Reconnecting Campus Life to Nature: A Trail That Makes It Easy
At NatureFix, we believe that feeling better doesn’t have to take hours, and it doesn’t have to take you far. In just a few minutes, with the right guidance and the right environment, nature can help us reset, recharge, and reconnect.
That’s why we’re proud to support an inspiring new initiative led by researchers at Wageningen University & Research (WUR): a Nature-Connectedness Trail on campus, designed to bring the health benefits of nature into everyday study and work life.
Watch this short video to learn more…
Why Nature on Campus Matters
We’re more digitally connected than ever, yet many of us feel more mentally and emotionally disconnected, especially from nature. Whether it’s constant screen time, study pressure, or global uncertainty, it’s easy to forget that nature is one of our most powerful allies for mental clarity, stress relief, and physical wellbeing.
But nature isn’t just something we visit on weekends. It should be part of our daily lives, including where we learn, work, and think.
Science confirms it: connection with nature supports better mental health, reduces anxiety, and boosts our overall sense of wellbeing. It’s not a luxury, it’s a necessity. And campuses are the perfect place to start.
A Trail to Reconnect: The WUR Nature-Connectedness Trail
Three passionate researchers - Lian Grabijn, Sonja Greil, and Bas Verschuuren - are taking bold action to reconnect students, staff, and visitors with the nature that surrounds them.
Together, they are launching a Nature-Connectedness Trail across the WUR campus, using the NatureFix App to guide people through short, meaningful, and science-based nature connection exercises along the way. These exercises, developed with insights from neuroscience, psychology, and nature-based therapy, are designed to shift our attention, calm the body, and open us to the present moment.
Whether you’re in between lectures, heading to a meeting, or simply in need of a break, this trail invites you to experience the simple power of noticing, breathing, moving, and reflecting with nature.
Transforming campus green spaces into wellness places
Benefits for Learning, Teaching, and Research
This trail is more than a wellbeing tool, it’s a resource for academic growth and innovation.
For students:
Supports concentration, memory, and mood, key to academic performance
Offers stress reduction during intense study periods
Encourages reflective thinking and creativity
For educators:
Can be used to enrich environmental education, psychology, business, sustainability, and health-related curricula
Provides real-life experiential learning opportunities
Helps integrate wellbeing practices into academic settings
For researchers:
Enables on-campus studies in mental and medical health, behaviour change, learning outcomes, and environmental psychology
Provides a living lab for student-led research projects and interdisciplinary collaboration
Nature becomes a co-teacher, co-researcher, and co-therapist, right outside the classroom!
Bas Verschuuren, Lian Grabijn and Sonja Greil
It’s More Than a Walk- It’s a Shift
Nature connection is not just good for our health, it’s also good for the planet. Research shows that people who feel more connected to nature are more likely to take action to protect it. That’s why initiatives like this don’t just improve individual wellbeing, they nurture a culture of environmental care.
By supporting this project, you’re helping create a campus where nature is not only studied, but also lived and felt. A place where daily routines include moments of calm, clarity, and connection.
Will You Walk With Us?
NatureFix is proud to be part of this journey, offering the tools, technology, and scientific grounding that makes this trail possible.
If you believe in reconnecting people and places, in putting wellbeing and sustainability into everyday life, and in shaping the future of how we learn and live, then help support this project: Nature Connectedness Trail
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This project is brought to life by Lian Grabijn, Sonja Greil, and Bas Verschuuren (WUR), with support from the NatureFix team and WUR alumnus Dr Matthew Zyslstra. All donations go directly to implementing the trail and ensuring the app remains freely available.