One day, one country, one sunset
July 18 is Canada's Parks Day, celebrated every year on the third Saturday of July since 1990. This year it comes with something new. The Canadian Parks and Recreation Association (CPRA) has launched
Everyone Outdoors Together, a national movement built around the mental, physical, and communal health benefits of connecting with nature.
The centrepiece is the Great Canadian Sunset Moment. On July 18, communities across Canada will walk, ride, paddle, hike, and picnic their way outside, then gather to watch the same sunset roll across the country, time zone by time zone. Millions of people, one shared sky.
And let's be honest. Nobody does sky quite like Saskatchewan. Land of Living Skies is on our licence plates for a reason. If any province was built for a national sunset moment, it's this one.
The science of touching grass
Going outside feels good. You knew that. But some of the research behind it is stranger and more wonderful than most people realize.
Two hours is the magic number. A large UK study of nearly 20,000 people found that those who spent at least 120 minutes a week in nature were significantly more likely to report good health and wellbeing. It works the same whether you take one long Saturday hike or several short evening walks. And here's the fun part: the benefit showed up even for people who just sat on a bench. You don't have to break a sweat, you just have to show up. Effort optional. Grass required.
Trees are quietly boosting your immune system. Evergreens release airborne compounds called phytoncides, and research on "forest bathing" has linked breathing them in to increased activity in the immune cells that fight illness. A walk through the trails at your local Regional Park is doing more for you than you know.
Time outdoors has also been linked to lower stress hormones, better sleep, sharper focus, and stronger feelings of community connection. Which is really the point of doing it together.
This is what a necessary public good looks like
Here's the part we'd love you to sit with while the sun goes down on July 18.
None of this happens by accident. Every park, trail, beach, playground, and campground in Saskatchewan exists because someone plans it, builds it, maintains it, programs it, and keeps it safe. Recreation is a necessary public good and an essential contributor to individual and community wellbeing, and the parks and recreation providers behind these spaces are often the reason "touch grass" is even an option.
How to join in
Personally. Get outside. Your backyard counts, your local park counts, anywhere you can see the sky and feel the breeze counts. Check the
Everyone Outdoors Together events page for a gathering near you, or host your own with family and friends. Bonus points if you rack up all 120 minutes!
Professionally. If you work in parks and recreation, this is your day. Sign on as an
Activation Partner and put your community on the national map. Host a sunset walk, a beach picnic, or paddle. You already know how to bring people together outside.
As a partner or advocate. Share the campaign. Tag your photos. And when the pictures start rolling in, say the quiet part out loud: this is what public investment in parks and recreation delivers. If you sit at a decision-making table in your community, July 18 is a well-timed reminder of what those budget lines actually support. #EveryoneOutdoorsTogether @everyoneoutdoorstogether
So this Parks Day, take the internet's advice. Log off, head out, and touch some grass. Then look west with the rest of the country and enjoy the show.
Sources:
White, M.P., Alcock, I., Grellier, J., et al. (2019). "Spending at least 120 minutes a week in nature is associated with good health and wellbeing." Scientific Reports, 9, Article 7730. DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-44097-3
Li, Q., Kobayashi, M., Wakayama, Y., et al. (2009). "Effect of phytoncide from trees on human natural killer cell function." International Journal of Immunopathology and Pharmacology, 22(4), 951–959. DOI: 10.1177/039463200902200410
