Green time vs Screen time
Good morning, this is Asato, a life coach based in Rwanda. Thank you so much for taking time to open and check out “minimalish life” newsletter.
It has been a month since I launched this Substack, but I am really enjoying it so much, and I hope you are the same, too.
Today, I want to remind ourself to go outside and enjoy the nature. I think it is a good topic to chat for the summer.
I was looking for some inspiring episodes to listen to and came across The 1000 hours outside by Ginny Yurich.
If you are;
Wondering how to enjoy more nature time with kids
Worried how long you or your family members are on the screen
Looking for fun way to boost exposure to the nature and the sunshine
Then, this article might help you get outside!
How much are you exposed to the nature recently?
The answer to this question would varies depending on many factors that surrounds you.
It would depend on where you live. If you are living in a huge concreate jungle, in a nice countryside, or if the area you’re in has nearby mountains or a beach.
It would also depend on what kind of lifestyle or life stage you are in. If you have children or pets that requires lots of activities, or if you like camping or adventures.
Historically, we grew up surrounded by so much nature. Playing in the woods and sands taught us a lot.
However, if you look around these days, when is the last time your hand got dirty? Instead, we are all surrounded by all the things with screens, from TV, our phones and tablet.
How long is your daily Green time?
It means how long do you spend in the nature? This question can be said for yourself or for your kids.
This question came up in mind when I enjoyed listening to a couple of episodes from Ginny Yurich, the podcast host of the 1000 hours outside.
She is an initiator of 1000 Hours Outside, attempt to match nature time with screen time.
Surprisingly, in America, kids consume 1200 screen hours a year on average. If that is the case, she advocates, that same amount of time should be shifted towards a more productive and healthy activity.
For further information, here is the link for the official website.
So, how is my Green time vs Screen time
To be honest, I am always sitting at my desk, mainly in front of my computer. My screen time is long. As much as I’m working on limiting my phone usage these days, overall screen time is quite a lot.
But, there are some positive changes that happened in my life.
When I lived in Tokyo, I barely exposed myself to the nature. Living in an apartment and commuting to concreate jungle life.
Life in Rwanda feels like I am more exposed to the nature.
We sit at our terrace for weekend lunch
Kids are always running around in the garden
While they are playing, I try grounding, to walk around on the grass with bare foot (which I like the idea but still not used to it, unlike our kids who can run around not only in the grass but on concreate, too)
We wake up with the sounds of birds, and we often look up the evening sky to see the moon and the stars
We go out for Car Free Sunday morning walk
We had our first camping experience at Umuko Lodge (they set up everything so it was super beginner friendly!)
We often get invited to friends house where they have fire pit for evening bonfire
As much as my screen time is still quite long, moving to Rwanda and living in a house with a garden did get me closer to the nature.
We are blessed that our neighbor have a beautiful tropical tree and we observe so may birds coming over, and even raising babies there!
On the side note, when I spoke about this to a friend came from Europe, she pointed out that she feels the opposite. Compared with her life in Europe, life in Rwanda has less access to nature, which is also interesting.
What can we do to improve our Green time?
As of now, our kids have the luxury of playing the garden from morning till evening. But as they are getting older, I do want to provide more variation, too.
Here are the things that I have in mind to improve our Green time. Please let me know if you have other option to add to the list.
More walks around the neighborhood, we need to take advantage that we are in a safe country where we can actually walk outside with kids
More visit to nature parks, such as Umusambi village (bird sanctuary) or Fazenda (outdoor athletic park)
Occasional trip to outside Kigali for eco-lodge or camping experience
We all understand that ditching screen is impossible these days.
Rather than stressing out on how to reduce the screen time, I want to emphasize on increasing Green time. I am already wondering what we can do for this weekend!
Today’s journaling prompt: Am I balancing my screentime and green time these days?