IFAS TV News Script: GREENSPACE STRESS Ð VO/SOT.

LEAD:

AFTER A BUSY DAY AT THE OFFICE, OR A DRIVE HOME IN HEAVY TRAFFIC, TAKING TIME TO STOP AND SMELL THE ROSES MAY SEEM RIDICULOUS, BUT NEW RESEARCH SHOWS IT CAN ACTUALLY REDUCE STRESS.

SUPERS:

Gainesville, FL
Dr. Jennifer Bradley - UF Environmental Horticulturist

VO:

UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA RESEARCHERS SURVEYED VISITORS AT 3 BOTANICAL GARDENS TO FIND OUT IF A WALK IN NATURE AFFECTS STRESS LEVELS. A MAJORITY OF THE PEOPLE REPORTED LOWER STRESS LEVELS AFTER VISITING THE GARDEN. THE RESULTS ALSO SHOWED PEOPLE WHO BENEFITED THE MOST WERE VISITORS WHO SAID THEY FELT DEPRESSED. UF RESEARCHERS SAY BOTANICAL GARDENS AND OTHER GREEN SPACES HAVE A STRESS-BUSTING EFFECT BECAUSE THEY OFFER AN ESCAPE FROM DAY TO DAY TENSION AND ANXIETY.

SOT Bradley:

"As we live in the cities, as we take our local drive to work every day, we have limited access to the outdoors and so we see these gardens as actually serving a niche where people can actually come and be around trees, be around nature and actually enjoy that. " (:18)

VO:

SPENDING TIME IN BOTANICAL GARDENS ISN'T THE ONLY WAY TO REDUCE STRESS, MORE THAN 70 MILLION AMERICANS ENJOY GARDENING AS THE NATION'S NUMBER ONE PASTIME.

IFAS TV News - 1999