LEQ Practice Edgewood

Not everyone has access to natural environments. This is a public health concern because nature promotes human health and well-being by mitigating adverse environmental stressors and providing salutogenic1 experiences. Nearly two-thirds of Americans live in cities and may have less access to safe green spaces than other citizens. Americans spend over a million days every two years in hospitals where most windows look onto grayspace rather than greenspace. Over nine million adults in the United States and Europe live in assisted care facilities that have limited nearby nature. Approximately 40 million Americans are physically disabled and may struggle to go outdoors. Even people with access to nature do not always feel comfortable going outside or have sufficient time to do so. These circumstances warrant the development of technologies that facilitate more frequent interactions with the natural world. One inexpensive and convenient way to provide access to nature is 360-degree videos in virtual reality (VR). VR has been defined as "inducing targeted behavior in an organism using artificial sensory stimulation, while the organism has little or no awareness of interference" (LaValle, 2017). .... . . [R]ecent advances make it easier for people to acquire and use this technology for therapeutic uses. At least some of the benefits of nature exposure can be obtained through the visual and auditory exposure provided by all-in-one VR headsets. .... . . [Multiple theories] explain how visual exposure to natural landscapes capture people's fascination and match human evolutionary history or personal experiences and familiarity. Numerous studies now show that 360-degree nature videos are therapeutic and improve mood within 6, 9, or 15 min. In addition to improvements in mood, cognitive functioning and physiological stress levels also show some benefit from brief 360-degree videos of nature. Nearly 200 studies have examined the human health and cognitive functioning benefits conferred by viewing still images, videos, and other simulations of nature. .... . . Simulations include replications of fictional or existing environments shown in any location (not just the laboratory) that evoke a sense of presence: the psychological presence of "being there."

The literature is not clear on whether simulations of nature serve as substitutes for real nature experienced in the outdoors. On one hand, some participants have reported no difference in energy or stress after exposure to outdoor nature versus exposure to nature videos on TV. On the other hand, real views of nature seen from windows have reduced physiological markers of stress more than virtual views of nature seen from wall-mounted TVs. VR may provide stronger beneficial effects of nature simulations than TV videos because of VR's high level of immersion. Immersion reflects the extent to which someone perceives themselves enveloped by, included in, and interacting with an environment. Compared to less immersive technologies, VR simulations are more realistic, provide greater therapeutic benefits, and elicit more feelings of awe that are central to attention restoration theory. Ultimately, further understanding of whether simulations of nature serve as substitutes for nature is warranted, including consideration of confounding factors. "Can Simulated Nature Support Mental Health? Comparing Short, Single-Doses of 360-Degree Nature Videos in Virtual Reality With the Outdoors" by Matthew H. E. M. Browning, Katherine J. Mimnaugh, Carena J. van Riper, Heidemarie K. Laurent, and Steven M. LaValle, from Frontiers in Psychology. © 2020, Frontiers in Psychology.

Today, tourism is one of the most important economic sectors driving growth and development. It represents 10% of global GDP and 10% of global employment and is forecast to continue growing steadily. While this evolution offers vast opportunities, it also comes with great responsibilities, notably with regards to environmental impacts and climate change. The tourism sector contributes to climate change. According to the 2008 publication from UNWTO and UN Environment entitled Climate Change and Tourism-Responding to Global Challenges, the tourism sector contributed approximately 5% of all man-made CO2 emissions in 2005, with transport representing the largest component, i.e., 75% of the overall emissions of the sector (see figure 1.3).

According to the previous UNWTO and UN Environment study on Climate Change and Tourism, in 2005, transport-related CO2 emissions from tourism totalled 982 million tonnes of CO2, including both overnight and same-day visitors. This represented about 18% of the total transport emissions and 3.7% of all man-made CO2 emissions (26,400 million tonnes). In 2016, eleven years later, an estimated 20 billion tourist trips were taking place. This number translates into transport-related emissions from tourism of a total of 1,597 million tonnes of CO2, with 1,371 million tonnes of CO2 accounting for all overnight stays and same-day visitors accounting for 200 million tonnes. In 2030, the total number of tourist trips is expected to reach 37.4 billion, of which 17.4 billion will be international and domestic overnight arrivals (1.8 billion international/15.6 billion domestic). Total transport- related tourism emissions (excluding cruise) in 2030 are forecast to reach 1,998 million tonnes of CO2. This would represent 23% of the total expected transport emissions and 5.3% of the overall forecast man-made emissions (37,800 million tonnes) under IEA's [International Energy Agency's] current policies scenario/"baseline scenario".

All in all, from 2005 to 2016 the total transport-related emissions from tourism over the total man-made emissions grew from 3.7% to 5%, whereas from 2016 to 2030 this proportion is expected to increase to 5.3% (see figure 1.4).

Travel is a natural escape for most, but are there psychological implications of traveling to relieve or avoid— your problems? For most people, travel is a positive means of escape. It's natural to want a break from routine, from work, from responsibilities, and the people who drive you crazy on a daily basis. [E]scaping somewhere that's not your home is an exciting privilege that should be taken advantage of as often as possible. "Travel and vacations are a means to reshift and reorganize identities," states Karen Stein, a sociologist studying culture and travel and author of Getting Away from It All: Vacations and Identity. "We can use travel as a way to reexamine our priorities and devote our time and attention to identities and commitments that we, unwillingly, have to put in the background in our daily lives." But the psychological connections to this form of escapism can be more intense for others. Many avid travelers claim they travel to "discover" themselves by being open to new experiences. But in reality, are they just running away from underlying problems they don't want to address? "In psychology, escapism is generally defined as a desire or behavior to ignore, evade, or avoid reality," says Dr. Carla Marie Manly, a clinical psychologist based in California. “During traumatic experiences, many individuals naturally 'escape' the situation mentally in order to avoid further distress and psychological harm." "When travel is motivated by a desire to escape reality," she adds, "to embrace a nearly fictional experience that is free of the burdens of life the experience becomes escapist in quality." Most people know the travel-as-escape feeling in terms of fight-or-flight: the way we naturally (and physically) react when faced with conflict. Fight-or-flight involves a "carefully orchestrated yet near-instantaneous sequence of hormonal changes and physiological responses" which causes an individual to "fight the threat off" or "flee to safety." I'm getting the hell out of here is actually a very normal message triggered for some dealing with intense emotions, situations, and experiences. And being away from home presents challenges, which can often be a distraction from the issues individuals are escaping from. Learning a new language, figuring out how to get around a city, and other survival mechanisms, are sometimes exactly what travelers need. According to Dr. Michael Brein, a psychologist with a specialty in travel, "Travel escapism that invites you to increase your feelings of self-esteem and self-confidence tends to ground you in the present and requires you to deal with virtually everything that is normally mindless back home." For these kinds of travelers, the power to control the outcomes of seemingly non-existent issues (such as successfully ordering pad thai from a street vendor in Bangkok) makes all the difference.

Travel escapists need to be completely out of their comfort zone in order to do so. "The net result is that you are, in effect, a problem-solver," adds Dr. Brein, “dealing successfully with virtually everything you normally take for granted."

Each day for the past 29 years, Mauro Morandi has woken up to a golden sunrise illuminating the Mediterranean Sea. It's a view that doesn't grow old—and one Morandi doesn't share with a single soul. The enigmatic 79-year-old lives alone on the beautiful Isle of Budelli in the Maddalena archipelago of Italy. He's called this slice of paradise his own since 1989, when he departed mainland Italy in an attempt to quit modern society and start anew. After years of living in solitude, in recent years Morandi has opened up his corner of the world, taking striking photographs of Budelli's landscapes and wildlife and showcasing them on his Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. Now, Morandi is as much of a draw for summer visitors as Budelli's famous rose-colored sandy beach, La Spiaggia Rosa, but his quiet life remains almost unchanged since he first docked on the shores of this destination. Morandi says his unconventional life is the result of a lifelong nonconformist streak.... “I was a protester in '68. Then I stopped engaging in politics because I realized I was not made for armed conflict, I hate weapons," he says.... "I started thinking about leaving a society that does not take the individual into account, but thinks only of power and money." Frustrated, Morandi made the decision to depart Italy, alongside a couple of friends. "We took a catamaran to go to Polynesia to look for a desert island to start a new life,” he says. Instead, the party landed on the blush-colored shores of Budelli, which lies between Corsica and Sardinia. . . . When Morandi arrived in the late 1980s, he realized he had the perfect deserted island right in front of him. And as luck would have it, Budelli's caretaker was about to retire.

"And that's how I took his place and found my Polynesia here," he says. Morandi became the island's official guardian, monitoring the upkeep of Budelli and—at first-consciously avoiding summer daytrippers. He inherited the tumbledown shack the former caretaker had lived in, and it's been his home ever since. "The first few years I was very standoffish," recalls Morandi. "I did not want to communicate with anyone who came to see the pink beach, and I enjoyed all this beauty alone." As the years passed, Morandi mellowed. "I felt a bit selfish and I wanted to share with the whole world what I consider one of the great beauties of nature," he says. "Because I think like Dostoevsky that only beauty can save this world from man-made destruction." Morandi started to engage with the daytrippers who stopped off at Budelli on their boat tours of the seven Maddalena islands. Now he gives tours and talks to guests in the summer months. He says he makes a particular effort to speak to children. He cares about the environment-and stringently protects La Spiaggia Rosa, which due to erosion from frequent tourism has been cordoned off since the 1990s. Now visitors walk around the beach, leaving its famous sand untouched. Morandi spends his days photographing island life, enjoying his own company and reflecting. But his time enjoying this idyll might be coming to an end. Ownership of the island has changed several times over the last few years. Since 2016, Budelli has been a government-owned national park, rendering Morandi's role obsolete. "The island has been acquired by the state and I am here until the new president of the park decides what to do with me," he says. The authorities made Budelli part of La Maddalena National Park and installed Wi-Fi for visitors. Morandi might resent government interference, but he's pleased he can now share his photographs on social media. "I just get up in front of the sea to take pictures of the sunrise, have breakfast, I feed the two cats and then the hen," he says. "Then I start working on the tablet to process photos, comment and answer questions, given that I have 5,000 Facebook friends." Morandi shares photographs of the sun rising and setting, the tide lapping over the sand, stormy skies and the pink-colored microorganisms that give La Spiaggia Rosa its name. "I think that on Google Maps my photos have been viewed so far by almost 600,000 people," says Morandi. Thanks to his increased exposure, Morandi has become as much of an attraction to visitors as the beaches.

“In the summer, the days are exclusively dedicated to communicating with tourists, who now come more than anything else to meet the 'madman' who lives alone on an island," he says. In the winter months, however, visitors remain infrequent. Morandi spends huge stretches of time alone. "I've never felt loneliness, because I'm fine by myself," he insists. He has family ties to Italy's mainland, but remains committed to his life on Budelli. Ideally, he says, he'll stay there for the rest of his life....

College students spend a tremendous amount of time with their friends. One estimate suggests that the average college student spends only 15 hours a week in class but 86 hours a week with his or her friends. But how much do we understand about the role friendships play and how they influence students both academically and socially?... How networks influence us We all know how important social networks can be in our lives-they can impact our health, happiness, wealth, emotions and even weight. Indeed, as social scientists Nicholas A. Christakis and James H. Fowler describe in their recent book, Connected, social networks play a role in everything that people "feel, think, and do.” One important part of social networks is the connections. We can be tied to people in many ways, including family, friends, coworkers or less intense connections. For example, some four decades ago, sociologist Mark Granovetter showed the importance of "weak ties"—that is, connections with people we do not even know well, who are mere acquaintances in finding a job. His work was important in showing that it's not just having someone in your network but the type of tie that matters.... I focused on a person's friends and the connections between friends. In doing so, I found three network types, each of which came with particular benefits and potential costs. Mapping college networks I started a study about college networks because I felt that friendships are one of the most overlooked and crucial aspects influencing students' success. In 2004, I interviewed 82 students at "MU," a pseudonym for a large public four-year university in the midwestern United States, about their friendships. This was a diverse group of students-white, black, and Latina/o men and women of different class backgrounds, who were involved in a range of campus organizations (including some who were not in any organizations). Each of these students named between three and 60 friends. I collected information about each friend and the connections between each friend—thus mapping the network of friendships. I categorized each student into one of three network types: tight-knitters, compartmentalizers and samplers. ... So what are these networks and how do they work?

A tight-knit network The tight-knitters have one densely woven friendship group, where nearly all of their friends know each other. One tight-knitter I met was Alberto, a Latino man whose friendship group included hometown friends and the new friends he made at MU. He referred to them as a "family." His friends helped him cope with some racist incidents on campus. Alberto talked with his friends about these incidents, for example, discussing times that professors and peers made what Alberto called "derogatory" and "offensive" comments about Latinos. In Alberto's case, his tight-knit group of friends provided both academic and social support: they studied together, provided emotional support around academics and engaged in stimulating intellectual conversations. However, not all tight-knit networks provide similar support. Some could also distract students. I found that for half of tight-knitters, friends were more of a distraction than a helping hand. For example, they distracted each other from attending class and from studying. As Latasha explained, she could be trying to study, but seeing a friend sleeping makes her tired, and she ends up sleeping instead. Behavior was most contagious in tight-knit networks-both the academically helpful behaviors of Alberto's friends and the distracting behaviors of Latasha's friends spread easily. I found tight-knit networks had the potential to have the most powerful impact on academic and social outcomes. A network of clusters A second group that I called "compartmentalizers" had networks divided into two to four clusters, where friends knew each other within clusters but rarely across them. For example, Mary, a white middle-class student, "compartmentalized" her friends into two clusters-friends from home and friends from MU-who provided different types of support. Mary felt supported socially by her hometown friends, but the friends in her sorority also provided some emotional support regarding academics. Her main source of academic support, however, came from acquaintances, not friends, who met in class, shared notes and quizzed each other before exams. Unlike tight-knitters who only had one group of friends providing multiple types of support, compartmentalizers had multiple groups with each providing different types of support. In general, compartmentalizers came from more advantaged backgrounds, experienced greater ease on campus and succeeded in college with less support from friends as compared to those with other network types. One challenge of this network type was keeping up with each cluster. For example, Jim told me, "I'm worried that if I don't hang out with my friends enough, they're gonna stray away from me." He felt that he'd already "lost contact" with his hometown friends, and he was struggling to keep up with his schoolwork along with his two clusters of MU friends.

Individual friendships A third network category, "samplers," collected friends one by one from a variety of places, such as campus organizations, classes and workplaces, resulting in friends that were less connected to one another. While many tight-knitters and compartmentalizers found friends helping them thrive academically and socially, samplers achieved academic success independently. One sampler I met was Steve, a black man from a working-class background. Steve formed individual friendships at events, food courts and other campus locations. Like many students of color I interviewed, Steve described experiencing race-based isolation on campus. However, like other samplers, Steve rarely discussed these isolating experiences with friends and remained isolated. Steve also felt lonesome in his academic pursuits. Despite having many friends and being involved on campus through a range of student organizations, Steve felt alone socially and academically at MU.... So, what does it mean? Friends matter for students' academic and social success. As the examples of Alberto, Mary and Steve show, each network type comes with particular benefits as well as drawbacks during college and beyond. Students need to be aware of their networks and how that is helping or hindering them. . . .

With increased demands placed on home internet connections and the nation's internet infrastructure during the pandemic, the quality and affordability of home internet connections became a focus for users on several fronts. About half of U.S. broadband users say they have struggled with their connections, and roughly three-in-ten upgraded their connections during the pandemic. Some broadband users worry about the ongoing expense of connectivity. And at a time when the internet became a platform for social, workplace, educational and commercial activity, portions of Americans also report they have difficulty independently and effectively using tech devices.

No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main; if a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe is the less, as well as if a promontory1 were, as well as if a manor of thy friend's or of thine own were; any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind, and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee.