposed to humans or human creations.” OK that’s the dictionary view. Surely we are part of nature. Humans evolved from apes, and what we do out there in the world has an impact on all the other elements of the physical world.
Let’s get out there into our “natural” environment and appreciate the world around us. It doesn’t have to a “big thing”. Just get out there, even in the garden. Learn about the birds visiting your garden. Join the children, get out there and play. After all we were all children once.
It will have an impact on you both personally and professionally. Why? Well nature is good for the brain and body. It improves memory, allows you to have more innovated ideas and helps with problem solving.
A very dear friend recently said, “We need to make time to stop and smell the roses”.
How about trying to incorporate these ideas at your workplace? Why not consider walking meetings. Go outside, walk and talk. It really does work. You get to know your colleagues better, you can discuss ideas, it may spark a suggestion for that all important product or service in development.
The elements of nature are good for us; sunlight helps with Vitamin D production. Our mental state is improved when we spend time outside.
Get outside, take some pictures. Most people have a camera on their mobile phone; experience life outdoors.
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Well said sentiment…in fact I need to go outside right now and rake up the leaves those bloody Maples threw all over my walkway! 😉 And BTW- beautiful pics on your new blog, keep it coming. J&A in Seattle.