Spending time in nature can be invigorating or produce feelings of peace and calm, but for many people the workday leaves little time or access to the outdoors. In a Jan. 8 report for AP’s Be Well coverage, Cathy Bussewitz described how workers and employers have tried to bring nature cues into offices and commutes, even when jobs are mostly indoors.
One example is Anna Rose Smith, a psychotherapist in Utah who found it difficult after her first job required working in a windowless office. Smith previously spent much of her youth climbing trees and playing soccer, and she said the shift made it harder to access what felt familiar.
To make that transition easier, Smith spent her lunch breaks outside, walking to nearby fountains or gardens. She said she would pick up flower petals or leaves from the ground and bring them back to her desk. During sessions, she also listened to recorded bird songs, sometimes incorporating the chirps into her client meetings.
“It helps to just have that reminder that these things are going on outside,” Smith said. “I can remember, no matter what happens in this room or with my job today, there’s still going to be birds singing.”
Smith’s approach also extended to how she handled work interactions. The article described her suggestion of “walk and talk” meetings at a nearby greenway, and it said she sometimes proposes meeting outdoors even during remote work. She said she would ask to participate in an online meeting with her smartphone and headphones so she could “still be able to get sunlight on my face or see water and plants and birds.”
Smith said the changes helped her at work: “I do definitely feel more calm,” she said. “I think it helps with focus as well. I’m just feeling more peaceful and optimistic.”
The article also pointed to workplace initiatives. Atlantic Packaging, a sustainable packaging manufacturer headquartered in Wilmington, North Carolina, encourages employees to hold meetings in the courtyards of its facilities or while taking a walk, according to wellness director Becca Schusler. The company added fig trees and native plants to its Charlotte location, and it launched a nature challenge in 2024 in which employees tracked time spent outdoors—such as dog walking, eating meals, attending meetings or watching a sunset—and uploaded photos into a group chat from their workstations.
Schusler said the nature challenge was “just so wonderful because we got sunrises in the mornings, sunsets at night from all different areas, from the beach to the mountains in Nevada,” and she said some employees reported they handled stress better after spending more time outside. The article also described Atlantic Packaging’s “Walk it out Wednesdays,” a weekly group stroll intended to “provide a quick break in the day where they can reset and refocus,” Schusler said.
Bussewitz’s report included workplace design efforts as well. Ford Motor Company encouraged employees to move outdoors, and when it redesigned its Dearborn, Michigan, headquarters in 2025 it added native plants, walking paths and outdoor pavilions, with suggestions that employees use the grounds for meetings. The parking lot was also placed further away from the main building so people would walk for a few minutes by tall grasses, rocky outcroppings, bridges and flowers.
“We are very careful about how we are engineering space so that our brains and our bodies react positively,” said Jennifer Kolstad, Ford’s global and brand design director. Kolstad added, “Designing for human health is our priority, our responsibility.”
The report noted that when it is too cold to go outside, windows can still offer a connection with nature. It said the designers for Ford’s new headquarters placed offices in the center of floors so exterior walls with tall windows could be enjoyed by everyone in collaborative spaces. Smith, for her part, kept a pothos plant in her windowless office; she said it survived on the light it received when she moved it to a colleague’s windowed office on weekends.
“If it’s really ugly weather, extreme, then I think that’s where windows are truly a godsend,” Smith said.
The article concluded with additional ways people try to keep nature in reach during the workday and commute. It suggested biking all or part of the way and said cities and towns may offer bicycle sharing programs, while recommending warm clothing such as a coat and mittens and layers like a neck gaiter, balaclava or a hat under a helmet. It also described Erin Mantz, vice president of marketing for public relations firm Zeno Group in Washington, D.C., who the report said walks to a Pilates class before work four times a week and, on work-from-home days, takes breaks to walk her dog along neighborhood paths.
Mantz described growing up with more outdoor time, saying, “Growing up Gen X, we were always running around outside, and you have that great feeling of freedom and fresh air.” She said that with a hybrid work schedule she has realized time outdoors helps her feel relaxed and destressed, adding, “It’s so good for me.” Mantz said, “The fresh air reminds me of that youthfulness of being outside, and I think it’s physical and mental, honestly. I feel reinvigorated.”