Reconnect with nature's healing powers for Earth Day
It's Earth Day season, and I'm frazzled. The pace is frenetic, the expectations high, and the to-do list impossible. This time of year is just as crazy for a naturalist as the Christmas holidays are for a retailer.
So, today I had to take a step back, take a deep breath, and contemplate the reason for the season. I headed out to my favorite forest preserve. I was reminded of one of those Internet jokes that recently came around: If people go to the woods to get away from it all, where does a forest ranger go? I can answer that joke, seriously. We go to the woods, too.
This shouldn't really seem odd. There's a growing body of research that provides hard data on the age-old wisdom that nature is good for you. Getting out of human-made environments into the natural world is an ancient tonic.
Citing the work of numerous research scientists, Florence Williams wrote an eye-catching article on the health benefits of nature in the January 2016 issue of National Geographic. The article, "This is Your Brain on Nature," has grabbed the attention of many in my field, as it quantifies what we have known intuitively: Nature nurtures.
The fact that nature nurtures isn't breaking news, but the research is. We've had a hunch about this for a long time. Ancient philosophers knew it. Indigenous peoples knew it, African shamans knew it, and literary giants like Thoreau, Emerson, and Muir knew it.
The difference between their times and now is significant. There is less nature to be had, and we are increasingly disconnected from the nature that remains.
Williams' article is not the first to address the issue. Richard Louv published a comprehensive book on the topic "The Nature Principle" in 2012. Louv built on the work of well-respected scientists such as E.O. Wilson and Stephen Kellert. With terms like "Vitamin N" and "nature deficit disorder," Louv makes the case that we need the very thing we have separated ourselves from.
Data is important in this day and age. Numbers become dollars, and dollars count. To that end, there is a gold mine of data on the healing powers of the natural world. It behooves us personally and economically to re-connect with the natural world.
What exactly are the researchers turning up? Essentially, they are quantifying that nature affects our brains, and therefore our bodies. In some studies, electrodes affixed to subjects' heads measured brain waves; in others, heart rate and hormone levels were analyzed. In the jumble of numbers, said psychologist David Strayer, "There is something profound going on." Indeed.
Across the board, studies are showing that nature lowers stress, enhances cognitive skills, and improves attention. There is a domino effect on many aspects of health and well-being. Studies have linked nature to reduction in disease and mortality. This has important implications in a society plagued by obesity, diabetes, heart disease, depression, addiction, and insomnia. Oh, and health insurance.
It turns out you don't need to be in a remote, million-acre wilderness to enjoy the health benefits of nature. Japanese researchers found that short walks in the woods had great benefits. In fact, even living near natural areas has positive results. Green spaces can be healing from afar. Just knowing that they are there is soothing.
All this suggests that it's about time for a wellness check. There's a lot of evidence that we are increasingly disconnected from the natural world. The disconnect is a big part of what is not well. Our increasing reliance on electronics - these weird things made out of plastic and rare earth metals - is an addiction, of sorts.
All of our "devices" with screens full of apps are supposed to make our lives easier, right? Why are so many of us stressed? Our attention jumps at the sound of ringtones and alerts, but we don't hear the symphony of frogs and spring birds. Technology provides all kinds of virtual realities, with a false sense of where we are, really, and who we are, really, in relation to the living, breathing world.
Louv wrote that "no separation is more pervasive than our disconnection from the natural world." We can instantly recognize the logos of dozens of companies, but we can't recognize three native plants. We know that water comes from the tap, but have no clue how it gets there.
In the dog-days of summer, our kids play video games in air-conditioned houses rather than catch crayfish in the creek. We eat shrink-wrapped food products rather than food from the garden.
We have severed ourselves from nature, and it hurts.
In parts of the United States, physicians are prescribing outdoor time for patients. Walking outdoors on soil (as opposed to walking in shopping malls on hard surfaces) is a step toward healing from obesity, depression, and a host of ills.
Some countries (notably, South Korea) have set aside official "healing forests" where people go to get well. Williams described the increasing use of these places, with their trees, streams, wildflowers and wildlife. Healing forests, she wrote, help not only the "urban refugees" who go there. They also help on a societal level.
She spoke with South Korean forest minister Shin Won Sop, who cited the reduction of medical costs and benefits to local economies as additional benefits of healing forests. There's that dollar sign. Sounds like nature is a win-win situation.
As environmental psychologists Stephen and Rachel Kaplan wrote, "Imagine a therapy that had no known side effects, was readily available, and could improve your cognitive functioning at zero cost." The name of the therapy is "interacting with nature." (Who knew?)
As I write this, my phone is ringing. My Inbox is full. I hear the ding of incoming text messages. I have multiple deadlines and more tasks than there are post-it notes to write them on. It's the usual race to Earth Day.
So, I'm going to go take a walk in the woods, maybe skip some stones on the creek.
I'll see you at one of our Earth Day events with the prescription note from the doctor. In scribbled handwriting, the note says, "Get out in nature." There are unlimited refills and the pharmacy is always open.
Valerie Blaine is the nature programs manager for the Forest Preserve District of Kane County. She welcomes your questions and comments at blainevalerie@kaneforest.com
Earth Day events in the Fox Valley
Open house at forest preserve: Visit Creek Bend Nature Center, 37W700 Dean St., St. Charles, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday, April 21, for special activities.
• 10-10:30 a.m. Tales for Mother Earth — nature stories for children of all ages
• 1-2 p.m. Nature crafts — earth-friendly crafts for you to make and take home
• 4-4:45 p.m. Backyard wilderness — interactive presentation on the wild animals found in your own neighborhood, starring a real live snake.
• 5-6 p.m. Discovery hike and naturalist-led trail activities
There will also be a habitat restoration and Earth Day treats. For information, call (630) 444-3190 or email programs@kaneforest.com.
Plant a tree for Earth Day: The Forest Preserve District of Kane County will hold a tree planting event at 10 a.m. Saturday, April 23, at Fitchie Creek Forest Preserve, 39W933 Russell Road, Elgin. Place trees and shrubs in pre-dug holes, tamp down dirt, add water and mulch. No registration required for groups of less than 10. Info:
www.kaneforest.com.Earth Day in Geneva: Celebrate Earth Day the green way with the Natural Resources Committee of Geneva and Geneva Park District from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, April 23, at Peck Farm Park, 4038 Kaneville Road, Geneva. Featured: green market with local merchants, rain barrels and compost bins for sale, a bicycle tuneup shop, free paper shredding, chair massages, health screenings, games for children. Free. For information, contact Jay Womack at jwomack@wrdenvironmental.com.Earth Day with conservation district: McHenry County Conservation District and Environmental Defenders of McHenry County host an Earth Day Celebration from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, April 23, at Prairieview Education Center, 2112 Behan Road, Crystal Lake. Featured: live music, guided nature hikes, games and crafts, puppet shows, household recycling drop-off, exhibitors, Toasty Cheese food truck, kettle corn. Admission is free; visit
mccdistrict.org. There will be a 5K EcoRun at 10 a.m. for $25; register at