Wild Grief: Go Outside, Go Together, Go Through It Featuring Karen Kirsch

Karen Kirsch, MA is a registered Somatic Movement Therapist with a Masters in Somatic Psychology. Karen has been working in the field of childhood grief for 12 years as a facilitator of children’s groups and served as coordinator of the SoundCareKids grief program for 10 months. 

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Why Doctors Are Prescribing Nature Walks

Jillian Mock · TIME · APRIL 27, 2022
Featuring Gregory Bratman, Center co-director and researcher

When it comes to how nature exposure helps our stressed-out brains, researchers have two main theories, says Gregory Bratman, director of the environment and well-being lab at the University of Washington. 

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Stress recovery from virtual exposure to a brown (desert) environment versus a green environment

Although we have seen research on the beneficial relationship between nature contact and human health, little is known on how natural environments that are not green affect stress. Nature and Health researchers tested the effect of a virtual reality exposure to the desert among healthy adult male residents of El Paso, Texas. 

Journal of Psychology

As Human Beings We Destroy Nature, but We Never Fully Realize the Extent of the Damage and Loss

Audrey Garric · Le Monde · April 14, 2022
Featuring Peter Kahn, Nature and Health researcher and Steering Committee member
Mr. Kahn is a professor in the Department of Psychology and the School of Environmental and Forest Sciences at the University of Washington and director of a laboratory that conducts research on human interactions with nature and technology. 

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Biodiversity and infrastructure interact to drive tourism to and within Costa Rica

Nature and Health researchers explore how nature-based tourism has the potential to sustain an area’s biodiversity and economic development in a recent article published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 

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Processing Ecological Grief Through Poetry Featuring Jessica Gigot

Jessica Gigot is a poet, farmer, and coach. She lives on a little sheep farm in the Skagit Valley. Her second book of poems, Feeding Hour, won a Nautilus Award and was a finalist for the 2021 Washington State Book Award. 

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‘Yes, Black People Do Hike’: Overcoming the Diversity Gap in Outdoor Recreation

Deedee Sun · KIRO 7 News · January 21, 2022
Featuring Kathleen Wolf, Nature and Health researcher
A big draw of the Pacific Northwest for many is the unparalleled natural beauty available here. 

Continue reading at KIRO 7 News

BMC Public Health: Wildfire and Mental Health in Rural Communities

Anna Humphreys, Elizabeth G. Walker, Gregory N. Bratman & Nicole A. Errett published an article in BMC Public Health about wildfire and mental health in rural communities. Among proposed solutions, stress reduction, physical protection, and community cohesion have the opportunity to promote resilience. 

Read the article in BMC Public Health

Outdoor School in Washington State: The Butterfly Net to Catch All Kids

Jon Snyder is Washington Governor Jay Inslee’s Senior Policy Advisor for Outdoor Recreation and Economic Development. He coordinates policy, legislation, budget items, and outreach related to outdoor recreation. He was appointed in December 2015 after serving on the Spokane City Council for six years and owning a regional outdoor magazine for nine years. 

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Seattle Times: REI Advocacy Director on Covid-19, Equity, and Mental Health

REI Co-op’s advocacy director, Marc Berejka shares the pandemic-time opportunities we have to work on accessibility in nature and spend time outside. UW’s Nature and Health initiative and our recent conference are highlighted as contributing to this national and global movement. 

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