By Carly Wood, University of Westminster Across the globe, college- and university-aged students are experiencing high levels of stress and mental ill-health. For example, in the past ten years in the UK there has been a fivefold increase in the number of students reporting mental…
By Rosanne Lindsay, Naturopath Nature works in balance with all its ecosystems. All life is a part of Nature. Therefore, as Nature is self-sustaining, self-regenerating, and self-healing, so are we. Spending time in Nature not only helps us feel happy, but benefits health in a…
By John Vibes Two environmental groups have issued a warning that they will be filing a lawsuit against the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), alleging that the agency violated the Endangered Species Act by issuing permits for oil and gas exploration in Cook Inlet…
By John Vibes The Khoo Teck Puat Hospital (KTPH) in Singapore has been called a “biophilic hospital” because the entire architecture of the building is designed to complement nature, instead of erasing it. The architects began with a few ideas in mind. They wanted to…
By Kalee Brown The Facts: A study published in The Lancet Planetary Health Journal titled “Urban greenness and mortality in Canada’s largest cities: a national cohort study” reveals just how beneficial living close to or within nature can be. Reflect On: How much time do…
Habitat loss, pesticide use and, surprisingly, artificial light are the three most serious threats endangering fireflies across the globe, raising the spectre of extinction for certain species and related impacts on biodiversity and ecotourism, according to a Tufts University-led team of biologists associated with the…
By Alanna Ketler The Facts: Spending time outdoors can have a drastically positive impact on our mental health. Reflect On: How often are you getting outside? A short walk or a sit in a park is enough for you to reap the benefits Mother Nature…
By Alexa Erickson The Facts: A report released by Kew Gardens in the United Kingdom has revealed that there are nearly 30,000 plant species recorded as being of medicinal use throughout the world. Reflect On: What if the health/pharmaceutical industry put in the same amount…
By John Vibes According to a study published by the American Society for Horticultural Science in December of 2019, having plants around your home or office could reduce your stress levels. In the study, 63 office workers at an electric company in Japan were monitored…
By John Vibes A massive killer whale washed up on shore in early January, in an area between Lincolnshire and Norfolk on the eastern coast of the UK. The 15-foot-long orca was found decomposing in a salt marsh, where soon after the body was examined…
By Joe Martino The Facts: Studies have shown that excessive environmental noise not only decreases one’s quality of life and cognitive function, but also reduces lifespan. The good news is that spending time in silence can reverse these effects. Reflect On: Are you living in…
By Elias Marat Bees are major fans of hemp and a recent study has found that the taller the hemp plants are the larger the number of bees that will flock to it. The new research, spearheaded by researchers at Cornell University and published last…
By Elias Marat As Australia’s bushfire crisis continues to impact wildlife, aircraft have been deployed to feed thousands of starving wild animals who have been stranded by the blazes. The government of the hard-hit state of New South Wales (NSW) has begun a campaign of…
By Mayukh Saha The Australian bushfires continue to devastate Australia for over a week now. And while ecologists believe that mitigation processes might help in afforestation, there is no way that the wildlife loss wouldn’t be a major shock to the entire country. This emu…
Nearly a decade after the nuclear accident in Fukushima, Japan, researchers from the University of Georgia have found that wildlife populations are abundant in areas void of human life. The camera study, published in the Journal of Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, reports that…
By Elias Marat Australia’s bushfire crisis has ravaged local animal and plant life as ecologists warn that the potential loss of nearly 500 million mammals, reptiles, and birds—including 8,000 koalas—could devastate the country’s biodiversity in an unprecedented manner. Despite the terrifying scope of the tragedy,…
A study out of the University of Hyogo in Awaji, Japan, details the stress-reducing benefits to office workers that even a small plant situated within easy viewing can impart. Masahiro Toyoda, Yuko Yokota, Marni Barnes, and Midori Kaneko explored the practical use of indoor plants…
By Carly Wood, University of Westminster As many as one in six adults experience mental health problems like depression or anxiety every week. And not only is mental ill-health one of the most common causes of disease worldwide – it’s also on the rise. Finding…
By Patricia Burke Lessons from Morning Musical Beds When my youngest son was a toddler, at about 4 a.m. nearly every morning, he would stand in our bedroom doorway, crying that he was cold. Depending on the relative level of exhaustion of each of his…
Barcelona, 17 December 2019. Women who live less than 300 metres from green space may be at lower risk of excess weight or obesity. This is the main finding of a study led by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), a centre supported by…
