Got Green? Why We Need Nature

[Tamberly Mott]

In our increasingly hectic and high tech world, it turns out that a
little green can go a long way toward improving our quality of life!
We don’t have sell out and move to a farm in the country, although I
can tell you from experience it is a great way to raise kids… even
something as simple as a walk in a garden can make a difference for
our health. Most understand how exercise contributes to our wellness,
but it's not necessarily the exercise we’re missing. It's the
revitalizing contact with nature and its uncomplicated demands on us.
Here is how it plays out: Modern life — commuting, hectic schedules,
electronics, plastics, packaging, pollutants, and lots of separation
from the natural world — can place strains on our thinking brain and
our bodies. The more time we spend indoors, the more time we are
exposed to unnatural stimulation – indoor lighting, electromagnetic
radio waves, and numerous household products/chemicals, low levels of
traffic-related particles and gases such as radon and carbon monoxide,
mold…just to name a few! Additionally, the more time spent in indoor
settings, the more we see ourselves as separate from nature.
Consequently, the more we perceive ourselves as separate from nature,
the more we feel a need to conquer nature… thus the slippery slope of
destroying our planet and feeling justified in doing it!
Keep in mind that our separation from nature is merely a perception;
our minds trick us into thinking that we do not need nature, when in
fact our lives depend on it. We, as organic beings, will always be
integral with the rest of the natural, organic universe – physically,
psychologically, and spiritually; we live, think, feel, breath in our
earth suits (our bodies) and as a result, cannot truly be separate
from nature – only disconnected. Not only does this illusion allow us
to deceive ourselves that we can ignore consequences that damage our
environment—we close our eyes to the fact that our physical,
psychological, spiritual disconnection from nature is the source of
much of our modern problems and ills.
We have an ingrained dependence on our environment, much like that of
any other animal it seems, because like other organisms, we evolved to
thrive in our natural surroundings. However, it seems we have
forgotten this natural wisdom, and have ignored the natural
intelligence that in truth, has guided human behavior for centuries.
The support that there is a dynamic relationship between health and
the environment is not hard to understand. For example, when we
befoul the air, or otherwise contaminate the environment, it is our
own health that we are affecting, our own bodies that we are
polluting. And when we spend the bulk of our waking hours indoors, we
keep ourselves from getting the natural relief we need from the
stresses and strains of our “civilized lifestyles.” As evidenced in
nature, when animals are taken out of their natural habitats, they
begin to degrade mentally and physically — parenting skills decline,
aggression increases and playful activity stops. These same symptoms
can be seen in particularly stressed human populations, and sadly, we
likely do not need to look further than our own communities to see it
for ourselves.
As Dr. Michael Cohen writes in his book- Reconnecting with Nature:
Finding wellness through restoring your bond with the Earth (2007):
Our lives do not make sense and our problems flourish because
industrial society does not teach us to seek, honor, and culture
nature’s contributions to our lives. We learn instead to conquer, to
separate from, and deny the time-tested love, intelligence and balance
found the natural world (p. 13).
It’s time for a GREEN check-up! How does your green relationship
measure up? If you (and the people you love) need more green, it can
easily be found through the Growing Green Hands program. Learn more
and begin to reconnect with nature with the support from Growing Green
Hands, Inc. (GGH). The GGH programming will help by providing
mentoring relationships, education, and most importantly, experiential
outdoor experiences.