Britain’s chief doctor prescribes gardening at AIPH Green City Conference

Gardening is the solution to wider issues such as obesity, flooding and air pollution, which can all be improved through urban greening. This was the message to come out of the International Association of Horticultural Producers (AIPH) International Green City Conference held at One Great George Street earlier this year on 1st April 2014, in London.
The conference, themed ‘Growing green and healthy places’, shared what the world could and should be like through the views of many great UK and international speakers. Prescribing gardening; Town and country must be married; ‘Non-obese-a-genic’ environments, and Making sure the power of brick does not overcome the power of green, were some of the insightful topics addressed.
Prescribing gardening for improved health, Sir Richard Thompson, President of the Royal College of Physicians, advised how and why green gardens are good for you. “A few minutes of viewing a green garden can improve a person’s physiology”, he said and added “There’s a gym outside your window,” referring to gardening as a form of exercise. The benefit of trees, particularly the ability of a single tree in an urban park to remove 48lbs of particulate matter from the air daily, was also highlighted.

Posted on 27th June 2014