Written by Denise Deby.
This month, I’ll be spending at least half an hour outdoors every day. That’s the pledge I made by signing up for the David Suzuki Foundation’s 30×30 Nature Challenge.
The challenge: do something outside for 30 minutes a day for 30 days in May. The 30×30 Nature Challenge encourages people to get some fresh air, reconnect with the environment and soak up the benefits of being outside.
Research cited by the David Suzuki Foundation indicates that being in nature can lower stress and anxiety and increase energy, creativity and well-being. You don’t have to head out on a wilderness hike, either; spending time in a park, a yard, an urban forested area or other green space will do.
Your 30 minutes a day can include taking a walk, reading a book, checking out plants or wildlife, having an outdoor meeting at work—there are many ways to take it outside. (The 30×30 Nature Challenge website has ideas as well as tools to help people organize 30×30 activities in their workplaces or schools.)
You can sign up or learn more at http://30×30.davidsuzuki.org/. The Challenge runs May 1-30, 2014, but you can still register after the start date. And don’t worry if you miss a day or two—the idea is just to get outside more often. (According to the DSF website, “Even David Suzuki missed a day or two during last year’s Challenge!”) If you already get outside that much or more, you can still participate and share your outdoor adventures on social media.
Speaking of social media, the first week’s 30×30 photo challenge is to share a #natureselfie. Here’s mine:
Green Living Ottawa 
Great article! Thanks for the links to sign up.