I'm thinking about...

The importance of green spaces and access to nature is felt, but now it is being proven by science as well. There seems to be a direct link between nature and mental & physical health, as studies have shown that people who have access to a natural and green environment show significantly lower risk of various forms of disease, as well as improved mental health.

I can say for myself that my physical and mental health hasn't been this good since the last time I lived in Iceland, which was 2011, and I owe a lot of it to long nature walks, exposure to natural light, fresh and clean air, less pollution, more space to be free and let my thoughts wander without distraction, proximity to wild nature and water.

In a way it helps to think clearly, let go of anxiety, reduces blood pressure and cortisol levels, and just feels really good. It's like the air is charged with positive energy, which to some may sound a bit woo woo, but I've found that even that can be proven with science, and science calls it "The Lenard Effect”, or spray electrification.

In reality, it is negative energy though, with positive side effects. The air molecules surrounding the water in waterfalls and at seashores generate negative ions when water droplets collide with each other, or superoxide ions (O2−) bound to a cluster of water molecules.

Negative ions are also produced by UV radiation from sunlight, as well as plant growth, although the amount of these are significantly lower.

Negative ions have been shown to improve erythrocyte deformability (the ability of red blood cells to change shape under stress without rupturing). They also increase the body’s ability to produce and sustain energy by improving its aerobic metabolism.

Other benefits are reported on their improvement of the cardiovascular and respiratory system, mental health (including alleviation of SAD, chronic depression and other mood disorders), decreased blood pressure, and an overall increase in productivity and wellbeing. The subject needs further studies, but it is interesting non the less.

So maybe that’s the reason you feel so energised and happy when surrounded by the forces of nature and its elements, earth, water, fire, air, ether.

It has made me realise what an immense privilege it is to have access to this source of vitality and energy. And how important it is that everyone has access to it.

Which brings me to eco-gentrification and other consequences of globalisation that currently stand in the way of large parts of the population having access to green spaces.

Industrialised environments, urbanisation and the exploitation of wilderness and green spaces for profit are not only taking away the spaces that are so crucial to our wellbeing, but are also creating an uneven distribution of wealth. All of these factors add up and lead to an increase in inequality and poverty.

Minority groups and impoverished people often have less access to green spaces. This, amongst a lack of access to healthcare and fresh, nutritious food, makes them more susceptible to modern disease and poor mental health, making their way out of poverty close to impossible. I am getting increasingly interested in how green spaces and natural environments can improve the lives of all parts of society, not just a portion of the privileged upper and middle class. In order to make lasting changes to the way we live to improve planetary health and habitability, as well as the wellbeing of individuals and the greater society.

Human and nature are not separate. They are one and the same. If either is unwell, so is the other.

Here is a relevant thought from Frank Lloyd Wright:

“It is the notion of interdependence that is central to every ecosystem, because within an ecosystem all components survive and thrive only because every component survives and thrives.

The dominance of any single component capable of monopolizing resources needed by others spells the death of any ecosystem.”

We are in an interdependent relationship with nature, and have been denying it for over a century. We have been trying to tame nature, and become its master, leaving it in ruins and at the same time limiting the possibility of an abundant and fruitful life in peace, for humans and other species alike. And that is a direct result of an imbalanced ecosystem. We cannot thrive if large parts of the population are mistreated, unhealthy, mentally unwell and barely surviving, and while the planet is scarred and in ruins.

Cai Guo-Qiang. Extraterrestrials No. 10 (1993)

There is no one right solution, but I want to start asking some question:

How can we thrive, not in spite, but as a consequence of our interaction with the natural environment?

Can we start having a conversation with our natural environment? What does it need from us at this very moment? What do we need from it? And where do we strike the balance of giving and taking?

Can we rethink our relationship with nature, from nature as a background for human history, or a resource to fuel “human advancements and progress”, to an independent expression of life that we interact with and create history with?

Can we make use of the chaos and confusion and create new possibilities?

Can we redirect the flow of energy from ruin to regeneration, and can we repair the damage done by giving back more than we take?

And lastly (this is the question that I find the most difficult), how much should we try to control the regeneration of the planet? When is it right to interfere, and when should we simply leave it be and let nature heal itself?

Like this blog post, the destination we end up in is sometimes completely different to what we expected when we embarked on the journey. Maybe it is good to sometimes let go of our linear thinking and let the chaos take over. If we manage to find our balance within that chaos, we have already made progress, non-linear progress.

References and resources:

Jiang, S. Ma, A. (2018). Negative Air Ions and Their Effects on Human Health and Air Quality Improvement. International Journal of Molecular Sciences. (Available at https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6213340/)

Lowenhaupt Tsing, A. (2015) The Mushroom at the End of the World: On the Possibility of Life in Capitalist Ruins. New Jersey: Princeton University Press.