Kara O’Dell
Learn more about The Return to Nature Thesis Project.
Branding
Your return to nature takes just a few small steps.
Shop kits that ease you back into learning about the living word around you. Discover the joy and anticipation of planting seeds to your vary first herb garden. Nourish your potted plant while you nourish your mind with positivity and happiness. Now is the time that you learn how to make time for yourself. Stress, anxiety, and fear are consequences of being overworked and undervalued.
Nature has the power to help guide you back to a balanced and harmonious relationship with your own body and mind. Fill your days with an established routine that allows you to live in the moment and be present. Slow down and enjoy this life, and become confident in your future.
Herb garden starter kit. Includes seeds, soil, pots and care cards for your seedlings and for yourself. There’s nothing like seeing spouts push their way out of the darkness and into the light and flourish. The herb starter kit also provides you with a fresh sprig of rosemary or basil to any dish.
Mindfulness kit includes a build your own terrarium, for those who lack a sunny window sill or yard. Adding a touch a nature anywhere in your home can remind you to take a pause and be mindful, meditate, and breathe.
Research
In times of quarantine and an unprecedented global pandemic, there was a newfound wealth of time spent at home. Seeds to vegetable gardens were being sown, or a new plant was brought home, the growth of self-love and the gain of quality time was also nourished. When people water and nurture their plants, they are more likely to notice that they must do the same for their own body and mind. Therefore, urban home gardening and or even tending to a small plant allows us to escape the hustle of a busy day and to put the world on pause for a moment. In the article on the “Health Benefits of Urban Allotment Gardening,” by Masashi Soga, urban cities in Japan cope with their large populations to keep up overall moral and mental health. The results of this study show no measurable increase in the physical health of eating from the garden. However, the study did show that those who spent structured time tending to the gardens had a more balanced mindfulness and higher self-esteem than those who did not. This thesis exhibition’s primary focus is to research citizens’ mental health and physical wellness benefits of those who tend to a house plant, personal, and or a community garden.
Perhaps the time in quarantine revealed to people what can happen when they make time for themselves and others. This mindset inspired people to random acts of kindness and empathy for one another. Finding ways to be sustainable helped people realize how capable they are. Gardens were flourishing and food became more accessible to those who were not fortunate enough to panic buy. Activist and humanitarian Rob Greenfield originated the most inspiring example of sustainability within community-based garden designs. Greenfield is a perfect example of how easy and very beneficial it is to convert wasteful lawns into vegetable gardens for the community. People have it within themselves to pause from the busy work-life and to find balance in a more purposeful environment for mind and body. Through this research, Return to Nature is investigated to promote mental and physical wellness and to increase overall morale.
Sources:
Soga, Masashi et al. “Health Benefits of Urban Allotment Gardening: Improved Physical and Psychological Well-Being and Social Integration.” International journal of environmental research and public health vol. 14,171.
Greenfield, Rob. Earth’s Messenger for Green Living. robgreenfield.org
