Nature Connection Lab 

Nature Connection Lab (NCL) is a community-based nonprofit led by instructors in the Environmental Thought and Practice major, Carolyn Schuyler and Dorothe Bach. NCL works to support community engagement opportunities for UVA students.  

A message from Nature Connection Lab:

NCL's mission is to bring the science and practice of nature connectedness to organizations and communities. At Nature Connection Lab, we foster health, well-being, and hope-activated environmental stewardship by inspiring transformational relationships with the natural world.  We prepare and support changemakers in education, mental health and wellness, and youth and park services to create and lead nature connection programs and initiatives that strengthen bonds between people and planet.

Our services include nature connection leadership experiences, nature connection incubators for collaborative teams, and organizational consultations, keynotes, and workshops to be utilized in any setting. We are passionate about working with communities to promote nature connection. "  

Co-Founders:  

Carolyn Schuyler, UVA Visiting Scholar, Morven Sustainability Lab Community Scholar, Director of Nature Connection Lab, and Founder of Wildrock, a local non-profit Nature Play and Discovery Center.

Dorothe Bach, Assistant Director of the University of Virginia Center for Teaching Excellence, and Professor in the Environmental Thought and Practice Major

 Carolyn Schuyler, teaching with Dorothe Bach at a Forest School in Bavaria, July 2024.