Indoor Nature: A Library Wellbeing Initiative
What are we doing?
Photo credit: Barredo, J. Giant Banyan Tree. https://tinyurl.com/byh743mc
Bringing nature indoors through potted plants and images of trees.
What we need from you!
- In early March 2022, vote for photos of trees through a display on the main floor of the library. The top 10 will be printed on Canvas and displayed throughout low-light areas of the library.
- Visit the new library plants in March 2022 and share your feedback through a short survey (link coming soon), you’ll also be entered to win a beautiful plant of your own!
Why are we doing this?
By bringing potted plants and vibrant images of trees inside the Okanagan Library, we will provide indoor exposure to nature, relying on an established health promotion strategy with demonstrated positive impacts on physiological and psychological health.¹
The Okanagan Library was renovated in 2018 and continued efforts are underway to improve inclusivity, facilitate a variety of quality study spaces, and determine creative ways to support student academic success.
By adding potted plants to areas with natural light and images of trees to internal areas of the building, indoor exposure to nature will enhance local environmental satisfaction.² An increasing body of research focused on direct benefits of indoor nature exposure to students in a campus environment.³
How does this project support UBC Wellbeing?
This project directly supports the Okanagan Charter by utilizing health promotion evidence to improve the campus environment by enhancing learning spaces. It also addressed multiple categories of the Wellbeing Strategic Framework including the built and natural environment and mental health and wellbeing. This project creates intersection in these priority areas by altering the indoor environment by relying on evidence that the following health criteria can be positively impacted by either potted plants, images of nature (specifically trees), or both: mood, brain activity, cognition, temperature, stress, perceived attractiveness, general health, pain tolerance, restorativeness.¹
Learn About the Library plants
details coming soon
Learn About the Library TREES
details coming soon
Acknowledgement
This project is made possible by funding from the UBC Wellbeing Strategic Initiative Fund.
Works Cited
¹Mcsweeney, J., Rainham, D., Johnson, S. A., Sherry, S. B., & Singleton, J. (2015). Indoor nature exposure (INE): A health-promotion framework. Health Promotion International, 30(1), 126-139. https://doi.org/10.1093/heapro/dau081
²Dopko, R. L., Zelenski, J. M., & Nisbet, E. K. (2014). Nature salience increases judgments of environmental satisfaction. Ecopsychology, 6(4), 207-217. https://doi.org/10.1089/eco.2014.0042
³van den Bogerd, N., Dijkstra, S. C., Seidell, J. C., & Maas, J. (2018). Greenery in the university environment: Students’ preferences and perceived restoration likelihood.PLOS One, 13(2): e0192429 https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0192429