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Three ways to get your nature fix without a garden

Here are a few ways you can benefit from nature in and around your home without stepping foot in a garden.

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7 months ago

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There are plenty of ways to benefit from nature in and around your home. fizkes/Shutterstock

Spending time in a garden is good for you. It doesn’t matter if you’re watering plants or simply chilling on a deck chair – there’s a whole range of benefits that come with it. These include improved health and wellbeing, reduced mental fatigue and better sleep quality.

Those who get stuck into gardening also experience less stress and more physical activity. Research finds that these people even tend to eat more fruit and vegetables.

But not everyone is able to access a garden. With inflation squeezing incomes, owning a home with a garden is more difficult than ever, particularly for young people, and rental accommodation may not always come with outside space.

Quarter life, a series by The Conversation

This article is part of Quarter Life, a series about issues affecting those of us in our twenties and thirties. From the challenges of beginning a career and taking care of our mental health, to the excitement of starting a family, adopting a pet or just making friends as an adult. The articles in this series explore the questions and bring answers as we navigate this turbulent period of life.

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An English survey from 2021 revealed that those aged 16-24 were more than twice as likely to lack access to a garden or allotment compared to those aged over 65. My own research team dug into this issue too. We found that younger people and those on a lower income in the UK had a harder time accessing a garden than older and richer people.

But don’t despair if you’re unable to access a garden. There are plenty of ways to benefit from nature in and around your home without stepping foot in a garden. Here are three ways research suggests you can bring nature into your life.

1. Visit a park

The presence of nature – such as plants and trees, natural sounds like birdsong, and water – is part of what makes gardens so good for us. Research finds that contact with nature can reduce stress and depression, improve work and educational performance, increase wellbeing and help us live longer.

It’s not just gardens that offer this dose of nature. In fact, nature can be found in many urban parks, even in tiny pocket parks (small areas of public green space).

These parks are more than just serene spots. They can also be great places to meet up with friends and family, particularly if they include cafés, tables and seating areas. Building social relationships like this comes with a number of added health benefits too.

Many people will find a park close to their home. The Office for National Statistics estimate that more than a quarter of people in Great Britain live within a five-minute walk of a public park, and 72% within a 15-minute walk.

People relaxing on the grass at Hampstead Heath.
People relaxing on the grass at Hampstead Heath, London. Alex Segre/Shutterstock

However, inequalities exist here too. The quality of urban parks tends to be better in wealthier areas compared with those in areas with lower socioeconomic status.

2. Get some houseplants

Houseplants are a great way to bring nature into your home if you have no outdoor space. As with other forms of nature, indoor plants are linked to reduced blood pressure and lower levels of stress.

They also help make a space more attractive, turning it into somewhere you want to spend time in. In one study, students showed a preference for studying in a room with potted plants compared to a room without them.

Many people also value the act of caring for their houseplants – whether this is watering them, feeding them or “giving them a haircut”.

Houseplants may also help if you have to spend long periods of time indoors. During the COVID lockdowns, for example, exposure to greenery helped residents in Shanghai, China, by reducing loneliness and depressive symptoms.

If you spend a lot of time working or studying at home, houseplants may also improve your ability to work. In an office setting, people who had plants in the room performed better when working on demanding tasks. Separate research on Norwegian office workers also found that the presence of indoor plants improved productivity and reduced sick leave.

There are lots of houseplants to choose from and it can be difficult to know where to start. But there are plenty of online guides to help you choose the right one. And for those of you that worry you’ll accidentally kill your new houseplant, know that even qualified horticulturalists regularly lose plants – it’s all trial and error.

3. Make use of digital nature

If you live somewhere you can’t own houseplants, or you are not ready for the responsibility, try surrounding yourself with digital nature instead. During Israel’s initial COVID lockdown, a survey of 776 people revealed that viewing images of nature on a computer screen was linked to lower levels of stress and fewer negative emotions.

A woman sitting on a sofa watching a nature documentary.
Try surrounding yourself with digital nature. Ellyy/Shutterstock

You could also watch some nature documentaries, or clips of animals and birdsong on your social media. In our recent research, we found that watching videos of nature on social media – specifically highlights from the BBC’s Springwatch TV series and from Chris Packham’s (a UK TV presenter and naturalist) livestream videos on Facebook – helped support wellbeing during the COVID lockdowns.

No matter your circumstances, there’s always a way to bring a bit of nature into your life.

Emma White has previously worked on a project funded by the UK's Economic and Social Research Council, examining the role that nature played for people during the pandemic. Emma also previously worked on a review of greenspace, which was funded by Natural England.

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Angry Shouting Aside, Here’s What Biden Is Running On

Angry Shouting Aside, Here’s What Biden Is Running On

Last night, Joe Biden gave an extremely dark, threatening, angry State of the Union…

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4 hours ago

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March 8, 2024

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Angry Shouting Aside, Here's What Biden Is Running On

Last night, Joe Biden gave an extremely dark, threatening, angry State of the Union address - in which he insisted that the American economy is doing better than ever, blamed inflation on 'corporate greed,' and warned that Donald Trump poses an existential threat to the republic.

But in between the angry rhetoric, he also laid out his 2024 election platform - for which additional details will be released on March 11, when the White House sends its proposed budget to Congress.

To that end, Goldman Sachs' Alec Phillips and Tim Krupa have summarized the key points:

Taxes

While railing against billionaires (nothing new there), Biden repeated the claim that anyone making under $400,000 per year won't see an increase in their taxes.  He also proposed a 21% corporate minimum tax, up from 15% on book income outlined in the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), as well as raising the corporate tax rate from 21% to 28% (which would promptly be passed along to consumers in the form of more inflation). Goldman notes that "Congress is unlikely to consider any of these proposals this year, they would only come into play in a second Biden term, if Democrats also won House and Senate majorities."

Biden also called on Congress to restore the pandemic-era child tax credit.

Immigration

Instead of simply passing a slew of border security Executive Orders like the Trump ones he shredded on day one, Biden repeated the lie that Congress 'needs to act' before he can (translation: send money to Ukraine or the US border will continue to be a sieve).

As immigration comes into even greater focus heading into the election, we continue to expect the Administration to tighten policy (e.g., immigration has surged 20pp the last 7 months to first place with 28% in Gallup’s “most important problem” survey). As such, we estimate the foreign-born contribution to monthly labor force growth will moderate from 110k/month in 2023 to around 70-90k/month in 2024. -GS

Ukraine

Biden, with House Speaker Mike Johnson doing his best impression of a bobble-head, urged Congress to pass additional assistance for Ukraine based entirely on the premise that Russia 'won't stop' there (and would what, trigger article 5 and WW3 no matter what?), despite the fact that Putin explicitly told Tucker Carlson he has no further ambitions, and in fact seeks a settlement.

As Goldman estimates, "While there is still a clear chance that such a deal could come together, for now there is no clear path forward for Ukraine aid in Congress."

China

Biden, forgetting about all the aggressive tariffs, suggested that Trump had been soft on China, and that he will stand up "against China's unfair economic practices" and "for peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait."

Healthcare

Lastly, Biden proposed to expand drug price negotiations to 50 additional drugs each year (an increase from 20 outlined in the IRA), which Goldman said would likely require bipartisan support "even if Democrats controlled Congress and the White House," as such policies would likely be ineligible for the budget "reconciliation" process which has been used in previous years to pass the IRA and other major fiscal party when Congressional margins are just too thin.

So there you have it. With no actual accomplishments to speak of, Biden can only attack Trump, lie, and make empty promises.

Tyler Durden Fri, 03/08/2024 - 18:00

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United Airlines adds new flights to faraway destinations

The airline said that it has been working hard to "find hidden gem destinations."

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12 hours ago

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March 8, 2024

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Since countries started opening up after the pandemic in 2021 and 2022, airlines have been seeing demand soar not just for major global cities and popular routes but also for farther-away destinations.

Numerous reports, including a recent TripAdvisor survey of trending destinations, showed that there has been a rise in U.S. traveler interest in Asian countries such as Japan, South Korea and Vietnam as well as growing tourism traction in off-the-beaten-path European countries such as Slovenia, Estonia and Montenegro.

Related: 'No more flying for you': Travel agency sounds alarm over risk of 'carbon passports'

As a result, airlines have been looking at their networks to include more faraway destinations as well as smaller cities that are growing increasingly popular with tourists and may not be served by their competitors.

The Philippines has been popular among tourists in recent years.

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United brings back more routes, says it is committed to 'finding hidden gems'

This week, United Airlines  (UAL)  announced that it will be launching a new route from Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) to Morocco's Marrakesh. While it is only the country's fourth-largest city, Marrakesh is a particularly popular place for tourists to seek out the sights and experiences that many associate with the country — colorful souks, gardens with ornate architecture and mosques from the Moorish period.

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"We have consistently been ahead of the curve in finding hidden gem destinations for our customers to explore and remain committed to providing the most unique slate of travel options for their adventures abroad," United's SVP of Global Network Planning Patrick Quayle, said in a press statement.

The new route will launch on Oct. 24 and take place three times a week on a Boeing 767-300ER  (BA)  plane that is equipped with 46 Polaris business class and 22 Premium Plus seats. The plane choice was a way to reach a luxury customer customer looking to start their holiday in Marrakesh in the plane.

Along with the new Morocco route, United is also launching a flight between Houston (IAH) and Colombia's Medellín on Oct. 27 as well as a route between Tokyo and Cebu in the Philippines on July 31 — the latter is known as a "fifth freedom" flight in which the airline flies to the larger hub from the mainland U.S. and then goes on to smaller Asian city popular with tourists after some travelers get off (and others get on) in Tokyo.

United's network expansion includes new 'fifth freedom' flight

In the fall of 2023, United became the first U.S. airline to fly to the Philippines with a new Manila-San Francisco flight. It has expanded its service to Asia from different U.S. cities earlier last year. Cebu has been on its radar amid growing tourist interest in the region known for marine parks, rainforests and Spanish-style architecture.

With the summer coming up, United also announced that it plans to run its current flights to Hong Kong, Seoul, and Portugal's Porto more frequently at different points of the week and reach four weekly flights between Los Angeles and Shanghai by August 29.

"This is your normal, exciting network planning team back in action," Quayle told travel website The Points Guy of the airline's plans for the new routes.

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Walmart launches clever answer to Target’s new membership program

The retail superstore is adding a new feature to its Walmart+ plan — and customers will be happy.

Published

12 hours ago

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March 8, 2024

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It's just been a few days since Target  (TGT)  launched its new Target Circle 360 paid membership plan. 

The plan offers free and fast shipping on many products to customers, initially for $49 a year and then $99 after the initial promotional signup period. It promises to be a success, since many Target customers are loyal to the brand and will go out of their way to shop at one instead of at its two larger peers, Walmart and Amazon.

Related: Walmart makes a major price cut that will delight customers

And stop us if this sounds familiar: Target will rely on its more than 2,000 stores to act as fulfillment hubs. 

This model is a proven winner; Walmart also uses its more than 4,600 stores as fulfillment and shipping locations to get orders to customers as soon as possible.

Sometimes, this means shipping goods from the nearest warehouse. But if a desired product is in-store and closer to a customer, it reduces miles on the road and delivery time. It's a kind of logistical magic that makes any efficiency lover's (or retail nerd's) heart go pitter patter. 

Walmart rolls out answer to Target's new membership tier

Walmart has certainly had more time than Target to develop and work out the kinks in Walmart+. It first launched the paid membership in 2020 during the height of the pandemic, when many shoppers sheltered at home but still required many staples they might ordinarily pick up at a Walmart, like cleaning supplies, personal-care products, pantry goods and, of course, toilet paper. 

It also undercut Amazon  (AMZN)  Prime, which costs customers $139 a year for free and fast shipping (plus several other benefits including access to its streaming service, Amazon Prime Video). 

Walmart+ costs $98 a year, which also gets you free and speedy delivery, plus access to a Paramount+ streaming subscription, fuel savings, and more. 

An employee at a Merida, Mexico, Walmart. (Photo by Jeffrey Greenberg/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

Jeff Greenberg/Getty Images

If that's not enough to tempt you, however, Walmart+ just added a new benefit to its membership program, ostensibly to compete directly with something Target now has: ultrafast delivery. 

Target Circle 360 particularly attracts customers with free same-day delivery for select orders over $35 and as little as one-hour delivery on select items. Target executes this through its Shipt subsidiary.

We've seen this lightning-fast delivery speed only in snippets from Amazon, the king of delivery efficiency. Who better to take on Target, though, than Walmart, which is using a similar store-as-fulfillment-center model? 

"Walmart is stepping up to save our customers even more time with our latest delivery offering: Express On-Demand Early Morning Delivery," Walmart said in a statement, just a day after Target Circle 360 launched. "Starting at 6 a.m., earlier than ever before, customers can enjoy the convenience of On-Demand delivery."

Walmart  (WMT)  clearly sees consumers' desire for near-instant delivery, which obviously saves time and trips to the store. Rather than waiting a day for your order to show up, it might be on your doorstep when you wake up. 

Consumers also tend to spend more money when they shop online, and they remain stickier as paying annual members. So, to a growing number of retail giants, almost instant gratification like this seems like something worth striving for.

Related: Veteran fund manager picks favorite stocks for 2024

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