In their responses to a recent survey of environmental concerns several young Bermudians indicated that they think of social issues, not nature, when they think of the environment.

These young people did not identify pollution, loss of habitat, or extinction of species as the most pressing environmental issues; instead they referred to gangs, drugs and violence as their top concerns. People who grow up without much contact with nature often don't appreciate the wonder of natural systems.

For instance, many inner city children find nature threatening and don't understand that their health and emotional well being is dependent upon the world's plants and animals.

Could it be that part of our beautiful island home has become so built up that some young Bermudians have lost touch with nature? If we want our community to join in efforts to preserve nature we must make sure that we all understand the importance of nature to our daily lives. We should all know that the food we eat, the air we breathe, along with the clothes we wear and the houses we live in are all produced from natural materials. Even most of the synthetic materials, chemicals and drugs that we rely on are produced from animals or plants.

Indeed the very wealth of our communities is based on the continued harvest of natural products. As long as we don't get too greedy or careless the natural systems which surround us will continue to support us with these materials.

It is important for us to know that experiencing nature is very important for emotional and physical health.

Most of us have had animals in our lives and have felt the joy of cuddling a puppy or a kitten. We often take this for granted and don't appreciate that these experiences dramatically improve our lives. Pets are very helpful in preventing depression and promoting recovery from emotional distress. Even such simple things as providing a park view has been shown to make patients in hospitals heal faster than those without such views.

In fact, just providing natural light can improve health and promote healing.

We can't deny it; humans are a part of nature and natural surroundings are critical to us.

We are fortunate that in Bermuda there is a wonderful parks system and beautiful public beaches that we can all enjoy.

It is important for our emotional and physical health that we take the time to enjoy the natural beauty of our Island and do our part to keep Bermuda beautiful for future generations.