In the 19th century, as America was growing and more immigrants were arriving, a theory developed that the American West was America’s “safety valve.”
The land out west not only provided new economic opportunities for those in search of a new life, but it is also provided a place where people could go if they hit rock bottom or needed to make a major life change.
As I talk to friends and founders during COVID, one thing is abundantly clear, people need nature to stay grounded.
The rate of people experiencing anxiety, depression and other mental health issues has been increasing in the last decade and is skyrocketing during the pandemic. A recent NYT article found that during the pandemic mental health issues are impacting 53% of all Americans and an unfathomable 68% of BIPOC Americans.
When I talk to folks about how they are coping with stress and anxiety, solutions almost always center on getting outside, disconnecting from their phone, and getting into nature. Sometimes this means a quick morning jog, other times it means spending quality time with a friend on a hike away from phone service.
What is most worrying to me about the wildfires ripping across the American west, is that they are forcing people indoors, exactly when what we need most is access to nature to help us deal with stress and anxiety. In short, we are losing our “mental health release valve” right as we need it most.
If we continue to allow global warming to take place unchecked, not only will it lead to more natural disasters, it will amplify stress and negative emotions across our society, which every leader knows, hurts innovation, hurts cooperation, and hurts our lives.