IT'S IMPOSSIBLE TO OVERSTATE DEFLATIONARY PRESSURES:

Green prescriptions were pioneered decades ago. In 1982, doctors in Japan began encouraging therapeutic so-called "forest bathing," or ​​Shinrin-yoku, which is now available in 62 certified forest-therapy bases. In New Zealand, green prescriptions -- so-called Rōngoa Kākāriki -- have become a formal part of the health care system, with people even able to self-refer (and as of May, the prescriptions are free). More recently, Park Rx America, one of the world's largest green prescription programs, was launched in 2017 by pediatrician Dr Robert Zarr, who set out a mission to "decrease the burden of chronic disease, increase health and happiness, and foster environmental stewardship."

In one of the movement's latest growth spurts, Canada last year launched its first nationwide green prescription program. In 2019, PaRx, a health initiative launched by the BC Parks Foundation, partnered with Parks Canada to provide doctors across four provinces -- British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and Ontario -- with an initial run of 100 free passes giving a year's access to more than 80 of the country's national parks, historic sites and nature reserves. Demand quickly shot up and now the number of passes has been made unlimited. Today, 4,000 green prescriptions have been written by over 10,000 physicians -- more than five percent of Canada's total -- in all 10 provinces. In December, the Canadian Medical Association officially endorsed the program.

"In Canada, we have an outdoor-loving culture," says Melissa Lem, director of PaRx. "But we've been overwhelmed by the response. We must take this wonderful opportunity with both hands because nature has massive health benefits."

The benefits of spending time in nature are as established as a centuries-old oak trunk, and include reduced stress and improved sleep, happiness, attention, memory and creativity. In one 2015 study, researchers in Canada found that adding 10 more trees to a city block improved perceived health and well-being as much as increasing people's income by $10,000 or making them seven years younger. Time in nature even impacts the very functioning of our bodies: a study by a professor at University College London found that contact with microbes in the environment strengthens our immune systems, improving the resilience of our skin, airways and guts. These programs also help support the maintenance of parks themselves. And you don't have to go into wild places to feel the benefit of nature: a Finnish study found that just 15 minutes walking in a city park is enough to improve energy and vitality. 

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