Recently, the National Environmental Education Foundation (NEEF) hosted a handful of webinars full of expert testimony on the positive impacts of nature on mental and physical health. You can find recordings for each webinar by visiting the following links:
- Using Nature to Improve Mental Health and Well-being: Presented by NEEF and the US Forest Service, this webinar shares ways that healthcare professionals, outdoor interpretive and volunteer staff, and community organizations can use nature as a tool for promoting wellness, resilience, and recovery to their patients and community.
- Climate Change and Mental Health: Educating for Resilience: Featuring special guest speakers including Deputy U.S. Surgeon General, Rear Admiral (RADM) Denise Hinton, this webinar examines the mental health impacts of climate change and the role of healthcare professionals, educators, and community leaders in addressing climate emotions with children and adolescents. It includes strategies for building mental resilience among youth populations through outdoor education and structured activities.
- Nature-Based Trauma-Informed Care in BIPOC Communities: This virtual presentation discusses the mental and physical health implications of nature scarcity and how engaging in green spaces can provide healing and restoration for BIPOC communities. It also explores strategies for using nature as a tool for trauma-informed care, examines community needs and barriers to getting outside, and discusses methods of conducting structured outdoor activities in areas where nature access is limited.
Environmental News Bits 