Take a walk through Trees

Notice how many of us gravitate towards greener spaces whenever we get the chance? Have you found yourself rolling down the window while driving through a park suddenly feeling more relaxed. Green spaces in cities boost positive effects like happy emotions, motivator, mind de-stressor besides physical fitness. According to studies like BBC News those who spend more time in green spaces have less tendencies of depression, better immunity, longer longevity and positive outlook.

It is recommended to walk, jog, stroll in the mornings with pollution being the least in  urban metro’s which means fresher air and best way to start your day. Individuals who walk outdoors regularly are observed to be alert, better equipped at handling external stress. Another report shows how parks and green spaces outside hospital windows have an effect on patients who recover faster than usual. It also known by this report that Trees calm us down, something which much needed in present day hectic and noise riddance lives.

Another faster and convenient way for getting green closer is making garden spaces on rooftops, terraces and balconies of homes. This way gardening knowledge, reduced travel time and daily dose of greenery is achieved. Growing ornamental, plants and veggies are mental and physical boosting factors not to mention knowledge and learning . The rise of organic terrace gardening is becoming obvious as more greenery like trees and water bodies are disappearing.

If you are a green addict and enjoy taking advantage of most opportunities, Bangalore offers tree walk activities, tree celebration festivals and  farm green getaways which are ideal for rejuvenating weekend packed with interesting activities.  Learn about how a 2 acre forest created inside a university in Bangalore which lowered temperature and raised the water tables while the rest of Bangalore baked this summer.

Other cities across the country like Mumbai have the advantage of a national park within

city limits, probably the only city in the world. Not only does Sanjay Gandhi National Park serve as lungs to the second largest metro in the India, its a carbon sink and balances the climate as much as possible. Always keeping its doors open for city enthusiasts to experience educational nature walks. Delhi too has a number of places to spend greener and outdoor weekends better.

We listed down out some of the advantages of green spaces for health, social and scientific reasons:

Health

1. Whether its mornings, afternoons or evenings your mind feels more alert, alive and concentration levels go up along with memory
2. Walking gives you time to reflect and think, makes you put away that tablet or android and look around while you walk.
3.  You start feeling more positive calm, relaxed after 30 minutes of brisk walking

Personal and Social

1. Choose your morning or evening walk to catch up with friends or a spouse, do  it for a week and you will find yourself getting into a routine
2. If you have shifted into a new neighborhood, head to the park or nearest lake in the mornings to get a sense of the community, people and culture living in and around you.
3. Many parks and green spaces have exercising groups that you can join or even start one like yoga, walking/ jogging/ meditation you will find folks playing a game of badminton and frisbee which is refreshing.

Science

1. Trees act as ‘carbon sinks’ they sequester carbon dioxide, the older the tree the more carbon it can store and purify air
2. Trees virtually raise water tables and lower temperatures while maintaining the balance of flora and fauna
3. Conservation efforts in trees support a large number of animals, plants and rare species across the world which are studied and provide valuable knowledge about the history, culture about future of civilizations and gathering medicinal properties and knowledge

(Photo Credits – A Green Venture)

We thank Nature experts EcoEdu for tree identification

References:

Sydney Morning Herald, BBC News, New Yorker, Bangalore Walks, Neralu, India Today, Eartha, SGNP, LLB Delhi NCR, Quartz, Deccan Chronicle, The Hindu

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