Course Description

Do you often think about the climate crisis, how we got here, and what to do about it? Do you want to be a changemaker but wonder what will inspire and sustain you? Are you curious to explore ecotherapy-informed practices and what it would mean for your life and work if you were able to connect more intimately and meaningfully with nature, maybe in ways that you have never experienced before? Would you like to cultivate a deeper understanding of the social, political and cultural forces that shape your ecological consciousness and bring greater intentionality to how you embody your interconnectivity with nature? 

This course honors our need for caring, inclusive community, for restorative and inspiring experiences in nature, and for intentional practices and mindsets that nourish our sometimes weary and worried longings to protect the earth. We particularly invite you to bring in the personal and cultural backgrounds that shape your relationship history with nature. Together, we will:

• engage with ecotherapy-inspired practices for nature connection as a protective factor for work in environmental fields and other fields confronting critical issues

• explore a variety of indigenous wisdom traditions that revere the earth as sacred 

• consider scientific research identifying nature connection as a social determinant of health, a social justice issue, the root of a conservation ethic, and a foundation for community building

• identify mindsets, practices, and perspectives that make way for the shift in consciousness needed for human and planetary health

Small group discussions, reflective writing and deep listening, creative projects with real world applications, nature connection practices for daily life, and two field trips are central to the experience of the class. Together we will engage in the cultivation of wonder and awe, playful inquiry, deep self-reflection, and radical listening. Weather permitting, the majority of classes will be held in a Pavilion garden.

At the end of the semester, you will walk away with personal nature practices to sustain you in your personal and professional life and the knowledge and skills to engage others in exploring their relationship to nature.