Turning to Technology for Nature Could Help Us Feel More Connected, Experts Say

Sarah Grothjan · REI · April 29, 2020
Featuring Peter Kahn, member of the Center’s Research Collaborative and Steering Committee

Digital nature could also help with feelings of loneliness. A 2018 University of Washington (UW) study showed that university professors who worked in an office with a 50-inch plasma TV that depicted restorative nature scenes—serving, essentially, as a digital window—reported feeling connected to the outdoors and to the wider social community. 

Publication in Press

Focusing Attention on Reciprocity between Nature and Humans
Can be the Key to Reinvigorating Planetary Health
Usha Varanasi, Ph.D., College of the Environment, University of Washington
In Press, Ecopsychology Journal, http://home.liebertpub.com/publications/ecopsychology/300/overview
Mary Ann Liebert Inc., Publishers
This timely essay raises the importance of shifting individual and societal attention to preventive and precautionary measures to maintain human and ecological health. 

Finding Respite in the Nature Nearby to Combat Stress

Kiyomi Taguchi · UW News · April 17, 2020
Featuring Kathleen Wolf, Nature and Health Researcher
Taking a walk can make you feel better, but is there scientific research? Yes, says Kathleen Wolf. 

Dose of Nature at Home Could Help Mental Health, Well-Being During COVID-19

Michelle Ma · UW News · April 16, 2020
Featuring Kathleen Wolf and Dr. Pooja Tandon, Nature and Health researchers
As residents in Washington and much of the nation are confined to their homes and apartments under COVID-19 restrictions, many people are missing their usual “nature escapes”: that hike to a serene lake, a mountain bike trail through the woods, or even a favorite campground by a river where you can relax and recharge. 

Nature Interaction and Human Well-being: A Hypothesized Model of Feeling a Sense of Presence in Nature

Over the last three decades, there has been an increasing and convincing body of evidence for the physical and mental health benefits of interacting with nature. However, there has been surprisingly little focus on how people’s psychological states during a nature experience may influence these benefits. 

Here’s a Mental Health Tip to get you Through Coronavirus Quarantine: Find Tranquility in Nature

Corinne Whiting · Seattle Times · April 13, 2020
Featuring Kathleen Wolf, Nature and Health researcher
At this bizarre moment in time, most are digging deep into internal “toolboxes” in an attempt to retain some semblance of zen. 

Reciprocal Healing: Nature, Health, and Wild Vitality

Peter Kahn writes: This small gathering of about 120 of us was focused on Reciprocal Healing: Nature, Health, and Wild Vitality. The organizer, Dr. Tom Fleischner, Executive Director of the Natural History Institute, says it this way: “The health of humans and nature are inextricably linked. 

Health and Nature During COVID-19

What does the emergence of COVID-19 mean for the nature and health movement that we’ve been building since 2014? During this March 2020 webinar, four nature and health experts from the Pacific Northwest led an in-depth discussion and Q&A on this topic. 

Nature and Health in Alaska Airlines’ March Magazine

Alaska Airlines recently wrote about Nature and Health. From forest bathing to wellness retreats, there’s increasing evidence that time in nature has benefits for human health and wellbeing. The story begins on page 58. 

The Great (Neighborhood) Outdoors: staying connected with nature during Coronavirus

Ah, the great outdoors. That intoxicating piney scent of an evergreen forest, the salty seawater glow on your skin after a swim, the parade of puffy clouds marching overhead while stretched out in a flowery meadow—being outside makes us happy and puts us at ease.