The President of the Royal College of Physicians (UK), Sir Richard Thompson, has endorsed the concept of gardens and green spaces as beneficial to people's health. In particular, he has emphasised the importance of diversity within these spaces. Nothing the Permies crowd haven't known for a very long time!
Here's the link:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-26871970
Personally I think he maybe hasn't emphasised the concept enough - it's all very well living amongst amazing diversity, but it's also good to *eat* some of it. I've floated the idea at the hospital where I work that we should plant a lot of edible plants all over the place, and encourage patients and visitors to take a bite from time to time.
I know this all looks a bit like "Pope admits he's Catholic", but this isn't fringe activism, or Prince Charles loopiness - this is evidence that these ideas are penetrating into the mainstream - very senior and influential people are taking the health of the population seriously and acknowledging the important fact that we are a part of nature. There is a real opportunity to influence policy in a positive direction.
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