Developing Potent Community Project Power: My Learning With Derby University's Nature Connectedness Course

'We cannot protect something we do not love, we cannot love what we do not know, and we cannot know what we do not see. Or hear. Or sense'.

Richard Louv

Introduction

Nature has always held a special place in my heart, serving as solace and inspiration. It's never been a 'typical' idyllic environment experience for me, but instead, things like making mud pies and dams, imagining stories and looking at stones garnered my attention. I'm not green-fingered, but since my experiences with 'Walking Forest' (a 10-year artwork exploring links with activism, natural forest networks and communities), I have become convinced that appreciating and engaging with nature promotes wellbeing. Recognising the need for robust scientific rigour to demonstrate the positive actions of a belief has been a quest of mine. How do I prove that my innate knowledge of creative natural world adventuring improves wellbeing and ensure that my community flax project is developed with best practice interventions?

As a natural mingler, I have been looking at what my new home in Derbyshire offers. When I discovered the Nature Connectedness course provided by Derby University and authored by Prof Miles Richardson and Dr Ryan Lumber, I knew it was an opportunity I couldn't miss while adventuring in Australia: learning on the go! The flexibility of the online format allowed me to invest in learning while fully juggling other responsibilities.

Throughout the course, I gained an in-depth understanding of the profound impact of nature connectedness on our wellbeing. From exploring the psychological and physical benefits to discussing the implications for conservation and sustainability, and learning a new nature language, each module provided valuable insights that reshaped my perspective... and left me with some poignant questions to answer that would deepen the effectiveness of my project.

Its emphasis on practical application and rigorous scientific underpinning set this course apart.

Quality v Knowledge v Time - What Is The Most Important?

Using The Power of Noticing In Community Nature Projects - Derby University

Time as a positive impactor was seen as a relegated factor in terms of nature connectedness, as was scientific and intellectual knowledge. You could spend hours in a forest and know the name of every bird present, but these matters were not critical ingredients in making a potent 'nature connectedness' brew. Lucy Thorpe, Head of Policy at the Mental Health Foundation, added: 'Spending time in nature can really support our mental health. The most important thing is the quality of the experience, and especially taking time to really notice nature.' The simple acts of 'noticing' and 'tuning in' could be the keys to unlocking enhanced wellbeing, whether in a wood or through a front window. This was an incredible revelation as it removed the pressure from me to develop complex community activities, instead encouraging me to strip these to the core of looking, seeing, and experiencing. This simplicity of approach was also backed by considerable scientific appraisal.

I now know I have to concentrate on developing a project that focuses on all five of the 'Pathways To Nature Connectedness':

1. Contact - Tune into nature through the senses

2. Emotions - Feel alive by the emotions nature brings

3. Beauty - Noticing nature's beauty

4. Meaning - Nature brings meaning to our lives

5. Compassion - Caring and taking action for nature

The message is clear: nature connectedness and tuning in for simple engagement with nature must be themes in my efforts to encourage people to do more for the environment. When studying and sharing knowledge about nature, there is a need to 'activate' the pathways to nature connectedness—elicit emotion, generate meaning, and celebrate beauty. How do I ensure that all of the components of the 'Pathways To Nature Connectedness' are incorporated into my project design?

However, as the course demonstrated, most people are tuned out. Around 80% of people reported that they rarely or never watched wildlife, smelled wildflowers or drew/photographed nature.

62% of people seldom or never listened to bird song or took a moment to notice butterflies or bees. I was particularly struck by the statistic that young women (aged 15-24), who mainly were undertaking household duties, rearing children or caring for others, were a group that required particular attention. My experience has drifted into all of these demographic delineations. 'What Works Well' reported meagre 'take notice' rates in this social grouping. This finding was not replicated across Europe, suggesting there may be a particular barrier in the UK that makes them amenable to nature connectedness intervention. Should these people make up the target for my project?

District Infographics From Derby County Council Regarding Deprivation In The Amber Valley

Riddings is ranked as having the highest levels of deprivation in the Amber Valley (a local government district of Derbyshire) and residing in the most deprived 10% nationally, with health inequalities doubling in four years. As a place, it statistically appears to be slowly sinking to the bottom of the geographical and societal systems. However, in my experience, it is full of vibrant, friendly people who are committed to their home. Intervention in a nature connectedness manner is needed more than ever to improve wellbeing in a community that has become detached from its environment to endure increasing levels of mental ill health. Should the front gardens of Riddings be my creative playground to bring about better wellbeing?

It was fascinating to note the significant disparity in awareness, media coverage, and psychological research between climate change and biodiversity loss. However, it's essential to recognise that addressing both ecosystems and climate is crucial for safeguarding a stable planet for humanity's future on Earth, as emphasised by Prof. Johan Rockström in The Guardian (2018). Only by collectively tackling these interconnected issues can we ensure a sustainable and thriving future for all. Could I find a way to address both sides of this coin in my project?

The Power Of History & Its Way Of Being

David Abram was cited, and his recognition that previous generations were integrally linked to their landscape for practical purposes for their living, so they had an intense reciprocal relationship. In Riddings and the surrounding villages, the people worked in the mines and associated industries such as brick and rope making and iron smelting. Their success, or otherwise, was derived from the coal and iron stone stored beneath their feet, workplaces, and beds. They lived and breathed nature in their everyday lives. Since the last mass closure of the pits in Derbyshire in the early 1980s (I recognise that Wainsgroves Colliery, the focus of my project due to its ropemaking, was closed much earlier in 1922 after flooding), another industry beyond bread baking was needed to take mining's place - no just transition happened here.

Finale Version Of The Illustrated Inclusion Of Nature In Self Scale (IINS)

How Do You Assess A Community Nature Project?

A key delight was how formal appraisal of the impact of nature connectedness activities was taught. I had appreciated the need to demonstrate 'impact' or otherwise from a creative intervention but definitely had deficits in this knowledge area. I had seen how historical participants did not want to or were sceptical of 'assessments'. This was particularly apparent in groups that had experienced trauma and/or were dependent on the state. Indeed, I led one group for around four weeks before the trust was built to start a conversation. Why should they divulge private and personal information to a person and institution that they didn't understand the motivations of? I had resulted to inviting people to draw ideas, thoughts and feelings on the tablecloth to gather before and after evidence. Richardson taught me about the 'Inclusion of Self In Nature (IINS)' Venn diagrams, the Pro-conservation questionnaire, the Nature Connectedness Score and the formal time points to take the measures in this longer-term project. Could I amalgamate scientific appraisal techniques in a human-centred manner to satisfy my need to make a difference, keep any participants secure, and fulfil the requirements of any future funders?

What Other Ingredients Should I Add To The Creative Nature Community Project?

Thanks to this course, I have not only cultivated a deeper connection with nature but also a heightened awareness of our role in preserving the environment. I've personally integrated nature-inspired music, outdoor walks, mindfulness practices in natural settings, and conservation efforts into my daily routine to test the course's ideas. I love some aspects of the suggestions. Can I devise a nature walk on the app 'Go Jauntly' as Richardson did, and a mindfulness exercise drawing on my qualifications in hypno-psychotherapy for my future participants?

Green Care Code

Richardson's research and teachings provide essential direction for local initiatives and policies. They fuel the need to engage more people in simple activities that build nature connectedness across all aspects of society to create a new relationship with nature. In essence and practice, I support the need for a Green Care Code: Stop–Look–Listen. Campaigns centred around such a code would comprise of sensory contact, emotion, beauty, and meaning pathways – strengthening our connection to nature and moving us to acts of compassion towards the rest of the natural world and ourselves. Can I find a way of connecting to Professor Miles Richardson and his research group to test my project and refine it before seeking funding?

A Postcard Showing The Green Card Code - Stop, Look, Listen

Conclusions

The Nature Connectedness course has profoundly catalysed me personally and the community flax project I'm devising. I am sincerely grateful for the opportunity to partake in such a transformative learning experience and am excited to continue nurturing my bond with nature while advocating for a sustainable way of life. This newfound connection and knowledge will undoubtedly benefit my future collaborative project, as I plan to integrate the principles of nature connectedness to promote sustainable and eco-friendly practices while fostering a deep appreciation for the natural world and wellbeing within my community.

My above bolded course questions will be kept forefront and answered as I learn more about my creative growing and making experience.

I have to add my favourite course-associated quote to end this blog as, in my opinion, there is no better way of putting where society and Riddings find themselves, and from what direction I might make a difference:

'The current state of our species is one of turmoil and transition. Alongside (or perhaps because of) the ecological devastation being enacted upon our air, water, soil, forests, and oceans, many human societies are saddled with poverty, hunger, fear, terrorism, and war. Our ancestors “were not dealing with the adjustment to disruption and even the termination of a geobiological period that had governed the functioning of the planet for some 67 million years” (Berry 1999, p. 10). Nature is the foundation of our existence, the air in every breath of plant, animal, and bacteria, the skin of our bodies and that of the Earth, the river veins that carry fluid from mountain to ocean and heart to limb. Without the natural world, humankind becomes inevitably extinct, and the bacteria reclaim the world that is already theirs.' Lee Beavington.