Quality Of Life
Health Benefits
Children who climb trees have much less likelihood of getting
diabetes and are much less likely to suffer from NDD (Nature
Deficit Disorder) and ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder). People
who can see trees from a hospital window leave the hospital, on
average, 8 days sooner than those who cannot see trees.
B/N Savings
People are 13% more likely to shop at places that have trees. Property values are 15% higher where there are mature trees. One large shade tree on a property saves as much as $100 per month in air-conditioning costs. Even with only 3% tree canopy in B/N (30% is minimum desirable, according to American Forests), we save annually about $200,000 in health costs and about $26,000,000 in storm run-off costs.
Urban Reforestation
Cities like Albuquerque, Baltimore, Des Moines, Indianapolis,
Jacksonville, Los Angeles, and San Francisco, and Washington,
D.C. have ambitious urban reforestation plans to reduce health
costs, increase tourism, and save on storm-run-off costs.
Intergeneration Bonds
Teams deepen bonds between children and elders. A hypothesis,
based on studies of human fossils, argues that about 35,000
years ago humans began living much longer. For the first time in
the history of Homo sapiens, elders helped raise the young, told
stories that span more than two generations, and increased the
memory and brain capacity of our species. Today many children
suffer from, to coin a phrase, “EDD--Elder Deficit Disorder.”
Inter-generational team members, not only plant the trees, but
revisit their trees and groves as a life-long practice. This
practice is an investment in the future.