Campus Nature Rx

Campus Nature Rx @ University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill

UNC-Chapel Hill's Campus Nature Rx-related offerings connect teaching, research, student well-being, community engagement, and outdoor recreation through a variety of programs that promote meaningful engagement with nature. While these activities are distributed across multiple units rather than housed within a single centralized initiative, they collectively support the use of natural environments to enhance physical, mental, and social well-being. 

Curricular offerings provide students with opportunities to explore connections among environmental stewardship, food systems, ecology, and human well-being. Courses such as GEOG 293 (Freedom Farming), GEOG 294 (Beyond Sustainability), ENEC 370 (Agriculture and the Environment), ENEC 490 (Soil Science), and ENEC 567 (Environmental Analysis and Applications) incorporate experiential learning and engagement with natural environments. In addition, Recreation and Leisure Studies courses including RECR 710 (Leisure and Organized Recreation in the United States), RECR 775 (Principles and Procedures in Therapeutic Recreation), RECR 876 (Issues and Trends in Therapeutic Recreation), and RECR 890 (Seminar in Leisure Studies) examine the role of recreation and leisure in health and well-being and provide opportunities to explore nature-based and outdoor approaches to health promotion.

Nature-focused research activities include investigations of nature exposure and well-being, including surveys and pilot studies examining participation in guided garden walks and their associations with mental and emotional health outcomes. Additional research initiatives focused on therapeutic horticulture and nature-based health promotion are under development. 

UNC also supports a number of nature-based programs and groups that foster regular engagement with outdoor spaces. These include the North Carolina Botanical Garden, Edible Campus UNC, the Carolina Community Garden, and the Groundwork Gardening Group, a therapeutic horticulture program. Students can also participate in Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) Nature Connections programming, which uses guided experiences in nature to support mental health and belonging. 

Beyond academic and wellness programming, UNC's outdoor recreation opportunities encourage active engagement with natural settings through hiking, outdoor adventure experiences, and other recreation activities. A key resource is the Outdoor Education Center, a 67-acre campus recreation facility that features multi-use nature trails, challenge course programming, outdoor recreation opportunities, and experiential learning environments designed to foster connection with nature and support health and well-being. Together, these offerings create multiple pathways for students, faculty, and staff to connect with nature as a resource for learning, health, personal growth, and community building.