The Conference That Cracked the Code: Why Nature Connections 2025 Changes Everything for Smart Organisations

Susan Kench
Jun 19
4 min read

Picture this: a room buzzing with researchers, NHS mental health professionals, conservation experts, and practitioners who've spent years quietly revolutionising how we understand nature's role in human wellbeing. That was Nature Connections 2025 at the University of Derby—and what I witnessed there could transform how your organisation tackles both the mental health crisis and sustainability challenges simultaneously.

This wasn't your typical academic gathering where brilliant insights gather dust in journals. These were battle-tested approaches from the frontlines: NHS services embedding nature into therapeutic practice, universities measuring forest bathing's impact on stressed students, conservation bodies designing programmes that actually change behaviour.

The question isn't whether these approaches work—it's whether you're ready to harness them.

When Trees Become Therapists: The Forest Bathing Breakthrough

What if I told you that 77.6% of people felt significantly more relaxed after just one structured forest session? Research presented by Kamila Kwasniewska from Trinity College Dublin didn't just study forest bathing—she cracked the code on why it works for the very demographic struggling most in today's workplace.

Her research with 58 postgraduate students revealed something extraordinary: participants weren't just seeking relaxation (84.5% cited stress reduction), they desperately wanted to "unplug from technology and routine" (56.9%).

Sound familiar? These are the exact pain points plaguing your younger workforce—the generation experiencing mental health challenges 64% higher than their older colleagues.

But here's the kicker: 72.4% felt "much more connected to nature" after sessions, whilst 74.1% experienced heightened mindfulness. This isn't just stress relief—it's rewiring how people relate to their environment.

Key takeaway: Forest bathing offers measurable, evidence-based alternatives to traditional employee wellbeing programmes, with results that speak directly to modern workplace challenges.

The NHS Just Proved It's Scalable

When a major NHS Trust successfully integrates nature-based approaches across their entire mental health service, what's your excuse? Tom Fisher's presented on "Bringing Nature into Practice" at Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust wasn't about small pilot programmes—it was systematic organisational transformation.

They developed Trust-wide training, created guidance handbooks, established staff networks, and worked at executive level to embed nature-informed practices across all services. If an NHS Trust managing complex mental health cases can do this, how transformative could it be for corporate environments?

The research shows nature-based interventions don't replace conventional approaches—they supercharge them by increasing engagement and improving compliance with wellness programmes.

Key takeaway: When healthcare systems prove scalability, the template exists for corporate transformation. The question is leadership commitment, not feasibility.

The Language Revolution That Changes Everything

Here's something that might stop you in your tracks: after nearly 200 years, the Oxford English Dictionary now includes humans in the definition of 'Nature' again. Speaker Jessica Mond Wedd from Lawyers for Nature didn't just achieve a linguistic victory—she cracked open a door to fundamentally different thinking about sustainability.

Why does this matter? Because language shapes reality. When your team stops thinking about "managing environmental impact" and starts understanding their role within living systems, everything changes. Dr Carly Butler's "Stories of Connection" research proves this: sharing personal nature experiences creates emotional foundations for environmental commitment that data-driven presentations simply can't match.

When employees share stories about dawn breaking over a city park or feeling connected to an ancient tree, they're not just team-building—they're rewiring their relationship with the planet that supports your business.

Key takeaway: Sustainability training that starts with emotional connection, not compliance data, creates lasting behavioural change that transforms organisational culture.

The Secret Sauce: Why Some Programmes Thrive While Others Die

Research presented by Sam Pywell on the "Infinity Model" revealed why so many wellbeing initiatives fail: they only address one stakeholder's needs. Successful nature-based programmes simultaneously satisfy executives (demonstrable impact), employees (meaningful engagement), and ESG commitments (genuine environmental benefit).

It's like conducting an orchestra—every section must play their part for the symphony to soar. Miss one element, and your programme becomes another expensive initiative that fades into corporate memory.

Key takeaway: Design programmes that solve multiple organisational challenges simultaneously, or watch them become expensive experiments that leadership eventually questions.

The London Advantage: Ancient Wisdom, Modern Access

For London businesses, you're sitting on a goldmine. Epping Forest—home to 55,000 ancient trees—is accessible from central London. Research presented by Julian Manley on Forestry England's wellbeing trails shows how organisations can use natural settings to support employee mental health and environmental connection simultaneously.

His Visual Matrix method revealed emotional engagement so deep that participants struggled to express it through conventional feedback—the kind of transformation that creates loyal, resilient, innovative teams.

London team building days in natural settings aren't just different from conference room activities—they're fundamentally more effective at creating psychological safety and authentic connection.

Key takeaway: Geography is destiny. London businesses have unprecedented access to transformative natural environments that most organisations can only dream of.

The Integration Imperative

Here's what struck me most profoundly: every piece of research demonstrated that authentic nature connection simultaneously improves individual wellbeing AND drives pro-environmental behaviour. You're not choosing between employee wellness and sustainability—you're discovering they're inseparable.

Research presented by Ellen Burford on nature-based gardening groups for people with young onset dementia revealed something precious: nature-based group activities create spaces where people "don't have to explain themselves." Imagine your teams connecting authentically without corporate performance pressures. Imagine the innovation, collaboration, and resilience that could emerge.

The research consistently shows that people who develop authentic nature connections make different decisions across all aspects of their lives. They're more creative, more collaborative, more resilient during uncertainty, and more committed to protecting the natural systems supporting all life.

The Choice Point

The evidence is overwhelming. The approaches are proven. The question facing progressive organisations isn't whether nature-based programmes work—it's whether you're ready to facilitate the consciousness shift that makes genuine wellbeing and authentic sustainability possible.

Are you ready to move beyond surface-level green initiatives to transformation that touches the very heart of how your people see themselves in relationship with the world? The path is illuminated. The choice is yours.

At Nature in Mind, we translate these research insights into transformative corporate experiences. Our forest bathing programmes, nature connection away days, and Taking Root organisational development are designed for London organisations ready to address employee wellbeing and sustainability simultaneously.