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Blessings in Green

With at least three large parks in the vicinity of the residential estates, filled with floral and foliage, Bishan-Toa Payoh is certainly one of the greenest and most scenic estates in Singapore. Each morning, the faint fragrance of flowers adorn pure fresh air, while birds frolic amongst the trees and bushes. How wonderful it must be to open the windows daily to a pleasurable sight of fluffy white clouds, green acres of grass and even the red morning sunrise if you’re an early riser!

Yet these days, people are too hectic and busy to appreciate the goodness of nature right at our window sills. Slow down, give your senses a break and appreciate the floral and fauna in your midst. The trees and parks in our estates give us so much that we take for granted. Nature is not just aesthetically pleasing, but also has many benefits on your physical and emotional well-being!

Increase oxygen levels

Oxygen is vital to mankind. It is crucial for survival, and shortage in oxygen can lead to a variety of respiratory and allergy problems.

Most green plants photosynthesise in the day, a process whereby plants make food by taking in carbon dioxide (the air we breathe out) and producing oxygen. More fresh air for every one! This is also one of the main reasons why water plants are grown in ponds. If the pond is in an open area with sufficient exposure to the sun, these water plants photosynthesize, keeping the population of fish and other water creatures in the pond alive and well, and in turn, preventing the water from stagnating and becoming a breeding ground for mosquitoes.
Plants increase negative ions in our environment, which is beneficial for health. The air we breathe is largely made up of negative ions and positive ions. If the amount of positive ions surpass the negative ions, we will have less oxygen. The quickest way to set this right would be to install some plants in the house and around the environment.

A study from Reading University can ascertain to this. School children were discovered to perform better in exams when potted plants were placed in the classrooms. Hardly surprising, considering that oxygen makes your brain more alert.

Improve air quality

Popular tourists in Malaysia among Singaporeans are Genting and Cameron Highlands. Those who have been up there are always saying, “The air there feels so much fresher!” Well, they weren’t lying about that.

The air in those areas is fresher not because they have high altitudes, but because nature is in abundance.

Plants reduce levels of certain pollutants like Benzene and Nitrogen Oxide that are found in the air. Benzene is often found in tobacco smoke or second-hand smoke, while nitrogen oxide is released during combustion. Nitrogen oxide is known to aggravate asthma. In the long run, this gas, when mixed into the ozone, becomes a component of acid rain.

Natural air-conditioner

In an open air car park, it is advisable to park vehicles in the shade of a tree wherever possible to prevent overheating of the car surfaces and engine. When the weather is hot, standing under a tree gives much relief from the heat as the air feels much cooler. Why is this so? Trees have the ability to lower the temperatures of the surroundings because leaves absorb light energy from the sun to photosynthesize.

Natural noise buffer

Leaves absorb, diffract and reflect background noises. A well placed tree alongside other plants and shrubs can reduce noise levels by five to ten decibels. That is about 50% of regular background noise levels!

In noisy areas where sound frequency is high, the leaves are able to absorb these high frequency sound waves as well. Rows of trees are always planted along expressways to reduce noise from the traffic.

The Sin Ming golf course and Bishan Hai Bin U Enterprise Prawn Fishing in Bishan bubble with life on weekends, but residents in the nearby HDB estates are unaffected by the chatter and laughter. This is because these areas hold an abundance of trees that form an effective noise buffer.

Nature relaxes your tensed body and mind

Having plants at home or in the office makes a person feel more at ease. A stroll through a garden or park is just the right prescription to a hectic week.

The colour green is very soothing on the senses. Optometrists often advise people who have to work in front of computers for long periods of time to take half-hour breaks to look at greenery for at least five to ten minutes. Compared to eye drops, it is a free and natural way to relieve your tired eye muscles.

Nature spices up your life

Nature is Earth’s masterpiece. Exotic flowers of varying colours and physical forms are exciting subjects against a calming canvas of green and brown trees and leaves. Nature is attractive, evident from how the newly constructed Gardens By The Bay has earned itself the wow factor from tourists and locals who have visited it.

Do you get a trill of delight when you watch the funny antics of your pets or strays? Don’t you marvel about how some plants can bend in strange angles or move when you touch them? Nature draws us away from the mundane affairs of city life and gives us a paradise that was ours to begin with, if only we learnt how to appreciate and protect it.

Bring nature back into your life. Place potted plants in your homes and offices, and bask in satisfaction as you watch them bloom under your care. Go for regular walks around your estate and in the parks. You will find that life isn’t all about a rat race.

– This article first appeared in a lifestyle magazine