benefits of being and engaging with the natural environment

research from stanford, essex and michigan highlights the natural environment as a key factor in improving critical elements related to wellbeing and performance, when compared to programmes developed in artificial settings.

at an individual level, improvements are observed in emotional self-regulation, creativity and resilience, along with higher overall satisfaction with the experience. this points to deeper emotional and psychological engagement.

at a team level, there is a significant improvement in cohesion, mutual trust and communication skills.

nature is the planet’s critical infrastructure, its operating system.

recent generations are increasingly disconnected from the natural world. humans are nature; separating ourselves from it and placing ourselves above it lies at the root of many current imbalances.

social and technological changes over recent decades have accelerated this disconnection from the natural environment.

there is no global consensus on how ecological awareness should be universalised, nor on where the balance between development and sustainability should truly lie.

each person, organisation, state and society relates to the natural world based on the advantages and benefits they believe they can extract from it.

you cannot value what you do not know

the learnings that settle most naturally in our subconscious are those we experience with regularity and familiarity. if we want ecological awareness to become widespread, children and adolescents need to spend more time in natural environments.

by integrating positive experiences of discovering nature, guided or spontaneous, we foster emotional bonds, strengthen empathy towards other forms of life, improve present and future quality of life, and encourage a global, systemic way of seeing the world that can inspire new generations of changemakers.

2050: it is projected that two thirds of humanity will live in cities.

stanford university