LETTER

Get out into Nature!

What science tells us about the benefits of time in nature:  An article entitled  “What is the Best Dose of Nature and Green Exercise for Improving Mental Health?,”  published in the journal Environmental Science and Technology in 2010, has since been cited more than 1,100 times. It summarizes ten U.K. studies examining how exercise in natural environments improves mood and self-esteem. The studies found that even short periods of “green exercise” provided “large benefits”.  Men and women had equal self-esteem benefits, whereas mood benefits were larger for men. Younger people had the greatest self-esteem benefits; middle-aged people had the greatest mood benefits.  Science tells us that spending time in nature has enormous benefits for our mental and physical health, benefits that are all the more valuable in these times of much bad news about the state of Earth’s ecosystems and climate.  This page is part of our attempt to inspire us all to get out in nature more often. We invite you to join us in the woods and on the waterways of the beautiful Ottawa River watershed!

Ottawa River Institute

Killaloe, 

ONT