From: Scout – University of Wisconsin Computer Department – August 31, 2015

In the News

The Benefits of Natural Spaces May Be Greater than We Think

How Trees Calm Us Down
http://www.newyorker.com/tech/elements/what-is-a-tree-worth

New research suggests nature walks are good for your brain
http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2015/06/29/fixating-or-brooding-on-things-take-a-walk-in-the-woods-for-real/

Neighborhood greenspace and health in a large urban center
http://www.nature.com/srep/2015/150709/srep11610/full/srep11610.html

Alliance for Community Trees: Resources About Trees
http://actrees.org/resources/about-trees/

Walking
http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/1862/06/walking/304674/

Ralph Waldo Emerson - Texts: 
http://www.emersoncentral.com/natureand.html

A new study published in Scientific Reports made headlines this week with a bold conclusion: for every additional ten trees on a city block, people in the study experienced a whopping one percent increase in overall well being. As study author Marc Berman explained to Alex Hutchinson of The New Yorker, “To get an equivalent increase with money, you’d have to give each household in that neighborhood ten thousand dollars.” Berman's study, which boasts a sample size of over 30 thousand Toronto residents, is only the latest in a series of new investigations about the benefits of green spaces. For instance, one study showed that taking micro-breaks to look at nature boosted attention levels, while another suggested that participants who took a 90-minute walk in nature exhibited less signs of negative rumination than those that took a walk in an urban area. These findings will come as no surprise to nature lovers. It's nice, however, to know that Thoreau, Emerson, and many others among our great American writers, were right all along about the wondrous capabilities of nature. [CNH]

The first link, from The New Yorker, provides an overview of Berman's new study on the health benefits of trees. Next, the Washington Post's Chris Mooney reviews some of the latest research on green spaces more generally. Next up, the third link navigates to Berman's article, "Neighborhood greenspace and health in a large urban center," which can be read in full online. After that, the Resources page of the Alliance for Community Trees offers many educational items. Finally, the last two links navigate to Thoreau's lauded essay, "Walking," and to a database of Emerson's Addresses and Lectures about nature.