The Earth is a brilliant blue “marble” unlike anything else in our known universe. Seemingly fragile from afar, this planet is full of biodiversity and life. It's a little amazing to think about how all the right circumstances happened by chance for our planet to be able to support life (as we know it). The distance between Earth and the Sun keeps the planet at a habitable temperature, neither too hot nor too cold. The unique formation of the ozone layer protects us from the harmful rays of our star and makes possible the presence of the single substance that most scientists agree is necessary for life: water. Made up of the bond of two hydrogen atoms and a single oxygen atom, this chemical formation is currently NASA's basis in its search for extraterrestrial life – "follow the water." Philip Ball describes this element as "essential for the kind of delicate chemistry that makes life possible." The presence of water is the main reason why we can exist on planet Earth. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Although seventy-one percent of our planet is water, more than ninety-six percent of that water is salt, and less than four percent of it. it's fresh water. Rivers make up only 0.0002 percent of the total water on Earth and are for most people their primary source of usable water. In Allegheny County, ninety percent of residents rely on the Allegheny, Monongahela, and Ohio Rivers for their drinking water. Rivers are sources of life, often called the “lifeblood” of the community. A river's tributaries, much like our own veins carrying vital nutrients, extend across the land, allowing a single drop of water to fall on land and then be transported to the oceans. . Rivers are constantly changing, constantly evolving, and shaping the land to meet its needs. Water levels rise and fall, changing the course of the river and even changing the direction in which it flows. The pure force that rivers give off has the capacity to deflate one's own ego. This valuable ecosystem provides not only drinking water, but also habitats within and around it, transportation, recreational opportunities, a food source, and economic viability. Humanity's connection with water begins at our creation. As an egg, surrounded by a nutrient-rich saline fluid, we grow for nine months in our mother's womb. Protected and nourished by the warm water, we let ourselves be lulled by the muffled voices and ocean sounds that surround us. This connection between humans and water is important and can be used as a resource by designers to improve our health and daily lives. We should not ignore the ability of water to heal the body. Exposure to nature (“green space”) is well known to have many benefits, from productivity to recovery time after surgery. However, exposure to “blue” space (areas in and around water) offers even greater restoration potential. Access to water can also provide a form of therapy to treat trauma or autism, give communities a sense of solidarity and unity, and even encourage physical activity (Wallace, 2014). Despite the known benefits of exposure to nature, the EPA estimates that Americans spend about 93% of their time indoors. In many areasIn urban areas, such as the Manchester area, access to the river can be extremely limited. This lack of access to water hinders the ability to take advantage of the many benefits that can be derived from this amazing and irreplaceable resource. “If you take care of the minutes, the years will take care of themselves. » - Tibetan saying: Happiness is contagious. Although we evolved to respond more intensely to negative experiences than to positive experiences in order to ensure our own survival, we have the ability to rewire our brains to have more positive thoughts and feelings, and therefore greater levels of happiness. Rick Hanson, neuropsychologist and author, describes in his TED talk “Hardwiring Happiness” how to increase positivity and happiness. The first step is to focus on the positive experiences and thoughts we have. By keeping them in mind and focusing on them for a longer period of time, the negative thoughts and feelings will easily resist their re-emergence and the positive ones will stay and last longer. It's not just about changing your mind, it's about rethinking how your brain actually works; “The mind can change the brain to change the mind.” To achieve this, he developed an acronym to help learn the process: “HEAL YOURSELF.” The first step is to “have a positive experience,” then “enrich” it by locking that experience into your brain, then truly “absorb” it. The last step, “Linking Positive and Negative” is optional because it requires linking a positive experience with a negative experience and is considered risky and can elicit negative feelings and emotions. Mappiness, a 2011 study first conducted by George MacKerron and Susana Mourato in the United Kingdom, used an app to track happiness levels by sending random signals throughout the day that prompted users to respond . More than 1.1 million responses were then cross-referenced with GPS locations and known user activities to rate different locations based on the responses. The study found that people are happiest when they are in nature, but even higher rates of happiness have been reported when the person is near a body of water. In marine and coastal regions, there was an increase of 5.2%, a percentage equivalent to the difference between “attending an exhibition and doing housework”. “Mappiness 2.0”, will be an ongoing study developed by Dr. George MacKerron and Nick Begley and will continue research while also providing feedback to users to understand how their own happiness is affected by different situations, sleep, eating habits, etc. Mappiness 2.0 will be launched in July 2018 and conducted as a global study. Although this evidence supports the claims of benefits, water alone does not guarantee one environment preferred over another, the way the water and the water's edge are treated has a large impact on the perception of the 'water. these spaces. A clean, flowing river with a natural border and vegetation is how people tend to prefer their rivers. Pollution (or the perception of it), in the form of sewage, chemicals, odors, etc. and other signs of human impact decreases the likelihood of a positive experience and, therefore, also decreases the amount of recreational use in and along the river. Plants, while beneficial, can, with little or no maintenance, also have a negative effect on the benefits, perception and actual safety of the space. Eroded banks also reduce the quality of perception and therefore the..