GREAT BAY, Sint Maarten (DCOMM) – Monday, June 5 marks World Environment Day. The theme for this year is: “Connecting People to Nature.”
World Environment Day is the largest global day for positive environmental action. This year, the main celebrations are hosted by Canada.
The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) says thousands of people across six continents are joining massive clean-ups of beaches and parks, countries are protecting 1,600 square kilometres of land, and over 30 iconic landmarks, including the Empire State Building, ‘Christ the Redeemer’ statue in Rio, and Niagara Falls, will light up in green.
Collective Preventive Services (CPS) department in the Ministry of Public Health, Social Development and Labour, as part of its annual calendar of awareness activities, is calling on the community to connect with nature every day as it has physical as well as mental benefits for each one of us.
Scientific research over the decades have helped the human race understand the countless benefits nature supports our prosperity and well-being.
The world’s forests, soils and oceans provide food; and medicines are developed from millions of species. The environment provides leisure, health and spiritual benefits.
People who have been suffering from stress, sickness, or a trauma can spend quiet time in gardens or taken to the mountain to heal.
For adults, being out in nature helps with Alzheimer’s and dementia; asthma and respiratory disorders; cognition; depression; general health; heart health; hospital recovery; obesity; stroke; and type II diabetes.
Being outdoors in nature is also good for children. It helps those who suffer with nature deficit disorder; autism spectrum disorders; and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder.
Reach out within your communities, discover and enjoy nature. Sint Maarten has a lot to offer, and therefore we must appreciate and safeguard a healthy environment for the present and the future.
Reconnect with nature this week and celebrate the places that matter most to you and your family.
