SPEND TIME IN NATURE

step #9

“Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.”

ALBERT EINSTEIN

Some of these issues affecting tropical rainforests are overwhelming to consider. Relax on this one. Take refuge in nature—our home. You may even want to read this chapter outside. Breathe some fresh air. Enjoy a garden. Go for a walk. Connect to the nature around you, and you will in some way be connecting with the rainforests.

THE SCOOP

One of the very best things we can do for ourselves and the rainforest is to spend time in nature, regardless of where we live. Henry David Thoreau was on to something when he moved to Walden Pond to write his classic Walden. And Ralph Waldo Emerson too. They found endless inspiration by spending time in the great outdoors. They were among the first American environmentalists, and they happened to be abolitionists as well. We think their connection to nature and ability to act on their convictions were not unrelated.

Modern life tends to be very insular. We spend many hours indoors each day, working or going to school—in paved cities, traveling by motor vehicle, airplane or train. We stare at computer screens, televisions and other electronic devices for hours. When we pause and take time to recreate, whether it’s a few minutes in the park on a lunch break or a weekend camping trip in the mountains, a vital part of ourselves is fed and restored. We are creatures of nature, and it’s important to take time to return to our home. We feed our relationship to nature by giving it our time and attention. And by doing so, we are more likely moved to respect and protect it.

This is not just theory. Numerous studies have revealed the beneficial effects that spending time in nature has on the human psyche and body, including reducing stress, improving mood and promoting an overall increase in both physical and mental well-being. Several experiments conducted by a team of researchers from the University of Rochester and published in the October 2009 issue of Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin show that experience with nature goes further than affecting our mood—it can affect our priorities and alter what we think is important in life. Participants exposed to nature exhibited a broader focus on community and connection with others over personal gain. One of the coauthors explained that nature appears to help people connect to their authentic selves, which are inherently communal because humans evolved in hunter-and-gatherer societies that depended on mutuality for survival. “Nature in a way strips away the artifices of society that alienate us from one another,” says one of the authors. The bottom line is that exposure to nature makes us feel and act better, making choices that affect the greater good.

We believe it’s the experience of receiving something unquantifiable but vital to our well-being that motivates incremental changes in the way we live. Who wants to destroy what gives us life? Feeding that connection to nature, even if it is just rolling down the window of your car and letting the breeze blow gently on your face, inspires action.

WHAT YOU CAN DO

So take time. Relax. Enjoy. Take a walk, even if it is for a few minutes. Buy plants for your home. Invest in an indoor or outdoor fountain. Take a hike outdoors on the weekend. Visit the park with your kids. Spend time in your garden or add greenery to your patio or balcony. Take the longer, more scenic drive sometimes, just for the heck of it. Soak it up and enjoy our beautiful natural world in all its splendor and glory. And know that feeding your connection to nature is part of the solution to saving rainforests.

We guarantee the more time you spend in nature, the easier it will be to bring your own bags to the grocery store, to check out the new electric vehicles, to fill the reusable bottle rather than buying dozens of plastic ones, to buy in bulk, to recycle paper or just conserve it, to desire to know more about the rainforest, to e-mail your representative about an issue that affects rainforests, to choose the wood certified by the Forest Stewardship Council to avoid rayon when shopping for clothing, to become a person who cares and stands for something greater—in short, to take a step for the rainforest.