Doctors in Shetland, Scotland can now give nature prescriptions to their patients. It’s believed to be the first program of its kind in the U.K., and it comes with a year-long calendar of outdoor recommendations. The evidence for the benefits of nature on mental and physical health are numerous. Since October 5, doctors in Shetland, Scotland, have been authorized to prescribe nature to their patients. It’s thought to be the first program of its kind in the U.K., and seeks to reduce blood pressure, anxiety, and increase happiness for those with diabetes, a mental illness, stress, heart disease, and more. There is a whole leaflet of nature prescription suggestions that accompanies the program, filled with amusing, charming, sometimes seemingly off-kilter suggestions: in February, you can make a windsock from a hoop and material to "appreciate the speed of the wind"; in March, you can make beach art from natural materials or "borrow a dog and take it for a walk"; in April, you can "touch the sea" and "make a bug hotel"; in May, you can "bury your face in the grass"; in July, you can "pick two different kinds of grass and really look at them"; in August, […]
Doctors in Scotland can now prescribe nature to their patients
Latest Articles
Four New Textiles for High Performance and Sustainability
Courtesy Ultrafabrics Organic Matter Ultrafabrics’ first bio-based collection, Ultraleather Volar Bio, uses renewable plant-based materials to provide a sustainable, high-performance alternative to leather....
Maven Moment: Reusing Coffee Grounds
The aroma of coffee and the gurgling from the espresso pot when the coffee was ready were a big part of my mornings...
Why rural America is key to climate change policy
It's time for climate policy to come to rural America This article originally appeared on WRI . Many rural counties in the United...
Seagrass-grazing dugongs and green sea turtles supercharge the seeds they eat
By consuming and pooping seagrass seeds, dugongs and green turtles play a vital role in maintaining vital, carbon-sequestering seagrass meadows, a new study...
Sicily’s fruit farmers adapt produce to changing climate
Sicilian fruit grower Maruzza Cupane inspects her avocados. Sicilian fruit growers are battling to adapt to climate disruption, as the southern Italian region...
In Indonesia, an unassuming brown bird is proof of turbo-charged evolution
Scientists are proposing to add two new subspecies to four existing ones within the Sulawesi babbler (Pellorneum celebense) species. The team identified the...
