Green Nature/Human Nature: THE MEANING OF PLANTS IN OUR LIVES (Environment Human Condition) [Paperback]

Charles A. Lewis (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review

..focuses upon the impact and influence of vegetation..on human health and well-being. Compiling over thirty years of research conducted by researchers and practitioners in the fields of environmental psychology, horticultural therapy, landscape architecture and cross-disciplinary areas of research such as environmental behavior, Lewis weaves together the work of Stephen and Rachel Kaplan, Roger Ulrich, Mark Francis and others, with anecdotes from the author's thirty plus years in the field. These anecdotes, many of which relate the reactions or experiences of urban gardeners, children, senior citizens, and prisoners in a county jail, serve as persuasive evidence regarding the impacts of plants on human well-being.(Landscape Journal, Vol 16, No 1, Spring 1997 (Stanton I. Jones)) -- (Landscape Journal, Vol 16, No 1, Spring 1997)

..this marvelous and pathmaking book tells us exactly why "green nature" - plants, flowers, gardens, parks, landscape vegetation - is an essential part of our lives. Green Nature/Human Nature is not only an excellent synthesis of both qualitative and quantitative research that documents the bond between people and plants, it is a synthesis of the life's work and thinking of of one of the most important figures in people-plant relationships. Charles Lewis virtually founded the field of green psychology and, along with colleagues Rachel Kaplan, Roger Ulrich, Diane Relf and others has made it a legitimate for of science and design. As a result of three decades of their work, we now have an empirical and firm theoretical basis that nature is as important to human experience as food, rest and learning...This is an accessible and readable volume that will warm the hearts and inform the minds of all gardeners. I suggest you take a copy into the garden, read a few pages, ! look around, and join Lewis in his insightful and enjoyable tour of the significance of what you see. (Community Greening Review, 1997 (Prof. Mark Francis)) -- (Community Greening Review, 1997:Prof. Mark Francis)

I think you have really captured the essence of what is most important about plants for people, and in saying how much I appreciate your contribution, I also want to thank you for having devoted so much of your life to exploring these relationships so fruitfully.(Missouri Botanical Garden (letter from Dr. Peter Raven, Director.)) -- (Missouri Botanical Garden: letter from Dr. Peter Raven, Director.)

What Lewis presnts in this book is an interesting and important approach to life and our interaction with plants, nature and our fellow humans. Technology and urban life have strengthened the misconception that we are in control of nature, that nature is here to serve us. We must consider ourselves as a part of nature, not apart from nature. Within the pges of this book, Charles Lewis clearly addresses this important, personal relationship to nature.(Public Garden, July 1997 (Prof. Frank W. Telewski)) -- (Public Garden, July 1997: Prof. Frank W. Telewski)

From the Inside Flap

Why do gardeners delight in the germination and growth of a seed? Why are our spirits lifted by flowers, our feelings of tension allayed by a walk in forest or park? What other positive influences can nature have on humanity?

In Green Nature/Human Nature, Charles A. Lewis describes the psychological, sociological and physiological responses of people to vegetation in cities and forests, as well as in horticultural therapy programs in hospitals, geriatric institutions, physical rehabilittion centers, drug rehabilitation programs and correctional institutions. He presents an evolutionary basis for the human attraction to plants. People-plant interactions are presented from two perspectives: participatory, in which the individual is involved in planting and maintaining the vegetation, and observational, in which the individual bears no responsibility for establishing or maintaining the vegetation.

In what amounts to a straighforward catalog of well-documented and tangible benefits, Lewis brings the latest and best research into plant/human interaction to bear on questions of how green nature is intertwined with the human psyche and how that interaction can lead to enhanced well-being and an appreciation of the human dimension in environmental concerns.

Lewis's work will be essential reading for anyone interested in plants and how they affect people.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: University of Illinois Press (February 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0252065107
• ISBN-13: 978-0252065101
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.9 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #778,698 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Green Nature/Human Nature, September 23, 2000

By 

Wanda F. (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Green Nature/Human Nature: THE MEANING OF PLANTS IN OUR LIVES (Environment Human Condition) (Paperback)

I really enjoyed this book. It's a book about our human interaction with green nature. Very informative, very well researched, with individual text and quotes annotated to a huge and diverse bibliography. From window boxes in the ghettos, up through the role of plants in prisons and hospitals, to the attraction of parks and great forests and botanical gardens of the world, Charles Lewis explores our need to experience and/or nurture those historically ancient green living beings that are sharing their planet with us. The tons of gardening books I have (you know, the ones with compost-smudged pages and mispelled Latin scribbled in the margins) will not share the same shelf with this book. They are cookbooks, this is a book on hunger.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Valuable resource, October 23, 2001

By 

Diane Dreher, Ph.D. (Santa Clara, CA USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Green Nature/Human Nature: THE MEANING OF PLANTS IN OUR LIVES (Environment Human Condition) (Paperback)

This book is filled with valuable information about our relationship with nature--and, therefore, ourselves at a very deep level. I find it an incredible resource, citing research on community gardens, horticultural therapy, the deep and enduring relationship between people and plants. Gardeners, environmentalists, and anyone who loves plants will find reinforcement, information, and inspiration in these pages.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Lacking in the psychology..., August 22, 2007

By 

Renee A. Davis (Olympia, WA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Green Nature/Human Nature: THE MEANING OF PLANTS IN OUR LIVES (Environment Human Condition) (Paperback)

I thought this book was a great introduction to the theories and ideas behind Horticultural Therapy, Wilderness Programs, and other such rehabilitative nature-based programs. It provides a good general overview and is easy to read.
For someone (like me) who is looking for a book more advanced psychological explanations and discussions, I'd look somewhere else. Lewis is an alright writer, but he is a horticulturalist, not a psychologist. He often lacks the insight into how and why plants are meaningful in our lives. I would provide another recommendation, but I'm still searching myself!
In general, a very good read. He's spot-on with a lot of stuff...just don't expect mind-blowing insights on the psychological impacts of the treatments and programs he discusses.