From green in the neighbourhood to outdoor psychology
For almost two decades, Jolanda Maas has been researching how natural environments affect our health. Her 2005 PhD thesis was one of the first studies to show that people who live in greener living environments feel healthier and visit GPs less often. Since then, numerous projects have followed - from green schoolyards to green hospitals and green mental health services. Maas: 'The common thread in my work is the importance of nature for people's health. From young children to the elderly. We look at what happens when they come into contact with green, for example in their neighbourhood, at school, at work or in the care environment.'
Science in practice
Together with Annette Postma, expert in the field of nature and health, Maas wrote the Nature and Health Handbook containing her scientific findings and a toolkit for healthcare professionals to work with it in their practice. 'The aim of the manual is to show healthcare professionals that nature is not a 'soft' intervention, but a proven effective factor for health,' says Maas. 'The manual provides the science; the accompanying toolkit translates that into practice.'
One of their findings is that therapy and treatment need not always take place indoors. Maas: 'What you do inside, you can often do outside. Think of psychologists who conduct their sessions outside while walking in nature, or physiotherapists who help their patients with rehabilitation exercises in the open air. Research shows that patients often feel more comfortable when therapy sessions take place outdoors. They then feel more vital, more relaxed and more involved in their treatment.'
More biodiversity beneficial for human and earth health
Jolanda Maas sees that a living environment with rich biodiversity, i.e. containing a variety of life, further promotes people's health. 'This is due to the beneficial substances and micro-organisms that plants and trees secrete that strengthen our immune system,' says Maas. 'Moreover, green environments naturally contribute to climate mitigation - they help mitigate the effects of climate change by absorbing CO₂ and reducing heat in cities.'
Within the national 'Green mental health care' programme, in which VU researchers are participating as research coordinators, work is being done to increase greenery in mental health care. 'If we all make the care areas of mental health institutions more biodiverse, both people and nature will benefit.'
Green close to home and on campus
Nature is not only a research object for Maas, but also a personal source of peace. 'I walk every day in my lunch break. That clears my head and it makes me enjoy working more.' Her favourite places? The Amsterdamse Bos. But I also like to visit the green belt near my house on the A2. That's nice and close by.'
Maas also sees the positive impact of green on the VU campus. 'At first I was a bit sceptical about the new campus square, but it has become really beautiful with seating areas and lots of different plants. That definitely contributes to wellbeing and meeting.' She hopes the VU Botanical Garden will be preserved: 'That garden is a unique learning and meeting place. Students remember the outdoor lectures we give there years later.'
Small steps, big gains
Although many care institutions are greening up, Maas sees that the greenery is still underused. 'Greenery is laid out, but often not used. To encourage the use of greenery, we developed the 'GreenIT! A tool that provides insight into which aspects need to be tackled to ensure that greenery is actually used. An important factor here is the training of professionals. Professionals need to learn how to use it - for example, by having conversations outside, or referring patients to green activities. Trainings of healthcare professionals could also play an important role in this by having them experiment with using nature already in their training.'
More information?
Read the Nature and Health Handbook.