10/11/2025
7 reasons to spend more time in nature:
1. Time spent in natural environments has been shown to reduce stress, anxiety, and depression.
2. Nature exposure helps children improve focus and self-discipline - crucial in an age of digital distraction. It's also linked to better academic outcomes and memory retention
3. Being in nature fosters empathy and compassion, especially in children. This connection with the living world helps develop moral and ethical grounding
4. Regular time in green spaces encourages physical activity and strengthens immune system development, especially in childhood.
5. Kids who know the names of trees, birds, and insects are more likely to care about the environment and act to protect it.
6. As we shift toward post-growth and regenerative economies, our survival depends on reversing this nature disconnection.
7. Restoring forests, wetlands, and biodiversity will be central to economic life - requiring ecological literacy and local knowledge. Children grounded in nature will be tomorrow's ecological engineers, rangers, and community leaders
The next economy will value well-being over GDP growth. It's going to be degrowth by choice or by force (hello climate change 👋 ).
This shift requires a culture that prioritises community, slow living, and harmony with ecosystems. Raising kids to be aware of living systems nurtures this transformation.
Sources:
- Bratman, G. N., Hamilton, J. P., Hahn, K. S., Daily, G. C., & Gross, J. J. (2015). Nature experience reduces rumination and subgenual prefrontal cortex activation.
- Berman, M. G., Jonides, J., & Kaplan, S. (2008). The cognitive benefits of interacting with nature.
- Zelenski, J. M., & Nisbet, E. K. (2014). Happiness and feeling connected: The distinct role of nature relatedness.
