Challenge Accepted

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Engine SevenFour is moving our scrums outside for the month of May!

The David Suzuki Foundation challenges Canadians and people around the world to join the 30×30 Challenge by spending 30 minutes a day in nature for 30 days. Better late than never, Engine SevenFour is going to participate by walking our scrums to a nearby green space.

The benefits of spending even a short time in nature are hard to believe. Increased productivity. Higher job satisfaction. Lower rates of absenteeism. Reduced stress, muscle tension and blood pressure. Improved memory and attention span. If that’s what we stand to gain by bringing back recess, we can’t afford not to do it!

Our scrum will make up about 15 minutes a day, which gets our team halfway to the 30-minute commitment. Walking to work through a grassy neighbourhood, enjoying lunch outside or taking your afternoon coffee on the lawn can make up the rest.

The Engine SevenFour team "in the wild."

"You can tell it's a Fir by the way that it is."

[youtube=://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TYA3GPVcHYE&w=854&h=480]

Nature Facts*

  • Just two minutes in nature can reduce stress and blood pressure.
  • Stressed? Take a nature break. Green time reduces stress.
  • Distracted? One hour in nature can boost attention span by 20 per cent.
  • Feeling forgetful? One hour in nature can improve memory by 20 per cent.
  • Feeling tense? Just two minutes in nature can reduce muscle tension.
  • Four days away from electronic devices can increase creativity 50 per cent.
  • More than two days in nature can boost cancer-fighting white blood cells by 50 per cent.

*These facts came from Workplace Toolkit PDF that you can get when you register for the 30x30 Challenge. You can follow the 30x30 challenge on Twitter @DavidSuzukiFDN, and #NatureIsCalling.

Update:

After a week of outdoor scrums, our scrums feel more efficient and focused, particularly on cold days. And although we've had some close calls, we haven't yet been caught in the rain.

Zoe Blair is Engine Seven Four's Business Analyst and thoroughly enjoyed penning this post from the comfort of the grassy patch just outside the office door.

UncategorizedDavid BillsonComment