HouseZen believes that for you to feel good your home needs to be harmonious and in balance with your needs and personality.
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Zen Suggestions
 | Rodale's Illustrated Encyclopedia of Organic Gardening, Pauline Pears, DK Adult, 2005 |
 | Composting: An Easy Household Guide, Nicky Scott, Chelsea Green Publishing, 2007 |
 | Omnivore's Dilema |
 | Natural Stain Remover, Angela Martin, Apple Press, 2003 |
 | The Complete Compost Gardening Guide, Barbara Pleasant, Deborah L. Martin, Storey Books, 2008 |
| Learn more about these links | Suggest |
Inspiration
Chemicals, n: Noxious substances from which modern foods are made.Author Unknown
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| Can nature improve performance at school and at work? |
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| Written by Richard | ||||||
| Monday, 01 March 2010 18:17 | ||||||
 Biophilia is the desire to be surrounded by nature and greenery. Introducing it into your environment can bring you emotional, cognitive and physical benefits. The term was first used by Erich Fromm and popularized by the American psychologist Edward Wilson.A study carried out with children aged between seven and twelve showed that those relocated to homes with nature views from their windows performed better in standardized tests than those who had an urban view. However, and interesting finding was that real nature was not required to produce the effect, images of nature were sufficient. Real nature remains preferable however where possible. It's still not fully understood why biophilia, as this effect is known, has such an impact on humans. There are theories that the need for green is so strongly rooted in our minds that we react to it on a very deep level. As we were evolving, humans who lived in green environments had a better chance of survival than those in more hostile ones. Biophilia is particularly important in environments where learning, concentration or healing need to take place. All three of these will take place in your home, so biophilia is important there too. In a Zen context it's important to understand if the balance is right in our environment. Is there sufficient greenery and nature in your life, from walks in the park, to plants in your home, so that you feel calmed, creative and are able to concentrate? Can you bring a plant to work to help improve your environment there? For more information on biophilia, see this video of Edward Wilson at the inaugration of his biophilia center. Information in this article on biophilia was sourced from: The Universal Principals of Design For more insight into this topic, see these articles:
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| Last Updated on Monday, 01 March 2010 22:00 |
