Nearby Nature: How Plants Benefit Mind and Body

Episode Description

From stress reduction to faster healing times after surgery, being in nearby nature has measurable effects on our well-being. Master Gardeners work to foster the connection between people and the natural world to help our communities be able to access nature no matter where they live.

In part two of our Program Priority Series we sit down with Cathi Lamoreux to discuss Nearby Nature. In this episode, Cathi covers:

What it means to make nearby nature a program priority
How Master Gardeners connect communities with nearby nature
Physical and mental health benefits of being near nature
Adaptive Gardening and its connection to nearby nature
Tips for nurturing future generations of gardeners
How to incorporate nearby nature into life in urban settings
Some companies that are incorporating green spaces

Cathi is a retired Speech Language Pathologist having worked with adults for 30 years. She was an educator with Eldergrow for 4 years after retirement. She has been a WSU Extension Master Gardener since 2008. She is the past president of the Master Gardener Foundation of Spokane County, is the current Vice President of the Master Gardener Foundation of Washington State, and is the 2023 WSU Extension Master Gardener of the Year for the state of Washington. She earned a BA in Child Studies and a Masters in Speech-Language Pathology. She also holds a certificate in Horticultural Therapy.

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Transcript

[00:00:00] Erin Hoover: Welcome to The Evergreen Thumb, your go-to podcast for up-to-date research-based horticulture and environmental stewardship knowledge to help you grow and manage your garden. Produced by Washington State University Extension Master Gardener Volunteers and brought to you by the Master Gardener Foundation of Washington State.

[00:00:16] I’m your host, Erin Hoover, a WSU Extension Master Gardener since 2015 and a certified permaculture designer and modern homesteader.

WSU Master Gardener volunteers are university-trained community educators who have been cultivating plants, people, and communities since 1973. Are you ready to grow? Let’s dig into today’s episode.

[00:00:44] Welcome to The Evergreen Thumb episode 43.

Today we are doing the second part in our nine-part series highlighting each of the WSU Extension Master Gardener Program priorities.

WSU Extension Master Gardener Program Priority #2: Nearby Nature

This month’s priority is nearby nature.

WSU Extension Master Gardener volunteers significantly enhance community resilience by actively engaging with people, plants, green spaces, and public landscapes.

[00:01:11] These efforts enhance physical and mental health, foster community cohesion, and create more sustainable and resilient environments. Increasing green infrastructure reduces pollution, manages stormwater, and mitigates the urban heat island effect.

Additionally, these efforts support biodiversity, enhance recreational opportunities, and contribute to economic development by attracting businesses and reducing healthcare costs, resulting in healthier, more vibrant, and resilient communities.

[00:01:42] My guest today is Cathi Lamoreux. Cathi is a retired speech language pathologist having worked with adults for 30 years. She was an educator with Eldergrow for four years after retirement. She has been a WSU Extension Master Gardener since 2008. She is the past president of the Master Gardener Foundation of Spokane County, the current vice president of the Master Gardener Foundation of Washington State, and the 2023 WSU Extension Master Gardener of the Year for the state of Washington.

[00:02:10] She earned a B.A. in Child Studies and a Masters in Speech-Language Pathology. She also holds a certificate in Horticultural Therapy. Cathi, thanks for joining me today. Welcome.

Thank you.

So why don’t you tell us a little bit about yourself and your work with the Master Gardeners?

[00:02:28] Cathi Lamoreux: All right. Well, I’ve been a Master Gardener since 2008, and I am a Master Gardener in Spokane County.

[00:02:36] And I, uh, professionally, I’m a retired Speech Language Pathologist who worked, um, primarily with adults. I also have a certificate in Horticultural Therapy, so that’s what has brought me to nearby nature, and that’s where I provide my educational expertise, I’m also the lead for this year’s advanced education conference.

What Does it Mean to Make Nearby Nature a Program Priority?

[00:03:04] Erin Hoover: So since you are here to talk about nearby nature, why don’t we talk about what nearby nature means as a priority for what Master Gardeners want to teach in their communities?

[00:03:13] Cathi Lamoreux: Sure. Like all of our priorities, uh, we aim to make a difference and the more we interact with nature, the more resilient we are both physically and mentally.

[00:03:24] So the earlier in our lives we engage with nature, the more we value and protect our natural surroundings in adulthood. So it’s a very important priority in my opinion, and it plays a role in everything that we do because we enhance community resilience by actively engaging with people.

Uh, we also engage with plants, green spaces, and public landscapes.

[00:03:51] And I believe our efforts contribute to the very needed improvement of physical and mental health for individuals and for the community as a whole.

How Do Master Gardeners Connect Communities with Nearby Nature?

[00:04:04] Erin Hoover: So how do Master Gardeners engage their communities to enhance the connection with nearby nature?

[00:04:09] Cathi Lamoreux: A great example of engaging a community is our demonstration gardens that happen in most of our counties.

[00:04:16] They’re a place where you can enter and enjoy your own pace. Those gardens also whet your appetite for seeing more green spaces. Nurture your own green spaces and use other green spaces in your community, so they offer the opportunity to immerse yourself in nature. If you live in a place like, like a high rise where you don’t have your own green space.

[00:04:41] We as Master Gardeners also get something in return when we volunteer our time to maintain our demonstration gardens, and then we also encourage engaging with nature when we teach. Uh, you cannot not engage with nature while learning to grow your own veggies or starting seedlings, planting ornamentals, or adding native plants to your garden.

[00:05:06] So it brings nature home.

Health Benefits of Being Nearby Nature

[00:05:08] Erin Hoover: What are some of the documented health benefits that are associated with increased exposure to nature and to green spaces?

[00:05:15] Cathi Lamoreux: This is my favorite, favorite question. One of the things that I enjoy most, uh, when I speak to groups is sharing information from research studies. And I always state a disclaimer that I’m not trying to bore them with research, but rather I’m giving them some ammunition to help explain why they are gardeners and nature lovers.

[00:05:36] And most of the time people thank me. Not always, but most of the time, so in a nutshell, because I could talk about this all day, all over the world, researchers are exploring what benefits nature brings to our lives. And there are many, many studies about a wide range of benefits.

For instance, some show that the colors green and blue slow our respiratory rate, slow down our heartbeat, and reduce the cortisol levels in our bodies. And cortisol is the stress hormone.

[00:06:06] There are also studies about how green spaces reduce noise pollution, and air pollution and reduce the amount of traffic all while attracting more wildlife, even to the most congested urban spaces. There’s been sightings of wild animals that you would never ever expect to see in, in the middle of New York City. And yet you will see them because of the green spaces.

[00:06:31] Doctors are even prescribing a walk-in-the-park rather than taking antidepressants.

Technology, uh, is a big thing. Technology plays such a huge part of our lives, uh, that it’s hard to disconnect. Researchers have shown a significant spike in creativity, focused attention, and overall mental well-being just by being in nature for a few days without your phone.

[00:07:02] I could go on. I have a lot more examples, but I know we need to talk about other things.

Nearby Nature and Mental Health and Wellbeing

[00:07:07] Erin Hoover: Okay. How does the Nearby Nature Initiative address mental health and well-being?

[00:07:13] Cathi Lamoreux: It addresses mental health and well-being by just bringing to the forefront the importance of exploring and immersing yourself in nature and making it a priority in your lives.

[00:07:32] So if the initiative is there for our nearby nature, then we can focus on the specific things that go into that and make sure that people are aware that this is actually making a difference.

Adaptive Gardening and Its Connection to Nearby Nature

[00:07:49] Erin Hoover: So let’s talk a little bit about adaptive gardening and what that is and how it relates to nearby nature.

[00:07:54] Cathi Lamoreux: Well, adaptive gardening generally refers to using tools and equipment in creative ways in order to perform tasks more safely and easily.

[00:08:04] So the market for these types of tools is expanding every day because the tool manufacturers recognize the demand for these kinds of tools.

Um, people are looking for things that will ease arthritis pain, don’t make you bend over too far, or help with carrying heavy objects. So one of the good things is, that Master Gardeners do, is to teach people how to make their own adaptations.

[00:08:32] So, for example, like wrapping foam pipe coverings around tool handles to make them thicker, softer, and easier to handle. Uh, we can also show people how to add an extender to a handle, or how to use other types of supplies and equipment that you wouldn’t think of for gardening tasks, uh, like placing a mailbox midway in your garden to hold tools so that you don’t have to carry heavy tools a long way or make a long walk back to your shed or garage for something that you’ve forgotten.

Tips For Nurturing Future Generations of Gardeners

[00:09:03] Erin Hoover: Do you have some recommendations or suggestions on how to keep gardening as we age so we are able to nurture further generations of gardeners?

[00:09:12] Cathi Lamoreux: There’s a very important reason to keep gardening, and that is to be able to nurture future generations of gardeners. Through gardening, we can pass on our legacy of wisdom and knowledge.

[00:09:26] A garden, or a natural place, is a place where younger children learn about life, death, patience, change, and beauty. And it’s a place to explore and learn about our connection to all living things. So even if the physicality of gardening is challenging, the intellectual stimulation and joy of sharing your knowledge is still an important aspect in your life, and those needs need to be nurtured.

Challenges in Accessing Nearby Nature

[00:09:56] Erin Hoover: So what are some of the challenges that communities are facing in accessing nearby nature, and how can they work to overcome those?

[00:10:05] Cathi Lamoreux: Yeah, lots of challenges. But the biggest challenge is the growth of the number of people living in urban settings. Currently, worldwide, more than 50 percent of us live in urban and or suburban settings.

[00:10:19] In a few years, that number will rise to 80%. So I don’t know about you, but in the last 20 years in my neighborhood, we have seen an explosion of building new houses, new schools, new businesses.

Every day it seems like there’s something new growing up. One of the things that I can’t help myself doing is shaking my head when I drive in my city and realize how much of the land we have covered up with roads, buildings, and parking lots.

[00:10:49] It gives me pause and I admit it makes me a bit sad. Humans may have the ability to take over whatever they want, but we do have to remember that we’re not the only ones living on this planet. Having said that, many towns and cities have adopted initiatives to plant more trees, uh, and there are natural areas being protected.

[00:11:13] Schoolyards are being greened up by removing the asphalt in the playgrounds, and green spaces are being incorporated into new builds.

Think about the green buildings in Milan, Italy, and Singapore. They’re absolutely amazing. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, you can search for them and take a look.

[00:11:32] And there are high-rise apartment buildings in Milan, Italy, that are totally encased in greenery. It’s really pretty amazing. They’re growing trees like 20 stories up. And I just, just this morning, I just read about a new trail system that’s being designed in the Tri-Cities. The article says a proposal establishing a new robust trail system in Kennewick could see as many as 40 miles of canal roads redeveloped into walkable and bikeable pathways.

[00:12:07] The Wigeon Way Trail System, named after a year-round dabbling duck that calls the Tri-Cities home, would connect the Kennewick foothills to the Columbia River shoreline through a 63-mile trail corridor. So that’s pretty awesome, don’t you think?

[00:12:27] Erin Hoover: Yeah. We actually have a similar trail down here that’s, um, it’s an old railroad grade.

[00:12:31] They’re turning into a trail a little bit at a time. And I think it starts, like, down in Pe Ell, which is in Lewis County, and goes west, uh, eventually it’ll go west all the way to the ocean.

[00:12:45] Cathi Lamoreux: Oh, cool. Cool. Well, we have in Spokane, we’ve got the Centennial Trail and it’s been here.

[00:12:59] I’ve been in Spokane, I don’t know, almost 35 years and it was here when I moved here, but it runs from, uh, west of Spokane, a few miles, like 10 miles west of Spokane, to Idaho, into Idaho, actually, and is all the way to Post Falls, which is about, I don’t know, 45, 50 miles long. So, yeah, runs along the river.

There are some really, really awesome, beautiful spots along there.

How to Incorporate Nearby Nature into Your Life in Urban Settings

[00:13:22] Erin Hoover: So, uh, how can people incorporate the nearby nature concept into their daily lives, even if they live in the cities or in the suburbs?

[00:13:30] Cathi Lamoreux: Mostly, it’s just go for a walk, get outside, put away your phone, except take it out to take a picture and be conscientious of where you’re going and, and what you’re looking at. Look at the, look at the trees, uh, listen to see if you can hear birds, check out the wind in the trees, smell the soil.

[00:13:52] Evergreens have a great scent. Uh, rub the evergreens, you know, walk down the sidewalk and if somebody’s got lavender pouring over their sidewalk, don’t just walk by, reach down and give it a rub, and uh, it’ll stay with you for the whole thing.

The other thing that I always recommend to people is to scan the horizon and watch clouds.

[00:14:16] We don’t tend to look way away out into the distance very often, especially all the time we spend indoors. And so, you want to let your eyes wander and focus on something far away because it helps reduce eye strain that’s caused by looking at a computer screen. Stand under a tree, and sit on somebody’s grass for a little bit, they probably won’t mind.

[00:14:40] Close your eyes and breathe. And then my final advice is always to go home and if you can, plant something.

[00:14:47] Erin Hoover: Yeah, even if you live in a city, you can have a little flower pot or a garden in the window or herbs.

[00:14:53] Cathi Lamoreux: You can have indoor plants, yes. And you can have container gardens and if you can’t enjoy your own gardens, there’s somebody’s garden out there that you can enjoy.

[00:15:06] Somebody’s doing it. And you just have to go find, go find the green, go find the blue. Um, like I said earlier, those two colors are really, really, uh, important to our, to our physiological health and our physical health as well.

[00:15:25] Erin Hoover: Maybe that’s why I painted my office green.

[00:15:28] Cathi Lamoreux: Must be. I think that’s probably, you know how we often sort of have that funny green in hospital rooms.

[00:15:37] Well, I, I always wonder why that happened because if it was an excess of green paint in the paint store and it caught on, I don’t know, but, uh, they were onto something to be in a hospital. A green room or a blue room, uh, definitely is going to speed up the healing process.

[00:16:01] Erin Hoover: I will find the link for some pictures of those high rises that you mentioned in Milan and Singapore so that listeners can see those.

[00:16:10] Cathi Lamoreux: Yeah, the thing you want to look for in Singapore is the Singapore airport. I think I just need to fly into Singapore just to see the airport. To see it in my person. Yeah, I don’t even have to leave the airport.

Companies Incorporating Green Spaces

[00:16:24] Erin Hoover: So when you were talking about the buildings in Singapore and Milan and, uh, the green buildings.

[00:16:30] Can you think of some ways that companies are incorporating green spaces? I’m thinking like along the lines of like the Amazon spheres.

Cathi Lamoreux: Exactly.

[00:16:40] Uh, probably not uh, not at the scale that Amazon has been able to pull off, but they’re pretty stunning. And, uh, even though you need a reservation to see the inside, the outside is also very lovely. You can go see that any, any time.

[00:16:55] And think of all the, uh, the green walls that are going up in homes but also in restaurants and office buildings, nothing like walking into a big office building and seeing a big green wall and a waterfall too, you know, just kind of set the stage. It’s, it’s really, really important.

[00:17:20] I’m always surprised. I wish I weren’t, but I’m still surprised when I run into it. I think people understand, you know, we’ve been talking about it and doing it long enough that people are, are understanding that our disassociation from nature is harming us. It’s harming nature and its humans as well, and we need to do something about it.

[00:17:46] Erin Hoover: Well, and for some people, it might even be just subconscious that they are, you know, they’re drawn to that, um, even if it’s not a conscious decision.

Cathi Lamoreux: Yeah.

How to Use Nearby Nature to Promote Well-being

Erin Hoover: So what are the best things people can do to promote well-being by using nature as their guide?

[00:18:01] Cathi Lamoreux: Make it a daily practice to get outside, even look outside.

[00:18:06] One of the things that I often recommended to my clients because I was working with people who were elderly and somewhat compromised in their health, uh, was make sure you can look out a window. It is just as good um, as actually being out there.

If you are caring for somebody or caring for yourself, you’re recovering from surgery, or, you know, you’re immobilized with a broken leg or whatever is the spot you’re going to spend most of the day needs to have a window looking outdoors.

[00:18:41] That’s a huge benefit, um, to your healing process. For people who are living in congregate living quarters, like assisted living areas, it’s really important when you pick a room that has a view, that’s not just the wall of another building.

That seminal study that really set the horticulture therapy world moving forward was done by a man named Roger Ulrich in Texas and over about a three-year period he studied people.

[00:19:12] This was in the 1970s. So in the ‘70s, if you had your gallbladder removed, it was like major surgery. It was an abdominal incision, a week in the hospital, that kind of thing. And he studied people post-surgery. After their gallbladders were removed they were all on the same wing of a hospital and the people whose windows looked out, it was like on the third floor or something. So they were at the tops of trees.

[00:19:41] People who looked out onto the trees on one side of the hallway, uh, versus the people whose view was of the brick wall of the other wing of the hospital building, they recovered faster. They went home sooner. They had lower blood pressure, and they asked for less pain medicine.

[00:20:05] Erin Hoover: Wow.

[00:20:05] Cathi Lamoreux: So, it’s important. We’ve got a hospital here in Spokane that has lovely windows, looking out over the city. Both sides of the hospital have windows that look outdoors, and look onto trees and, and onto the vista and the hills beyond. And yet, all the beds in that hospital face the hallway.

[00:20:29] Everybody’s backs are to those views. And my dad was in one of those rooms for a few days, um, at the end of his life, and I made them turn the bed around. It’s important. It’s very, very important.

Final Thoughts on the Power of Nearby Nature on Our Well-being

[00:20:48] Erin Hoover: So, any final thoughts that you’d like to add about nearby nature or the power of nature on our well-being?

[00:20:56] Cathi Lamoreux: I think that probably the people who listen mostly to these podcasts have a pretty good sense that they have a personal connection to nature. So, we need to make sure that the people in our lives, we foster that, that connection and that importance with them as well.

Erin Hoover: Well, thanks for joining me today, Cathi.

[00:21:17] Cathi Lamoreux: You’re very welcome. Thanks for inviting me.

[00:21:20] Erin Hoover: Thank you for joining us on this episode of The Evergreen Thumb, brought to you by the WSU Extension Master Gardener Program volunteers and sponsored by the Master Gardener Foundation of Washington State.

We hope that today’s discussion has inspired and equipped you with valuable insights to nurture your garden.

[00:21:37] The Master Gardener Foundation of Washington State is a nonprofit organization whose primary purpose is to provide unifying support and advocacy for WSU Extension Master Gardener programs throughout Washington State.

[00:21:57] To support the Master Gardener Foundation of Washington State, visit www.mastergardenerfoundation.org/donate.

Whether you’re an experienced Master Gardener or just starting out, the WSU Extension Master Gardener program is here to support you every step of the way. WSU Extension Master Gardeners empower and sustain diverse communities with relevant, unbiased, research-based horticulture education.

[00:22:16] Reach out to your local WSU Extension office to connect with master gardeners and tap into a wealth of resources that can help you achieve gardening success. To learn more about the program or how to become a Master Gardener, visit www.mastergardener.wsu.edu/get-involved.

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The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed by guests of this podcast are their own and do not imply endorsement by Washington State University or the Master Gardener Foundation of Washington State.