Touch Grass: The Health Benefits of Reconnecting With Nature

Meera Nambiar · The Daily · April 21, 2025
Featuring Usha Varanasi, Steering Committee member

There is nothing like the feeling of fresh air. The calmness, the sense of wonder when looking at the towering trees or vast ocean, seeing the beauty of the world. 

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Idina Menzel Goes Into the Trees with “Redwood”

Ever Meister · REI · March 3, 2025

At REI Co-op, we know that time spent outside is more than just recreation: It’s pivotal for our well-being. To better study the correlation between nature and health, the REI Cooperative Action Fund has partnered with research and academic institutions exploring how and why and time outdoors can benefit us all. 

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WA Scientists Plan to Publish Report on Nature That Trump Canceled

Lynda V. Mapes · Seattle Times · February 17, 2025
Featuring multiple members of the Nature and Health Steering Committee and Research Collaborative

After President Donald Trump canceled a report on the state of nature in the United States, the scientists working on it — many from the Seattle area — say they’ll continue their work and build on it. 

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Trump canceled the ‘National Nature Assessment.’ Scientists want to publish it anyway

Kim Malcolm and John O’Brien · KUOW · February 11, 2025
Featuring Dr. Howard Frumkin, Steering Committee member and researcher

After months of work, a group of scientists were close to publishing a U.S. 

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Nature for all: Bridging Health Equity Through the Initiative-Funded Project Nature

Population Health News · May 30, 2024
Featuring Pooja Tandon, Nature and Health Research Collaborative member

Engaging in outdoor play and exploration can significantly enhance a child’s physical health and mental well-being. 

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How the Smells of Nature can Affect Human Well-Being

Whether it’s a walk in the park, hike in the forest or tending to a backyard garden, there’s ample subjective and scientific evidence that being in nature can have beneficial effects for us, from relieving stress to improving our mood. 

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How do the Smells of Nature Affect Well-Being? A Call for More Research.

Harvard Chan School News · May 23, 2024
Featuring Gregory Bratman, Nature and Health co-director and researcher
A group of scientists has proposed a framework for expanding research into how odors and scents from natural settings impact human health and well-being. 

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Scientists Want to Know How the Smells of Nature Benefit Our Health

Featuring Gregory Bratman, co-director of Nature and Health
James Urton · UW News · May 15, 2024
Spending time in nature is good for us. Studies have shown that contact with nature can lift our well-being by affecting  emotions, influencing  thoughts, reducing stress and improving physical health. 

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Everyone Says Trees Are Good for Us. This Scientist Wants to Prove It.

Bishop Sand · Washington Post · January 29, 2024
Featuring Kathleen Wolf, Nature and Health researcher
Aruni Bhatnagar looked up.
“This tree right here, it’s got a lot of good leaves so you can stick a lot of air pollutants in it,” Bhatnagar, a cardiology researcher, said as he gestured toward a magnolia tree on the U.S. 

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Nature and Health Director and Researchers Featured on Highly Cited Researchers 2023 list

Gregory Bratman, Nature and Health co-director, and Spencer Wood, a Nature and Health researcher and Steering Committee member, are recognized in the annual Highly Cited Researchers 2023 list from Clarivate. They join more than 40 UW researchers who received the honor this year. 

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