Ideas for Improving Your Environment

This month’s Live Longer Better Plan focuses on our fourth theme: Improving Your Environment.

Our subscriber and supporter, Gerda Bukauskaitė-Žiūkienė, a PhD candidate at Vytautas Magnus University, Lithuania, is researching how different aspects of our surroundings — from air quality and noise to access to green spaces and exposure to heatwaves — affect the health and well-being of older adults.

Drawing on her research, Gerda shares five simple actions you can take to improve both your personal environment and your community. These evidence-based recommendations highlight how thoughtful engagement with our environment can enhance physical health, mental resilience, and social connection at every age.

PERSONAL ACTION

Spend at least 120+ minutes per week in green areas (e.g., parks, gardens, forests, home gardens).
At least 120 minutes of nature contact per week provides sustainable health benefits: improved physiological resilience, reduced risk of obesity, benefits for hypertension, long-term mental well-being, and even the maintenance of cognitive functions. This demonstrates that regular and sufficiently prolonged exposure to green spaces is not a luxury but a component of health hygiene (White et al., 2019).

1. Spend at least 20–30 minutes each day walking in green areas.
   Walking in green urban environments significantly improves mood, whereas in grey (urban) environments it can even worsen mood. In green areas, an increase in heart rate variability (HRV) is observed, indicating greater stress resilience. In contrast, such an effect is not observed in grey environments. Green spaces also provide better air quality, lower noise, and reduced temperature, which further enhance the positive impact on health. Although shorter 20–30-minute walks did not appear to significantly improve memory (unlike longer walks or higher-quality natural environments), there is still a clear tendency showing that the quality of the space and the intensity of greenery determine better outcomes (Zhang et al., 2022; Neale et al., 2022).

2. Stay safe during heatwaves.
   Heat is a significant environmental and occupational health threat and remains the leading cause of weather-related deaths. It can exacerbate underlying health conditions such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, asthma, and mental health disorders, while also increasing the risk of injuries and the spread of certain infectious diseases. Age-related impairments in thermoregulation, medication-related risks, and pre-existing health conditions increase susceptibility to heat-related illness (Bukauskaitė Žiūkienė, 2025).

3. Ensure proper ventilation of living spaces.
   Ventilation is critically important, as proper window opening or the use of ventilation systems reduces the accumulation of pollutants (e.g., PM2.5, NO₂, VOCs) indoors. If rooms are not ventilated: a large share of outdoor pollution particles infiltrates and accumulates inside; pollutants from indoor sources (such as cooking, tobacco smoke, cleaning products, and furniture materials) increase; this elevates the risk of respiratory diseases (asthma, COPD), infections, impairs lung function, and increases oxidative stress (Radbel et al., 2024).

4. Screen-free time in nature.
   Technology withdrawal practices can promote cognition, self-realisation, and emotional and cognitive recovery, as they help reduce stress, improve attention, foster mindfulness and self-reflection, and strengthen social connection, thereby contributing to long-term psychological well-being (Kolhe et al., 2025).

COMMUNITY ACTION

1. Contribute to ensuring close and equitable access to green areas.
   It is critically important that green areas are nearby and equally accessible to all. Inequality of access increases health disparities – people living in neighbourhoods with poorer green infrastructure face a higher risk of mental disorders, stress, and chronic diseases (Beute et al., 2023). Therefore, it is essential at the level of municipalities or local authorities to reduce these inequalities and to participate in discussions on urban infrastructure.

2. Participate in tree-planting initiatives to increase tree canopy and shade in heat hotspots.
   Trees can help reduce the risk of heat stress for people by lowering urban temperatures. Trees mitigate the effects of urban heat primarily through shading and evapotranspiration. By blocking incoming solar radiation, tree shade can substantially reduce temperature (on average by 3.06 °C). Climate change increases the need for urban greening and the associated benefits for the environment and human well-being. The impact of heat, especially during extreme heat events, is a concern for public and occupational health, as it can cause heat stroke, heat exhaustion, fainting, and other potentially fatal heat-related illnesses. Therefore, it is critically important to actively participate in tree-planting programmes and initiatives (Ettinger et al., 2024).

3. Take part in the organisation of infrastructure to support the development of greener and more walkable pathways.
   A good combination of pedestrian infrastructure and greenery is associated with a lower risk of hypertension, obesity, and reductions in non-communicable diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, cancer, and mortality (Wali et al., 2024; Westenhoefer et al., 2023). Communities could organise volunteer clean-up and greening events during which residents maintain and green street slopes, plant vegetation alongside pavements, and plant trees or shrubs along pedestrian paths. They could also negotiate with municipalities for new benches and rest areas along walking routes, and initiate safe crossing projects with lighting, lowered kerbs, and appropriate markings. It is also important to communicate and raise awareness that green environments along streets make walking more attractive and safer – encouraging neighbourhood residents to participate in planning meetings.

4. Actively engage in health promotion or educational programmes organised in green areas.
   Walking, running, fitness activities, photography, and social interaction reduce stress, alleviate attentional fatigue, and improve overall well-being (Yan et al., 2024). A calendar of activities in local parks could be prepared (e.g., evening walks, educational hikes, yoga in nature). Educational sessions and training can be organised in green spaces. Routes for “walk/ride a bike in nature” can be developed with maps, informational stops, and even the use of technologies such as QR codes. Volunteers or local residents can be engaged to lead group activities (botanical guided tours, birdwatching, creative nature art workshops).

5. Participate in walk audit initiatives to assess the quality of green areas.
   Community groups can jointly walk around a park or neighbourhood streets and record what hinders the use of the space, such as poor lighting, lack of benches, unsafe crossings, or noise. They can also participate in short surveys about safety, tranquillity, and accessibility (e.g., whether the park feels safe in the evenings, whether there is sufficient shade, or whether birdsong can be heard). Such subjective evaluations and feedback are very important indicators alongside technical measurements. Walk audits help ensure that streets, pavements, crossings, and lighting are safe and comfortable for older adults, taking into account their slower mobility, sensitivity to noise or bright light, and other challenges. Properly adapted pedestrian infrastructure not only promotes physical activity among seniors and contributes to health and longevity, but also strengthens social connections and reduces isolation. Such initiatives create environments that are friendly to all age groups and are associated with better quality of life (WHO).

Literature

1. Beute, F., Marselle, M. R., Olszewska‐Guizzo, A., Andreucci, M. B., Lammel, A., Davies, Z. G., ... & de Vries, S. (2023). How do different types and characteristics of green space impact mental health? A scoping review. People and Nature, 5(6), 1839-1876.https://doi.org/10.1002/pan3.10529

2. Bukauskaitė Žiūkienė, G. (2025). Nursing approaches to maintaining health in older adults during heatwaves: A narrative review. Journal of Nursing Reports in Clinical Practice, 4(3), 165-171. https://www.jnursrcp.com/article_228732.html

3. Ettinger, A. K., Bratman, G. N., Carey, M., Hebert, R., Hill, O., Kett, H., ... & Wyse, L. (2024). Street trees provide an opportunity to mitigate urban heat and reduce risk of high heat exposure. Scientific Reports, 14(1), 3266. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-51921-y

4. Yan, J., Wu, Y., Shao, G., Qiu, Q., & Tang, L. (2024). Effective recreational activities in urban green spaces for mental health of scientific researchers. Ecosystem Health and Sustainability, 10, 0199.https://doi.org/10.34133/ehs.0199

5. Kolhe, D., & Naik, A. R. (2025). Digital detox as a means to enhance eudaimonic well-being. Frontiers in Human Dynamics, 7, 1572587.https://doi.org/10.3389/fhumd.2025.1572587

6. Neale, C., Hoffman, J., Jefferson, D., Gohlke, J., Boukhechba, M., Mondschein, A., … Roe, J. (2022). The impact of urban walking on psychophysiological wellbeing. Cities & Health, 6(6), 1053–1066 https://doi.org/10.1080/23748834.2022.2123763

7. Radbel, J., Rebuli, M. E., Kipen, H., & Brigham, E. (2024). Indoor air pollution and airway health. Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, 154(4), 835-846.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaci.2024.08.013

8. Wali, B., Frank, L. D., Chapman, J., & Fox, E. H. (2024). Role of walkability, bike infrastructure, and greenspace in combatting chronic diseases: A heterogeneous ecological analysis in the United States. Sustainable Cities and Society, 113, 105550.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scs.2024.105550

9. WHO, Walk Audit, Age Friendly World. (n.d.). Age-friendly World. https://extranet.who.int/agefriendlyworld/afp/walk-audit/?utm_source=chatgpt.com

10. Westenhoefer, J., Nouri, E., Reschke, M. L., Seebach, F., & Buchcik, J. (2023). Walkability and urban built environments—a systematic review of health impact assessments (HIA). BMC public health, 23(1), 518.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-023-15394-4

11. White, M.P., Alcock, I., Grellier, J. et al. Spending at least 120 minutes a week in nature is associated with good health and wellbeing. Sci Rep 9, 7730 (2019). http://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-44097-3 

12. Zhang, J., Cui, J., Astell-Burt, T., Shi, W., Peng, J., Lei, L., ... & Ma, J. (2022). Weekly green space visit duration is positively associated with favorable health outcomes in people with hypertension: Evidence from Shenzhen, China. Environmental research, 212, 113228. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envres.2022.113228

Author: Gerda Bukauskaitė-Žiūkienė *edited with permission by the OLP team