Mother Nature, Is she still relevant or just a far off

concept?
Nature is all around you. It has been your whole life and it always will be.
Although you are constantly surrounded by it, do you take the time to notice it?
Do you in fact stop to smell the roses? When was the last time you spent some
time outdoors and got back to nature? We live in a world full of wonders that
Mother Nature has laid out in front of us to explore and discover, yet most spend
their days indoors watching a generic Netflix television show and scrolling
through a mundane twitter feed. Do not get me wrong, I enjoy binge watching
Gossip Girl and scrolling through Twitter late at night just as much as any other
college student, but I ask the question why do people spend most of their time
inside?. Is it due to a hatred of the outdoors, a lack of will power to leave the
couch, or is it because there is a shortage of places to experience nature? They
say that spending time outdoors and really understanding the nature and
environment surrounding you has a positive effect on you, more so then laying in
bed all day watching One Tree Hill, but if you knew that would you spend more
time smelling the roses and less time retweeting?

Nature and the Community

Many towns and cities have parks and other recreational nature locations. An
example of such a place is located in the eclectic and charming historical district
of Fairhaven, WA. The Fairhaven Village green is an outdoor cinema park but
also functions as a regular park for other outside activities and events in the
community. This green is a wonderful place for the residents of Bellingham to
spend time outdoors within the community. Unlike other outdoor activities in
Washington such as hiking and kayaking which is strenuous and demanding,
participating in events at the green is convenient and easily accessible to all
members of the community. A place such as this influences the inhabitants of this
college town to partake in all that Mother Nature has to offer in the beautiful and
abundant Pacific Northwest without having to go very far or take any extraneous
steps.

Being One with Nature on Campus

As a new resident to the evergreen state, I was so thrilled to spend more of my
time outside and really enjoy my new living environment. However, due to a busy
academic and work schedule this is not as simple as one would have hoped. If
there was a place on campus and close to students residence where they could
do just that, my goal of spending more of my time outside would be achieved and
would in fact enrich my life. This is place would not only help me and my college
experience but also the other students on campus.

Mother Natures Touch on Campus

Western Washington University is located within an abundance of trees and other

flora and is next to the Sehome Arboretum. Although WWU possesses these
qualities, I as a new student on campus still find it difficult to spend more time
outdoors while continuing to perform well and participate in my academics. I do
not doubt that there are many places on campus to immerse oneself in nature
while participating in ones academics. However, Western is located in the Pacific
Northwest, which as stated before is notoriously rainy. So what is one to do in the
middle of November when it is rainy cats and dogs and they are stuck indoors
when they long to be outside amongst the fauna? My suggestion is a place on
campus where students can spend time in nature even when the weather is
bleak and less than desirable. Students would be able to connect with the
outside world around them throughout the entire academic year and not just
when the weather is decent. They would be able to receive the benefits of nature
interaction all year long instead of only a couple of months. But how does this
suggestion become a realized place on campus?

How does Mother Nature enrich your life?

Spending time in the beautiful outdoors has many benefits for the body, mind,
and spirit. By participating in activities outside you are improving your long
distance vision and decreasing your chances of developing nearsightedness 1.
Being out there in nature increases your level of vitamin D intake, which is very
difficult to do living in the rainy Pacific Northwest. Vitamin D decreases ones risk
of bone problems, heart disease, diabetes, and other health issues 2. Exposure to
the outdoors during academics increases students performance on critical
thinking exams and tests3. Spending time in a natural setting is widely effective in
reducing attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), which is a very common
condition among college students4. Stress levels drop within minutes of seeing
green spaces, which benefits college students who are stressed out most of the
time5. Nature makes you a kinder person, enhancing social interactions, value of
community, and close relationships, all of which are important when coming to
live in a new and unfamiliar place such as university5.

A New Place on Campus?

Many questions come to mind when contemplating such a location. Where would
it be? How much would it cost to build such a place? Would students take
advantage of it or would it be a waste of money?

When pondering a location to build this wonderful addition to the already

beautiful Western Washington University campus, many ideas come to mind
such as the C parking lot, the area in front of the Wade King Recreational Center
and just right of Academic West, or perhaps on the Communications lawn. Of
course if one were to develop such a location in place of the C parking lots then
student parking would become more limited than it already is. The area located in
front of the Rec Center and to the right of Academic West is a vast concrete area
used for meeting places and other congregations. If this place did not exist then
where would students flock? This answer is simple; of course they would just
meet at the new outdoor environmental experience location. And as we know on
the Comm Lawn are the Stairs to Nowhere. So if a new outdoor environmental
experience location were to be put in place should the stairs be removed or
should the new location simply include the Stairs to Nowhere? If the stairs were
to be removed it would be destroying a beautiful art sculpture and would destroy
a place that students on campus already love to spend their time which is
counterproductive in developing a new outdoor environmental experience
location. So the question is where do we put this new outdoor environmental
experience location?
Funding such a development would be slightly expensive, especially due to the
reconstruction of Carver Gym, which is being remodeled during the 2015-2016
academic school year. So the question is where does the funding needed to build
this place come from? Many sources are an option such as the Alumni
Association, the WWU administration team, or Outdoor and Student Wellness
clubs on campus. But how do we convince any of these organizations to fund the
construction of a new outdoor environmental experience location? The answer is
from all of those sources. The enrichment of student life is everyones dilemma. A
happy and content student population contributes to life and academics on
campus in so many ways. Professors and faculty will interact with more satisfied
students whom are open to learning and growing throughout the quarter. This will
lead to an increase in graduation rates and an increase in alumni. Students are
probably the most important factor in a successful university, and when they are
pleased and jovial the university itself benefits.

The Western Student GreenHouse

My recommendation is a new outdoor experience site on campus located in front

of the Wade King Recreation Center and to the right of Academic West. This new
setting would be beneficial to students whom live on and off campus because it is
on campus and close to the largest student parking lot. This innovative space
would have an awning and glass walls to enclose it from the intense rain and
high winds of the winter. Due to its clear glass encasing students would be able
to soak up all of the limited vitamin D on sunny days. With a greenhouse type
feel it would be student run with greenery planted and cared for by those whom
enjoy gardening and enriching the environment with flora. The space would
include benches and tables for meetings and academics and a possible coffee
cart to attract more students. With all of these additions it would be an attractive
location, leading to an increase in student participation an increase in successful
student academics, and a decrease in students stress levels. This new location
to be one with Mother Nature will enhance all of those whom visit it and
participate in its beauty.

So What Now?
As my time here at Western grows, I begin to understand the daily struggles of
being a college student such as stress, academic workload, and somewhat a
state of depression due to home sickness. With a place on campus where all of
these issues could be resolved year round my life and the lives of other students
would be improved in an extremely progressive way.
I hope to inspire you to start a movement towards The Western Student
GreenHouse. As a member on campus with many connections it is your duty to
see my recommendation through and help all of the inhabitants on campus
including yourself be a more blissful and pleased community here at Western
Washington University.