Daily exposure to 'greenness' can make you live longer.

A study published in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives has discovered that women with the higher levels of vegetation around their homes have a lower mortality rate (overall 12 percent). The findings showed 41 percent lower death rate for kidney disease, 34 percent lower death rate for respiratory disease and 13 percent lower death rate for cancer in the greenest areas. The study followed 108,630 women across the United States from 2000 to 2008.

“Mediation analyses suggested that the association between greenness and mortality was explained primarily by improving mental health and increasing social engagement, as well as by lowering air pollution exposure and increasing physical activity.” (James et al, 2016).

While this study only focused on the women in the United States, it is the first study of its kind and I am sure the evidence will continue to show the same results for different genders, ages, ethnicities and geographic locations.

Increasing green spaces in our living environments not only benefits human health, but also helps reduce air pollution, mitigates the effects of climate change and increases habitat connectivity which benefit the local fauna populations.

To read more about this study, please go to the

James P, Hart JE, Banay RF, Laden F. 2016. Exposure to greenness and mortality in a nationwide prospective cohort study of women. Environ Health Perspect 124:1344 1352; http://dx.doi.org/10.1289/ehp.1510363