Ten Things to Advance Sustainability in the Built Environment- number two

Restore one’s connection to nature. Most of us spend most of our time indoors, some research indicates up to 90%. Look outside, go outside, walk, breath fresh air, touch soil, garden, hike, ride a bike, look at stars, swim…find a way to connect to the natural world. If our concern about sustainability in the built environment becomes too focused on the academic, the technical, and the political, we run the risk of losing the whole point of it all- enjoying nurturance and sustenance from both the environment we build and the one we have been provided with. Human nature is the link between the two, at least from our point of view, and restoring health to our own nature is an important step to “restoration of nature”.