Expanding Access and Welcoming Spaces in the Natural World for Underrepresented Communities
During our October 2023 dinner, Carter A. McBride, MBA, PDC shared his wisdom on expanding access and welcoming spaces in the natural world for underrepresented communities. Carter is an avid outdoors person and has been so fortunate to have had an opportunity to reconnect with his soul in natural spaces and places at the wonderful age of 66 years.
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Interlinkages Between Mental health, Nature and Our Changing Climate
This panel session described the ways in which mental health and the natural world are related. It began with brief framing remarks from the moderator, noting how time spent in nature is a protective factor for mental health, before segueing into two sets of panel discussions that touch on how climate change is affecting our mental health.
Read moreFrom Labs to the Streets, Experts Work to Defuse Childhood Threats to Mental Health
The Picower Institute · May 18, 2023
Featuring Gregory Bratman, Nature and Health researcher and Steering Committee member
Threats to lifelong mental health can arise for young children from sources including poverty, abuse or neglect at home and racism, inequity and pollution outside their doors, but the hopeful message that a range of experts brought to MIT May 11 was that amid these many risks, approaches to provide effective protections and remedies are numerous and growing.
Taming the Anxious Brain with Nature in Mind
Interest in the new frontier of nature-informed mental health has amplified in recent years. Nature-informed (psycho)therapy explores nature-based methods of psychological healing, grounded in the belief that the natural world has profound mental health benefits, especially for anxiety and stress related challenges.
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Gregory Bratman Speaks at the 2023 Invest in Nature White House Summit
Through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act, the Biden-Harris Administration is taking aggressive action to conserve and restore nature, provide communities the tools they need to be resilient, and tackle the climate crisis.
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2023 Nature and Health Symposium: Healing Connections
On April 21-22, 2023, community members were invited to gather for the Healing Connections: Nature and Wellness Symposium and Community Day to celebrate Earth Day. The symposium was held at the Pagoda in Point Defiance Park in Tacoma, WA.
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BIPOC Research Collective at Nature and Health: Actions for Restoration, Sustainability and Health
Story by Allie Long
The traditional depiction of nature in research—as well as in US History, literature, art and most academic inquiries—is largely conceptualized to fit white-dominant narratives. More often than not, this comes at the direct expense and erasure of other cultures and experiences.
Exploring Personalized Virtual Nature as a Tool for People Living with Severe COPD Featuring Olivia McAnirlin
Olivia McAnirlin (she/her) is a fourth year Ph.D. Candidate in the Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management (PRTM) program and the Lab Manager of Clemson’s Virtual Reality and Nature (VRN) Lab. Her research interests include studying the psychological and physiological impacts of nature and virtual reality, as well as using virtual reality as a form of storytelling.
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Assessing and Addressing Environmental Disparities to Improve Psychological Well-Being
Dr. Kim Meidenbauer is Assistant Professor at Washington State University’s Department of Psychology, Health Equity Research Center. During our January 2023 Community Dinner, Kim examined how features of the physical and social environment affect individuals’ brains and their behavior.
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Exploring Factors Shaping the Constraints of Recreation in Forests for People of Color
Despite being the fastest growing group of the US population, people of color are underrepresented in forest-based recreation opportunities. Yet, the freedom for all people to recreate in forests is an important American tradition.
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