Biophilia & Emotional Well-Being

In honor of tree-huggers and the end of the green seasons, I've bought a pine tree for my living room and ferns for my bathroom. Here's an interesting article on Biophilia, the term coined by biologist Edward Wilson for the genetic memory of greenery. An interesting paragraph:

"Most homes and buildings are constructed according to a system of measure that is out of harmony with the sacred mathematics that we find occurring in nature. This is because the basic building materials are already of predetermined size. In order to save money, builders create discordant boxes for people to inhabit. When the Indian sage, Black Elk was asked what was the worst thing his people suffered under the white man, he said that 'they took us out of our structures of power (tepees) and made us live in square boxes (houses).'"

Another good article, on biophilia and architecture from the Rocky Mountain Institute, says: "Along with a greater connection between the interior and surrounding natural environment, some 'successful' projects we’ve examined so far boast attributes similar to those that would have enhanced our ancestors’ chances for survival: access to water, complexity and order, enticement, peril, and the duality of prospect and refuge."