November 15, 2018, Thursday - Next Generation of Parks: Florence Williams, The Nature Fix

Time:6:30 – 8 pm

Location: Minneapolis Institute of Arts, 2400 Third Ave. S., Pillsbury Auditorium

Next Generation of Parks: Florence Williams, The Nature Fix

Tickets are free, and advance registration is recommended via Eventbrite.

“Walk into a forest and within five minutes your body and brain start to change,” says Florence Williams, the journalist and author of The Nature Fix: Why Nature Makes Us Happier, Healthier, and More Creative. Williams is the opening night speaker in the Minneapolis Parks Foundation’s 2018-2019 Next Generation of Parks™ Event Series, which focuses on how parks contribute to our emotional, physical, social and cultural health. Williams, who is a podcaster and public speaker in addition to her work as an author and journalist, spent two years researching and writing The Nature Fix. Her talk will delve into what she learned during her investigations – how scientists in Japan quantified the benefits of forest bathing, where school bullies are sent on the “happy train” for nature-based rehabilitation, and what “dose of nature” is most effective (hint: five hours a month is good; more is better). Ultimately, Williams challenges us to ask, “How can cities make places of awe and restoration?”