Nature Contact and Psychological Well-Being

Growing empirical evidence demonstrates the ways in which nature contact may be a source of improved psychological wellbeing for urbanites, but the existing literature is dominated by cross-sectional designs and self-report assessments. 

Designing for Health in the Informal Amphibious Community, Iquitos

Peru has significantly increased mining and oil extraction in the last decade, degrading Amazon Rainforest ecosystems and Indigenous livelihoods, interrupting local to global climate regulation, and resulting in rapid jungle-to-city migration with ultimately 90,000+ people living in informal “amphibious” communities floating in the floodplain borders of the jungle city. 

Birding With Benefits: How Nature Improves Our Mental Mindsets

Jill U. Adams · Audubon Magazine · Winter 2019
Featuring Gregory Bratman, Nature and Health Steering Committee member and researcher
Anyone who birds a favorite park over and over knows intuitively why they keep going back: It just feels good. 

How Micro-Doses of Nature Help Our Health and Climate

Sara Barron and Kathleen Wolf · Pursuit· December 3, 2019
Co-authored by Kathleen Wolf, Nature and Health researcher
Cities around the world are facing major challenges. Industrialised nations are experiencing epidemics of chronic diseases like diabetes, cardio-vascular disease and dementia, and it would be all too easy to give up hope of finding solutions. 

This Preschool is Taking Kids out of the Classroom and Into the Great Outdoors

Ronnie Koenig · Today · November 16, 2019
Featuring Dr. Amber Fyfe-Johnson, a Nature and Health researcher
Amber Fyfe-Johnson, ND, PhD, an Assistant Research Professor at the Initiative for Research and Education to Advance Community Health (IREACH) at Washington State University is studying the effects of outdoor learning on kids and believes this type of schooling will lead to better physical and emotional health. 

Learning in Nature: Washington Becomes First in the Country to License Outdoor Preschools

Elise Takahama · Seattle Times · October 2, 2019
Featuring Dr. Amber Fyfe-Johnson, a Nature and Health researcher
But while the state pushes forward to promote outdoor learning, some families have voiced worries about the idea. 

Are Green Spaces in Cities as Good for Us as Green Spaces in Mountains?

Jenni Gritters · REI · August 30, 2019
Featuring Gregory Bratman and Kathleen Wolf, members of the Center’s Research Collaborative

One of the biggest puzzles in social science right now involves trying to figure out what kinds of outdoors spaces are best for certain kinds of people. 

King5: Mental Health Benefits of Nature Should Influence City Planning, Says UW Study

City planners should consider the mental health benefits of green spaces when making plans for the future of their cities.
That’s according to a new study out of University of Washington that says urban green spaces can help improve mental health. 

2019 Northwest Nature and Health Symposium

This third annual all-day symposium explored our common goals and collective strategies related to the human health benefits of contact with nature. We recognize that we must amplify access and equity in all that we do. 

How to Consider Nature’s Impact on Mental Health in City Plans

Michelle Ma · UW News · July 24, 2019
Featuring Gregory Bratman, Nature and Health researcher and Steering Committee member
Almost one in five adults in the U.S. lives with a mental illness.