Passion for health and natural living
can come from spending time
outside and gaining an understanding
of nature and animals. This is
the main concept of Robert Bateman's
"Get to Know" program. Bateman, Canada's
most celebrated wildlife artist, has
spent the last decade helping young people
get to know their wild neighbours.

As the media and marketers know,
"eco" is in, so the time is right for ecofundraising
to shine. This is fundraising
designed to increase awareness of
and love for the environment while it
increases
funds for a desired project at
the same time. It was eco-fundraising
that brought internationally recognized
Robert Bateman to Kelowna, BC this
past summer. The largest organic winery
in Canada, Summerhill launched a
new series of wines featuring labels with
Bateman's exquisite artwork. One dollar
from every bottle of wine purchased goes
to the Get to Know program to connect
young people with their environment.

The Robert Bateman Get to Know
program is based on the philosophy that
"caring begins with knowing our neighbours
of other species." The idea is that
young people who are more in tune with
the environment will be more conscious
and aware of how their actions affect
the planet we all live on. This awareness
may help the younger people benefit
individually
as well.

"Being out in nature has undeniable
health benefits," Bateman explains, "Of
course [kids who are in nature] are less
likely to struggle with obesity, ADHD,
mental illness and diabetes and are less
likely to have to take drugs. In the very
young, it's very good to explore in unsupervised
wild nature; it develops the human
brain way more than anything on a
screen ever could."

Bateman says he focuses on young
people because they are so impressionable
and ready to take in information.
"I've heard it said that the average North
American young person can recognize
over 1,000 corporate logos, but they don't
know the names of 10 species that share
their own air and their own space," he
said, "I think that's atrocious."

Of course, getting outside and getting
active is important for adults as well. Bateman
points out that research has proven
that cardiac patients with windows that
open out to a view of nature experience
better and faster recovery. This is because
nature has been an integral part of human
history, up until the last few years where
we have distanced ourselves from it.

If we look at the current health of
the average North American, it appears
that distancing ourselves from nature has
proven detrimental. We could all benefit
from the advice to get outside, get moving
and learn more about the wonderful, natural
world around us. As for eco-fundraising,
helping young people and making the
world a better place by buying wine is an
idea many of us are happy to support!


Neat Nature Facts:
-A flying squirrel's tail is nearly 80 per cent of the length of its head and body.
-Blue jays store acorns in the ground for winter, a major factor in establishing and distributing oak
forests.
-If disturbed in the nest, young burrowing owls give an alarm call that mimics a rattlesnake's buzzing noise.
-The northern bobwhite is divided into 22 different subspecies. Females show little variation among the different forms, but males vary dramatically.
-The orca is not a whale! It is actually\ the largest member of the dolphin family.

For more cool facts, contests, kids questions, a blog and more, visit www.gettoknow.ca. There is a site for adults, too, as well as information about eco-fundraising for your school or organization.

***

Alexis Costello is a natural health practitioner
and Touch for Health instructor who lets her
kids run amok outside as they learn about nature.
www.happilyholistic.ca

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