The Future Normal · Part 1
Green Prescriptions
What if doctors prescribed nature like they prescribe drugs?
What if doctors prescribed nature like they prescribe drugs?
The Trend
We spend more money than ever on health and wellness, and almost all of it indoors. Governments and medical bodies are now prescribing time outside instead, from walking and community gardening to tree planting and wild swimming, because the outcomes improve and the costs fall. In the future normal, as the evidence for nature as treatment gets stronger, green prescriptions will become a routine tool for doctors, governments and insurers alike.
The Instigator
For a state-funded organization employing 1.7 million people, the NHS runs some surprisingly radical programs, and green social prescribing is one of them. Health workers can refer patients to nature-based activities rather than reaching only for medication, through a $5.8 million pilot that ran from 2021 to 2023 aiming to improve mental health outcomes, narrow health inequalities and reduce demand on the service. The need is stark: the NHS reports that as many as 40 percent of primary care appointments relate to mental health.
Imagining The Future Normal
What if your smartwatch or office could nudge you to spend time outside?
AI can now detect stress before we do. And, as we’ve seen in the previous chapter, this is coming to certain physical spaces too. Right now, your wearable can suggest outdoor time. In the future, algorithmically prescribed forest breaks could reduce burnout, but the key will be implementing this in a way that doesn’t feel forced and therefore less effective.
Will green spaces become central in brand activism?
As people perceive technology as increasingly addictive, they’ll be receptive to marketing strategies that promote the value of the outdoors and environmentally sustainable products. How will corporate messages shift as consumers begin to describe themselves as being against “Big Screen,” as they have done by rising up against Big Pharma and Big Ag?
What happens when virtual nature competes with the real thing?
As VR and spatial computing evolve, hyperrealistic digital forests may offer a better and more convenient experience than neglected local parks. Will the benefits of synthetic nature experiences improve to match or even surpass those of real-life ones, and how will we balance this future with the obligation to preserve real natural spaces?
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