There have been several studies linking living in the countryside, getting physical activity, and connecting with nature in any form, to improvements in mental health. Even urban green space does help a lot with your wellbeing. Grounding or any direct contact with the earth, a tree or grass, has been shown through electrical connectivity to support immune responses and reduce stress, pain and depression.
Getting outdoors and protecting nature all helps fight climate change and is great for our mental and physical wellbeing too!
Protecting nature
In a world where there is a high concentration of us in urban spaces, where we spend a long time looking at our phones and screens, our mental health is suffering and our green spaces have been declining.
Protecting nature won’t just improve the environment but will also improve our general health and mental health and keep us motivated to do even more. With our environmental hopes, health research, policy and public action working together we can find ways to improve health and wellbeing and protect our earth and our kids’ future.
Here are some tips of things you can do on a small scale, at home and in your community; plus there are national campaigns you can join too.
Air quality
The quality of the air we breathe should be of great concern to everyone. We may not always see air pollution but it is present everywhere, every day, and can have a considerable effect on our health, our planet and all creatures that inhabit our world.
Air pollution is a major public health risk, ranking alongside cancer, heart disease and obesity. It is estimated that the mortality rate in Bromley is 6% from air pollution alone. Air pollution is a mixture of particles and gases that have various sources such as road transport, industry, agriculture and domestic fires.
Government and businesses have an important role to play in improving air quality but if we can all collectively take action as individuals, families and community groups we can help to reduce pollution and save lives.
Biodiversity
Biodiversity is the ‘diversity of all life on Earth’ including animals, plants, fungi and microorganisms. It includes the complex relationships between all of these and their habitats and surroundings. There are many species that are declining both locally and worldwide, for example bees are in decline and are essential to the growth of crops that feed the world.
What you can do to help isn’t complex at all. There are some simple activities you can do to help maintain and improve the biodiversity of your local community.
Litter picking
Looking after our immediate vicinity and the areas we use the most is an impactful change we can make. Doing a two-minute litter pick was advertised across a number of British beaches this summer, but it’s not limited to beaches. You could do a litter pick on your walk home from school, after sports training, or join the Good Gym.
We also have litter picking equipment that you can borrow from The Hub, ask one of our volunteers for more information when you visit. These are items that are loaned by Greener and Cleaner (not the Library of Things).
Horticultural societies and Friends of groups
A simple and big thing you can do is join a group who are already doing this kind of work. You won’t need to be an expert to join your local horticultural society or “Friends of” group. They look for people who are willing and able to volunteer and there’s plenty you can learn as you go along.
If you’re based in the borough of Bromley, search for your local group here.
And you can read more about Biodiversity on our website here.