For Clinical Staff
How do you recommend (or “prescribe”) nature to students:
- When clinically relevant and appropriate, share about the health benefits of spending time in nature (see below), relating it to the student’s presenting concerns (e.g., stress, anxiety, fatigue, difficulty concentrating, etc.).
- Collaborate with the patient/client to co-create a customized nature prescription or recommendation for them by asking the following:
- Place: Where do you like to spend time outdoors? Where do you feel safe and comfortable outside?
- Activity: What kinds of things or activities do you like to do (or wish to do) more outside, whether alone or with others?
- Frequency: How many times a week can you commit to doing this activity? Which days of the week? Time of day?
- Duration: How many minutes or hours can you commit to engaging in this activity?
- Indicate in the electronic health record that you recommended nature to the student. Doing so will generate a secure message to the student with additional information about opportunities to engage with nature on campus. It will also help to document the number of nature prescriptions made each year by Cornell Health clinicians.
If you have additional time:
- Help the student envision specific ways they might spend time in nature.
- Consider sharing with students your own favorite natural locations and ways you engage with nature.
If you don’t have time:
If you don’t have time for a quick conversation to co-create a nature prescription plan with the student, try this instead:
- Share that there are health benefits of spending time in nature and offer the student a “Nature Plan” card (see image) and encourage them to link to the Google Form make their own Nature Plan.
The student will complete a 5-minute survey asking the questions (i.e., about place, activity, frequency, and duration) described above.
- A copy of the student's plan will be emailed to them when they submit the survey.
What is a nature “prescription”?
A nature prescription is the act of a health care provider prescribing or recommending a patient spend time in nature to support their health and well-being. It is a type of social prescription that recognizes the profound positive impact spending time in the natural environment can have on various aspects of physical and mental health.
Cornell’s Nature Rx initiative was inspired by the work of Dr. Robert Zarr, a pediatrician, and his organization Park Rx America, who partnered with the National Park Service in Washington DC, to prescribe nature to patients seeking care. Physicians and mental health providers across the U.S., Canada, and Europe have followed suit, engaging in prescribing nature during routine healthcare appointments.
Who provides nature “prescriptions” at Cornell Health?
Cornell Health’s medical and mental health providers recommend (or “prescribe”) spending time in nature to students, when clinically appropriate, to reduce stress, improve mood and concentration, and overall well-being. Cornell Health’s medical and mental health providers recommend (or “prescribe”) spending time in nature to students to reduce stress and improve mood, concentration, and overall well-being.
History & scope
Cornell Health providers have participated in a nature prescription program since 2017, with “prescriptions” increasing since then. During the 2024–2025 academic year, Cornell Health providers prescribed or recommended time in nature to more than 2,200 students.
Part of a national movement: Over the last decade, the evidence-based benefits of nature have received attention from medical and mental health communities across the U.S. and abroad, with a growing number of providers recommending spending time in nature to their patients/clients as a sort of "nature prescription."
Why recommend or prescribe nature?
Research-backed benefits
Research shows time spent in nature is good for overall health and well-being. Even 10-20 minutes spent in nature can have psychological and physiological benefits for college-aged students (Meredith, et al., 2020).
Time spent in nature or viewing nature has been shown to:
- Improve cognitive ability and concentration and increase attention span
- Positively benefit mood and improve one’s sense of overall happiness
- Reduce feelings of and physiological responses to stress
- Increase one’s number of social connections and the quality of social relationships
- Boost physical health and well-being
Health Promoting Campus alignment
As a Health Promoting Campus, Cornell recognizes that the well-being of people, places, and the planet are interdependent. Nature Rx at Cornell draws upon the unique beauty of its natural settings and instills in participants both positive health benefits and also a sense of connection to the land. Spending time in nature (e.g., walking outside, watching a sunset, sitting in a garden enjoying the sounds of nature can help to combat stress, fatigue, climate change-related distress, and restore our attention.
How nature is prescribed
When clinically relevant and appropriate, medical and mental health care providers share about the health benefits of spending time in nature as it relates to the patient’s presenting health concerns and engage them in identifying the components of their nature prescription: Place, Activity, Frequency and Duration.
The provider may start by asking the patient/client where they like to spend time outside or where they feel comfortable being outside (place). They then ask questions about what the patient/client likes to do outside (activity). Once the patient/client has identified something they enjoy doing outside, discuss the frequency and duration of this outdoor activity, ensuring a realistic and feasible commitment.
What Cornell students think
Among Cornell students who received a nature prescription from a Cornell Health provider during the 2024 – 2025 academic year:
- 70% followed the prescription by intentionally spending time in nature following their medical or mental health care appointment
- 88% reported a positive improvement in their mood after spending time in nature
- 85% reported feeling less stressed after spending time in nature
- 82% reported feeling more aware of their surroundings when they were in nature
About the Nature Rx @ Cornell
Nature Rx @ Cornell envisions the holistic well-being of the Cornell community through connection with nature. As a Health Promoting Campus, this initiative reflects Cornell's commitment to people, places, and the planet.
The initiative includes:
- a student organization
- an academic course called “Nature and Your Well-Being”
- campus-wide events
- a nature prescription program from Cornell Health
These efforts are supported by a university website (naturerx.cornell.edu) that promotes the many natural areas on and around Cornell’s Ithaca campus.
Campus Resources
- Cornell’s Nature Rx website
Campus nature events, campus nature locations, campus and local resources to connect with nature, tips for activities to do in nature. - Cornell Outdoor Education
Offers a variety of physical education courses outdoors in nature (e.g., backpacking, camping, biking, caving, hiking, outdoor yoga and tai chi, paddling, rock climbing, snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, trail running, tree climbing, and wilderness medicine). - Nature Rx Club at Cornell
This student organization provides opportunities for students to connect with peers and engage in nature-based wellness events like guided nature walks. - Skorton Center for Health Initiatives
Obtain Nature Rx materials for your office or exam room and share questions or suggestions about the Nature Rx@Cornell initiative with Emily Dunuwila (ed545@cornell.edu), Health Initiatives Coordinator.