Posted On: Thursday, July 20, 2023
WE ARE LIVING IN AN INCREASINGLY URBAN ENVIRONMENT WHERE THE CONNECTION BETWEEN HUMANS AND NATURE IS BECOMING MORE DISTANT.
In 1920, only five in ten Canadians lived in cities. But today eight in ten Canadians are city dwellers. In 1976, 38% of Ontarians lived in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) alone. This is expected to jump to over 50% by 2040. The drive to urbanization has two consequences—natural areas are reduced to make room for development and Ontarians are exposed less often to natural areas because they need to travel further to reach them. This raises the alarm when we realize how crucial the nature connection is to our health and well-being. Author Richard Louv coined the term “nature deficit disorder” to describe the human costs of alienation from the natural world.
CANADIANS SPEND MORE TIME INDOORS NOW THAN ANY OTHER POINT IN HISTORY— 90% OF EACH DAY. WE SPEND 69% OF OUR WAKING TIME SITTING. THIS INSIDE, SEDENTARY LIFE, DISCONNECTED FROM NATURE IS COSTING US DEARLY.
The loss of our connection to nature not only hurts our health and well-being, it also hurts our bank account. In Canada the total spending on health has grown from 7% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 1975 to 11% in 2016. This amounts to a staggering $226 billion or over $6,000 per person. This is due in part to an aging population but the increase in chronic disease plays a major role.
https://www.ontarioparks.com/hphp/engage
Location: The Gallery - Blue Mountains Public Library - 173 Bruce Street S, Thornbury
Location: The Blue Mountains Public Library Facebook Page/YouTube Page
Location: The Blue Mountains Public Library Facebook Page/YouTube Page
Location: The Gallery - Blue Mountains Public Library - 173 Bruce Street S, Thornbury
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