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.
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