Saving Our Pale Blue Dot: The Importance of Nature Connectedness for Pro-nature Behavior
It took Carl Sagan almost 9 years to convince NASA to have the Voyager 1 spaceprobe take a final image of Earth before it powered down its cameras to conserve energy for its mission into interstellar space. As a scientist, Sagan knew that the photo would yield little in the way of scientific value. But as an astronomer and visionary, he knew that the photo would strike a chord deep within people. Of awe, of wonder, of fragility, of humility. The pale blue dot image from 1990 helped to plant a seed of awareness that we need to actively care for this one planet, our Earth, that we all call home. But how best can we engender such pro-nature action?
On Monday, April 22, 2024, people around the globe will observe the 54th anniversary of Earth Day. We will be reminded of the importance of environmental conservation and sustainability. Much knowledge will be disseminated about how we can best do that, about which actions we can—individually and collectively—engage in to help protect this pale blue dot we all live on. BUT, this focus on knowledge may actually be missing the mark. Action follows from caring, and caring is borne of connection. Thus it a sense of connection—specifically nature connection—that this talk will focus on.
Why? Because a solid body of research clearly shows that it is nature connectedness that drives pro-nature behavior, that it is nature connectedness that stirs us to action. You will learn what the construct of nature connectedness is, how it is related to the wellbeing of individuals and the planet, and what the five main pathways to enhance nature connectedness are. Evidence from nature-based wellbeing interventions will be presented, including discussion of interventions utilizing the science of character strengths to enhance nature connectedness. We will also turn our gaze to the stars and briefly delve into new research on Night Sky Nature Connectedness, All in hopes of fostering your connection with nature, to the particulars of nature all around us, to the only home we know, our pale blue dot.
Holli-Anne Passmore, PhD.
Associate Professor, Department Chair, Psychology
Concordia University of Edmonton (CUE)
Director of the Nature—Meaning in Life (NMIL) Research Lab
Dr. Holli-Anne Passmore is an Associate Professor and Department Chair of Psychology at Concordia University of Edmonton (CUE) where she teaches (among other courses) an upper-level undergraduate capstone course on “Nature and Wellbeing” which she developed. Holli-Anne is also Director of the multi-university Nature-Meaning in Life (NMIL) Research Lab, an Editor of the International Journal of Wellbeing, Science Chair of the Spirituality and Meaning Division of the International Positive Psychology Association, an invited academic with the Global Wellbeing Initiative (a partnership between the Gallup World Poll and the Wellbeing for Planet Earth Foundation), and co-developer of a free online course on Nature Connectedness out of the University of Derby, UK. She collaborates with researchers around the globe primarily focusing on the development and validation of practical interventions to enhance wellbeing through noticing and engaging with everyday nature close to home.
