Projects
Colleges & Universities
University of Virginia
Environmental Thought & Practice
Since 2022, Dorothe and Carolyn co-teach Nature Connectedness: Pathways for Hope, Health and Community Action in UVA’s Environmental Thought and Practice Program. Funded through a grant from UVA’s Jefferson Trust and Morven Sustainability Lab, this credit bearing course challenges undergraduate students to explore the critical importance of nature connectedness as a social determinant of health, a social justice issue, the root of pro-environmental behaviors, and a foundation for community building. We ground our study in experiential nature connection activities, scientific readings, the wisdom of local activists, and Indigenous ways of knowing. Together with our students, we identify and enact mindsets, practices, and perspectives that make way for the shift in consciousness needed for human and planetary health.
University of Virginia
Morven Sustainibility Lab
Nature Connection Lab offers consultations and workshops at Morven Sustainability Lab at UVA to prepare students to lead nature connection experiences for their peers. Given the rise in eco-anxiety, the stress of academic life, and the environmental crisis, we promote cultural change to address root cause of disconnection from nature. Our programs help institutions create initiatives that foster regenerative nature connection experiences for students.
Workshops &
Presentations
POD Conference for Educational Developers in Higher Education
Relationships Reconsidered: Enhancing Learning and Well-being through Nature Connection (Pre-conference workshop, November 2024)
University of Virginia
Innovations in Pedagogy Summit
Nature as Co-teacher: Boosting Resilience, Creativity, and Critical Thinking in Nearby Greenspaces
Embodied Learning in an Age of AI
Decarbonization Academy
Nature Connection and Proenvironmental Behavior
Center for Teaching Excellence
Trauma-Informed Teaching
Women’s Center
Nature-Nurture Stress Relief Program
Publications
Journal of Ecopsychology
Greenspace ecotherapy interventions. Dorothy Ibes, Isabel Hirama, and Carolyn Schuyler (2018)
To Improve the Academy
Beyond the “Human Dimension”: Expanding Fink’s taxonomy of significant learning to include the more-than-human world. Emily Gravett & Dorothe Bach (2024)