This week, the thermometer reached 20 degrees Celsius on two consecutive days in Nova Scotia. In other words: if you’ve been looking for an excuse to shake off the winter doldrums and head outside, your cue has arrived.
Dal’s Elizabeth May Chair in Sustainability and Environmental Health, together with Dal Human Resources, is hoping to inspire everyone on campus to spend more time outside this moth by taking part in the 30 x 30 Nature Challenge.
The challenge is simple: spend 30 minutes a day outside for each of the month’s 30 days. The idea is to encourage people to take time away from their desks and daily tasks and enjoy the outdoors. The overall 30 x 30 initiative, launched by the David Suzuki Foundation, focuses on engagement with nature but Daniel Rainham, the Elizabeth May Chair, says the challenge is also about encouraging healthier lifestyles.
“We know that sedentary activities like spending time in front of screens and, as many of us do for much of the day, is not healthy behaviour,” explains Dr. Rainham. “The evidence tells us that too much sedentary behaviour is unhealthy, even if we are often physical active.”
Learn more: 30 x 30 Nature Challenge website
The organizers of the Dal challenge are helping make it easier for faculty, staff and students to incorporate outdoor activities into their days by outlining different activities for the various days of the week. For example, on “Meeting Mondays,” they encourage people to try holding a meeting outside, while “Walking Wednesdays” invite people to take short walks on their lunch breaks.
On “Touring Tuesdays,” the 30 x 30 team has organized a series of guided walking tours that you can sign up for online. These include campus sustainability, the Schmidtville neighbourhood, a photo tour and more. “Try-It Thursdays” are about experiencing a new activity (the challenge’s website has a list of ideas) while “Food Fridays” feature a weekly picnic gathering.
“We want people to think of the positives of being outside: physical health, mental health, connecting with the environment and just having fun,” says Dr. Rainham.
There are prizes available, too: all you have to do is Tweet a photo of your activity with the hashtag #DalOutside or email your photo to emaychair@dal.ca. Each Friday one entry will receive one of several great prizes, including gift cards to Mountain Equiment Co-Op and the Dal Bookstore, Air Miles points and a massage visit.
As for Dr. Rainham personally, the fact that he runs and regularly bikes to work means he regularly hits 30 minutes of outside activity each day. But he’s hoping to live up to the true spirit of the challenge and take an outdoors break during the workday: “I’m trying to get out of the office for 30 minutes each day. It’s challenging, but it’s a good habit to adopt”
More info: 30 x 30 Nature Challenge website
Comments
comments powered by Disqus