Forest bathing or Shinrin-yoku refers to time spent walking in forests. In Japan the practice has been studied by forestry, agriculture and health officials. The rest of the world is now catching on to the idea that rather than being a nice-to-have feature, urban forests are vital to balance the health effects of modern life.

In the UK some cities are blessed with urban parks with mature trees. However, some communities lack mature trees, some have decided to remove tall trees due to various pressures, some people like visiting forests but don't feel the need to have them near their home. Perhaps that situation is about to change.

We know that an active lifestyle is necessary for health and well-being. 20-30 minutes walking 5 times per week maintains our mental alertness, blood pressure, body fat ratio and overall stress levels (a leading cause of cancers) at manageable levels. New findings have discovered that walking in forests is even better for us than just going to the gym or taking a stroll down a local pathway. 

Walking in forests (shinrin-yoku) may prevent the onset of chronic illnesses like cancers, reduce blood pressure, heart rate and stress hormones (which may have a preventive effect on hypertension).  It is also credited with creating calming psychological effects through changes observed in parasympathetic and sympathetic nerves. 

Forest bathing appears to increase the level of serum adiponectin--a hormone that in lower concentrations is associated with obesity, type 2 DM (diabetes mellitus), cardiovascular disease, and metabolic syndrome, among other metabolic disorders. A combined study found shinrin-yoku reduces anxiety, depression, anger, fatigue and feelings of emotional confusion.

By developing urban forests we create an oasis in the city, somewhere we can actively balance the indoor air pollution of modern buildings, the information overload and the stress and pressures of the modern world. Sustainable urban planning requires us to include more trees in the urban setting. To mitigate climate change we need more long-lived trees to sequester carbon. Rather than being a nice-to-have feature, urban forests are vital for a cost effective public health system.

Read the full article here

I found this article on the Grand Designs website and thought it might be of interest -

"When it comes to green living, the Germans are light years ahead of us Brits. Slowly, like toddlers being dragged to the doctor, the UK is moving towards more energy- efficient homes, while Germany swallowed its medicine long ago. The latter has fabulous incentives for green home improvements, to say nothing of its support for renewables. Compare this to grubby old Blighty, where millions don't even have decent insulation.

But this means we can learn a lot from the German experience of what it's like to live in an eco-friendly building. So once we ‘power down' our homes and sort out energy leakage, what next?

One issue that has emerged in Germany is the effect on human well-being of the buildings we live in. They even have a term for the study of it, Bau-biologie or building biology. Ironically, its roots lie in the improved efficiency of modern construction - as homes become more airtight, they deny their inhabitants fresh air and increase exposure to toxins in the building's fabric. Such thinking has been used to explain the emergence of Sick Building Syndrome, various allergenic reactions and recent increases in asthma and respiratory diseases.

The result is to emphasise ‘healthy' construction, a home that is good for you as well as the environment. ‘The movement towards healthy building started about 30 years ago in Germany,' says Oliver Rehm, managing director of design-build company Baufritz.

It is safe to say the public has some appreciation of potential problems from humidity, harmful chemicals and lack of fresh air. In the UK, there is also a growing awareness of chemical pollutants that might find their way into the home - from harmful gases in paint known as volatile organic compounds (VOCs), to flame retardants in furnishings.

Baufritz's answer to humidity, toxins and lack of oxygen is to design homes with a breathable skin, a modern equivalent to dealing with moisture that stretches back centuries, and mechanically controlled windows that open and close according to the internal air quality, or a central ventilation system.

Rehm talks of the human body being affected by ‘electrostress' from overhead telegraph cables, mobile phone masts, power stations, digital telephones, wireless networks, electricity cables, microwave ovens and so on. As a result, Baufritz fits a ‘XUND-E plate' to the outside of its buildings, comprising thin layers of carbon on a natural gypsum board. This, says Baufritz, cuts out up to 99 per cent of all high-frequency radiation and low-frequency static emissions. Inside meanwhile, great care is placed on the siting of electrical circuits, avoiding sleeping areas, for example, in order to reduce exposure to potential harm.

The Building Research Establishment (BRE) says it is keen to do more research into the idea of a healthy home - after all, we spend much of our time inside our homes - and that it is not aware of any body of information on the subject. To this end, the Prince's Foundation is currently building a state-of-the-art house from natural materials at the BRE's Innovation Park near Watford, the site for a handful of show homes demonstrating the latest ideas in sustainable living. ‘Research will examine the impact of natural materials on air quality, on allergy resistance and on general sense of well-being,' says the BRE. "

If you have been to see the natural house at the BRE's Innovation Park near Watford, please let us know your thoughts.

Retro-fitting homes is in the news at the moment. Guidance is around making our homes more energy efficient and saving money. The government has approved suppliers and assessors who will come to your home, check its status and sell you 'fixes'. If you are a tenant the government has a Green Deal scheme so you pay only (about) as much as you save on your energy bill to get the fixes your home needs. These solutions make good sense, but are only part of the picture.

Many people live in homes with small windows and little sunshine indoors, either because the house faces the wrong way, the windows are on the wrong wall to receive direct sunshine, or because the windows are poorly placed or inadequately sized. Why do we need sunshine? Sunshine, and natural daylight, have been proven to be essential for our health and well-being  The natural light improves mood, reduces stress, it even reduces healing times after surgery. Sunlight makes us happy. Our homes need as much light as we can get, for them to nurture us and be the havens we need. Our homes need to support us, by being uplifting places to come home to after a busy week at work.

Wasting money on bureaucracy, or anything else, is never a good idea. However planning departments must change and as tax payers we must invest in that change. Whether elected officials or council planning officers, we need people who understand the bigger picture of a healthy community, and the general principles of design for health and wellbeing in response to environmental degradation, climate change and rising energy costs. Some local authorities are forging ahead, while some lag behind.

The planning process needs to be streamlined so people who want / need to retrofit their homes, to make them more energy efficient (thermal slab flooring or walls, larger windows on the south side, smaller windows on the north, opening windows all around), in addition to the usual double glazing, condenser boilers and insulation, can do so.

Privacy is touted as the main reason people can't have windows in their walls!  However, just as climate change is changing the way we live, (snow, drought  deluges of rain) so planners are learning about the benefits of more light, and the environmental imperative of green living, and so are relaxing some of their previously inflexible stance re street review   We cannot go on as before.

With smart urban planning and green urban design planners and elected officials will be championing the new healthy way to (re) design our homes and our towns.

Once you have mapped where the sun shines on your wall and installed new large double glazed windows on the sunny side, added insulation, energy efficient appliances and an efficient boiler , to complete the process you need some planting. With appropriate planting people can have natural daylight, sunlight when it shines, and enjoy a screened view of and by the neighbours. With companies spending millions on research and development of simulated natural daylight options for healthcare, it is time to stop and ask where are the people standing up and recommending windows, the real, opening thing?

Whether you live in an eco town or are interested in living in green cities, retrofitting your home to be more energy efficient, allow more natural light in and retain more warmth is a smart way to save money and save the planet at the same time.