I was pleasantly surprised and chuffed by the interest that was shown in my last post, The world I would like for Zoe. It seems that many share my hope for a world where nature is firmly woven into the fabric of everyday life. I also detected a concern that this dream is a long way from becoming a reality – if, indeed, a reality it can ever be in the face of humanity’s headlong rush towards urbanisation.
But I refuse to abandon the dream because even in the midst of this “headlong rush”, there are clear signs that our deep, instinctive affection for nature (our biophilia) endures. Despite the allure of urban habitats, we are reluctant to abandon nature altogether.
We see this in our persistence with “green” activities. Gardening is an obvious example along with keeping pets, decorating with flowers, hiking, fishing, hunting, picnicking, taking scenic tours, and paying fortunes for houses with scenic views. Living in cities has clearly not crushed our “liking” for nature.
No doubt, city life makes it harder for us to embrace our biophilia, but research tells us that people in general, children included, do not want to lose touch with the natural world. There is certainly no reason to suppose that people have ceased to value the beauty, peace, wonder and other joys of nature – quite the contrary. One recent survey found that 61 per cent of people from across nine countries cited nature as a major contributor to health and well-being. Only family (84 per cent) received stronger support.
Even more encouraging are the many “re-connecting with nature” or “naturalising” initiatives that are gaining ground in a number of Western countries, including our own. As a result, we can expect to hear a lot more about “biophilic design”, “biophilic cities”, “urban forests”, “forest schools”, nature play and nature therapy. And there is no shortage of websites, such as Natural England, NatureConnect, Natureplay WA, and Caro and Co, that are full of information and guidelines about engaging with nature.
A very significant feature of these initiatives is that they rely on people power. They involve a “bottom-up” or “grass-roots” approach in other words. They are succeeding because people, like you and me, are willing to join the re-connecting with nature movement.
If enough of us make a similar commitment, the world I (we) hope for Zoe will become much more likely. A good place to start is with a promise to ourselves to spend more time in and with nature.
Keeping this promise is far easier than you may imagine. There are just so many ways of connecting with nature that everyone can be a nature person of one kind or another.
In the last chapter of Claim Your Wildness, there is a chart, The Tree of Green Activities. This is only a section of the chart (unfortunately, the chart is too large to reproduce in full) but it is sufficient to show just how diverse nature or “green” activities can be.
A major purpose of the chart is to push the message that there are green activities for virtually everyone, ranging from those you can do in and around your home to more adventurous” ones like rock climbing and scuba diving.
A recent edition of ABC TV’s Gardening Australia contained some interesting examples of green activities. To view them click here and here.
Speaking of Claim Your Wildness, if you would like to read the book and write a brief review of it, please use the comment box to request a free copy in ebook or PDF format. In addition to providing an email address, tell me a little about yourself. As I will not approve your comment for publication, your privacy will be protected.
“A good place to start is with a promise to ourselves to spend more time in and with nature.”
Yes. It grows on you, and into you, then out from you.
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That just about sums it up. Thank you Balsamean
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The connection can be nurtured in simple ways. One of your grand daughters and I were discussing the difference between a run on roads and one in the bush. This morning I had the joy of running through the Living Desert near Broken Hill. Kangaroos leapt away as I plodded along, the sense of space, peace and connection was very special. It re-ignited my desire to do what I could to look after this planet. Bravo to Richard Flanagan for speaking out against the destructive environment policies of the current government!
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Hi Dr. Higgins,
My name is Len Bishop and I am a Landscape and Nature photographer. I came across your book “Claim your Wildness” as I was searching for a specific topic which is biophilia. I downloaded a sample from Kindle and I couldn’t stop reading it. I find it very interesting and your style of writing is quite relaxed and easy to understand. As someone who loves nature, one of my goals is to show people the beauty of nature through the photographs that I create.
I would love to continue reading your book and provide review for it on Amazon and on my blog (www.lenbishop.com/blog). I saw your invitation that you will send a free copy of the book on ebook or PDF so I thought about writing you.
Thank you for sharing your love for nature to everyone.
Len Bishop
http://www.lenbishop.com
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