Nature Rx@Cornell

Cornell University

Nature Rx@Cornell (Est. 2014) includes five components:

  1. Nature Prescriptions through the Cornell Health Clinic: health professionals who identify conditions in students that could be ameliorated by time in nature receive a nature prescription as part of their electronic health record.

  2. Nature Rx course (PLSCI 1125): this course for first and second year students has as its goals to familiarize students with the wide range of natural and landscaped sites on and near campus, and to have each student develop a more personal and long-term relationship with the natural world.

  3. NatureRx Club: student-led club that sponsors regular nature hikes and other activities.

  4. Nature Rx e-posters: featured on media walls around campus, each poster extolls one of the known benefits of spending time in nature.

  5. Nature Rx website: through this site (naturerx.cornell.edu) students and others are exposed to fifteen exceptional green spaces on campus, along with walking directions from the user’s current location to the nearest spot.

Collaborating departments and/or units include:

  • Cornell Health Clinic

  • Office of the University Landscape Architect

  • Vice President of Student and Campus Life

  • Dean of Students Office

  • Cornell Outdoor Education

  • Cornell Botanic Gardens

  • Cornell Lab of Ornithology

  • Cornell Career Services

For more information on this program, contact: Donald A. Rakow, dr14@cornell.edu