Page 44 - Lighting Magazine February 2018

outside living
Trends
The World Health Organization has pre- dicted that by 2030, anxiety will be the number one health issue, surpassing even
obesity. According to Garden Media Group’s 2018 Garden Trend Report, research posted by Ypulse revealed 81 percent of people age 13 to 34 are making mental health a priority and “want new ways to balance physical and mental wellness – and clear their heads.”
The study pointed to the growing revenue in wellness tourism, the spa industry, and workplace wellness programs as evidence of the emerging trend. Analysts estimate the “global wellness economy” reached $3.7 trillion in 2016 and is expected to increase 17 percent over the next ve years.
Indoors and out, people of all ages are adding air-purifying plants to their living spaces and carving out a quiet place in the home to meditate. Even the rise in interest regarding vegetarianism is evidence of the wellness trend, the Garden Trend Report a rmed.
Grow Your Own
We’re not talking about legal marijuana, but vegetables and fruit that families intend to consume. With the concern over pesticides plus break-outs of e-coli from commercially bagged le uce, people are turning to growing their own food.
Gardening has made a comeback, in part thanks to former First Lady Michelle Obama and her much-publicized White House Kitchen Garden which provided fresh, seasonal produce for the Presidential family and their guests. Since then, community garden co-ops have begun popping up all over the country. People in private homes are designating a sizable portion of their backyards to growing their own vegetables and herbs while apartment and condo owners are trying vertical farming (a system of stacking layers
of plants) and creating “living walls” for their patio areas.
40 enLIGHTenment Magazine | February 2018
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