Everything around us, the air we breathe, the water we drink or even the roof above our heads; are all a part of us. We are a part of the complex ecosystem that makes survival and living possible on this planet. Collectively, we have termed this space where we thrive, our “environment”.  Every year, we dedicate one day to take stock of its vulnerability and its delicate health to plan how we can spend the rest of the year in safeguarding it and repairing some of the damage we have caused. This has been a vicious circle, moving on repeat for close to a decade.

This year’s World Environment Day theme is to help us comprehend the value of the space that allows for life and its sustenance – “Connecting people to nature – in the city and on the land, from the poles to equator”.

In our current pursuit to increase human life-span and live healthy, we have evolved to focus our everyday lives around 4 main tenets – Fitness, Nutrition, Mental well-being and Healthcare. Although we try to salvage the damage we cause, we never pause to think about how our everyday functioning relates to nature; how every minute and every activity affects and effects the environment.

Here are a few ways in which you can connect with nature everyday:

1. Fitness –
Making your fitness routine more eco-friendly is a win-win situation.

• Instead of a run on a treadmill, go for a hike to the closest hill
• Ride your cycle to work instead of your car.

2. Nutrition –
Increasingly, the food Indians eat are exported from outside. Shipping our food long distances uses up a lot of energy and contributes to global warming. In addition, nutrient content of our indigenous soil stands to get depleted if not cultivated often.  Here are ways we can make a small difference:

• Start consuming products and food that is locally grown. Nutrients are returned to the soil in the form of compost and the ecological cycle remains stable.
• Avoid foods that have been grown using chemical pesticides. These not only affect the soil but also prove bad for health. Organic products grown using natural pesticides like bacteria will work better.

3. Mental wellness-
Nature contributes to our mental well-being more than we realize. Our moods can be altered based on the environment around us. Here are some activities that can prove beneficial to both the environment and you:

• Feeling low? Nothing a walk in wide open green spaces can’t fix! In our urban sprawl, promoting the growth of these nooks is increasingly important. This contributes to stabilizing the ecological cycle too!
• Interaction is an inherent part of human psyche. Indulging in activities together with your community will not only help your mental health, but also save on precious resources and energy for the environment.
• While at it, you could also volunteer to save trees together or even clean up your city!