Nature & Wildlife
Today, it might sound hyperbolic to say to the majority of us who are living in urban surroundings that nature’s animals and plants are essential for human survival. But it’s truly not over the top. Nature acts as a crucial life-support system that provides us with breathable oxygen, clean water, food and medicines.
Travel Tips
Americans, it seems, have always been on the move. In fact, the U.S. is one of the most mobile countries in the world, with 71% of us having traveled internationally at some point in our lives. Perhaps it’s because we’re optimistic searchers: always looking for a better job, a different place, or a brighter tomorrow.
Conservation
Here, in the United States, 80% of us live in cities. If you’re in that majority, how do you feel about your wild neighbors, the animals who also live in our urban areas? It’s an important question to ask because your answer has major implications for biodiversity protections, nature conservation and urban planning.
Nature & Wildlife
We know that spending time in nature is good for us, proven by hundreds—perhaps thousands—of scientific studies. But most of what we know about nature and its benefits have come from research focused on how seeing nature affects us.
Nature & Wildlife
Climbing trees, jumping in leaf piles, or simply playing outside is an important part of childhood. Not only are the physical aspects of such activities important, being in nature benefits a child’s mental health and social development. In fact, many early-childhood settings are transforming their outdoor play environments to incorporate more natural elements.
Nature & Wildlife
Ophidiophobia (fear of snakes) and arachnophobia (fear of arachnids, especially spiders) rank among the most common of human anxieties. In fact, more than a third of adults and children recoil in terror when they see a snake in the garden or a spider on the wall.
Nature & Wildlife
My mother grew up in a rural area in Wisconsin. On our walks when I was young—whether it was near her childhood home or where we then lived in the city—she would tell me the common names of all the birds and flowers that we saw. Those memories still impress me to this day.
News & More
Nature’s got a lot going for it—and for us. Seeing a breathtaking landscape or experiencing a natural phenomenon typically leaves us feeling appreciative, humbled and filled with awe.
Conservation
We know that having had exposure to nature as a child makes you a healthier adult—both mentally and physically. Several scientific studies have proven that outdoor time boosts kids’ classroom performances, enhances their imaginations and attention spans, decreases their aggression and helps them to grow lean and strong.
Nature & Wildlife
On New Year’s Day, rather than making resolutions, I have a better suggestion: go outside and take a walk. Or don’t take a walk, but just go outside. You don’t even have to be outdoors for long. Why?
Nature & Wildlife
Today, the average American child is by far an indoor creature, spending only four to seven minutes a day in unstructured play outdoors and more than seven hours a day in front of a screen.
Europe
Decades of research have proven that nature is good for us, whether we’re children or in our senior years.
