2023 Nature and Health Symposium: Healing Connections

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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. 

The Nature and Wellness Symposium explored the healing connections we can make with the natural world around us. Through talks, walks, and panel discussions during this two-day event, we explored the science and practice of healing with nature. Some specific topics included: equitable access to nature, climate anxiety, the importance of bringing youth outside, and stress reduction activities in nature.

The Community Day on April 22 allowed community members to participate in a number of free outdoor activities, including a morning meditative sit, a bird walk, and a guided forest bathing session.

New York Times: Holidays. What to do When Stressed? Nature.

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There is a silhouette of five people outside in Bangladesh. There is a background of a yellow and grey sunset and tree to the left.
Credit: Arifur Rahman, Unsplash

The New York Times offers healthy tips to ease stress during the holidays. Gregory N. Bratman, Nature and Health researcher and Steering Committee member, reminds us of the many benefits that nature has on our health and well-being:

“Benefits can range from increased feelings of happiness and emotional well-being to positive social interaction to decreased stress and anxiety.”
– Gregory N. Bratman, PhD

Nature and Health Hosts Two UW Tacoma Summer Interns

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Nature and Health, an EarthLab member organization, is hosting two interns for the 2022 summer through the EarthLab Summer Internships program. Housed within EarthLab, the internship program is a robust, cohort-based experience for University of Washington undergraduate students to develop interdisciplinary and community-engagement skills. Working alongside community members and researchers, they build their capacity to address pressing environmental issues and generate equitable solutions. The professional work experience, training and mentorship is enhanced by a cohort model of support and connection.

The program supports undergraduate interns from different disciplines who are placed within EarthLab’s member organizations for a 10-week paid internship focused on transdisciplinary research in a variety of contexts.

EarthLab and Nature and Health are thrilled to welcome the first cohort of interns, two of which are working with Nature and Health this summer! Learn more about our interns below.

ANDREA GONZALEZ, INDIGENOUS WELLNESS RESEARCH INSTITUTE (IWRI) INTERN

B.Sc. Biomedical Sciences, Minor in Gender and Sexuality, UW Tacoma

Andrea Gonzalez (she/they) comes to EarthLab from the University of Washington Tacoma, where they are studying Biomedical Sciences and Gender and Sexuality. After learning about the role of intersectionality in health outcomes in minority populations, they became passionate about innovating health practices that are equitable and culturally appropriate. Andrea is excited to be working with the Indigenous Wellness Research Institute as a research intern.

Andrea is helping develop a global land-based healing and environmental health annotated bibliography. The annotated bibliography will explore the themes of land-based healing, outdoor educational experiences, physiological responses and measurement to being outdoors, and environmental and human health in Indigenous communities. They will join a work group discussing refining a land-based healing model, which other Indigenous Nations can implement across the world. Andrea will co-develop a community report on land-based healing and wellness to be shared with communities in the PNW and across the US and New Zealand.

HEAVEN DENHAM, GREEN SCHOOLYARD PROJECT INTERN

B.SC. Environmental Science-Geoscience, UW Tacoma

Heaven Denham (she/her) is an aspiring environmental scientist, joining EarthLab as an intern on the Green Schoolyards project with the Trust For Public Land. She is graduating in 2023 with a degree in Environmental Science, concentrating in Geoscience from the University of Washington Tacoma. She is passionate about environmental justice, Indigenous rights, and everything earth science related.

Heaven is supporting community engagement efforts to promote the Green Schoolyards project, which aims to renovate and open the public five existing schoolyards in Tacoma’s Eastside. The schoolyards provide quality nature experiences for community members that will increase health, education, and climate/environmental justice and benefits. She is helping assemble a toolkit to share evaluation measures and other findings with practitioners and researchers. She will attend community meetings (virtual or in-person), community celebrations, local events, community input and feedback sessions, and engage with local partners.