The Talk: Needing Nature

Jennifer White

There have been a lot of great lectures from the Ellison Endowed Chair Distinguished Lecture Series at Texas A&M over the years, but Dr. Jay Maddock’s recent talk hit it out of the park. Or maybe I should say, “into the park.”

Jay is a professor at Texas A&M and the director of the Center for Health and Nature. As Americans spend less and less time in nature, the effects are startling—from mental health to physical health and even the state of our neighborhoods. Jay is knee-dip in the ramifications, and he's clamoring for the world to pay attention to what plants, time in nature and natural places/views can do for us.

Y'all know the research. The real mission here is to get decision makers to rethink the role of green spaces, natural features and parks in our everyday lives. Jay has been working with Charlie Hall, professor and Ellison Chair in International Floriculture in the Texas A&M Department of Horticultural Sciences, and this article from the university does a great job summarizing the public health crisis, the work being done and the paths forward. GP

Watch Jay’s full lecture with an introduction by Charlie.