{"id":523,"date":"2022-04-11T12:01:36","date_gmt":"2022-04-11T12:01:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/challenge.carleton.ca\/?p=523"},"modified":"2023-11-24T09:43:06","modified_gmt":"2023-11-24T14:43:06","slug":"horticultural-therapy-employee-wellness","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/challenge.carleton.ca\/horticultural-therapy-employee-wellness\/","title":{"rendered":"A Healthy Business Plan"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
\n
A pandemic. Climate change. War in Europe.These challenges not only have a devastating impact on physical, environmental and economic well-being across Canada and around the globe, they have also exacerbated an ongoing mental health crisis.<\/p>\n

One of the ways to seek peace and perspective in the face of such existential calamity is to spend time outdoors or with plants. This idea, that there is healing in nature, is at the heart of a social enterprise launched last year<\/a> by Carleton University MBA<\/a> graduate Alexis Ashworth.<\/p>\n

\u201cAn abundance of research<\/a> shows that people are emotionally, mentally and physically healthier when they interact with plants and the outdoors,\u201d she says.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Ottawa-based Root in Nature<\/a> offers horticultural therapy, nature-based programs and employee wellness sessions, all aimed at nurturing resilience, hope and mindfulness in these uncertain and turbulent times. And while there\u2019s increasing demand for services that tackle anxiety and stress, Ashworth aims to do more than tap into a growing market.<\/p>\n

\u201cWith a limited number of years on this planet,\u201d she says. \u201cI want to do something I\u2019m passionate about and something that can help people.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ashworth, who left her job as the CEO of Habitat for Humanity Greater Ottawa in September 2021 to start Root in Nature, is part of a pandemic-prompted wave of entrepreneurs pursuing meaningful work. Initially, the trend that saw professionals leaving their jobs over the past couple years was dubbed \u201cthe great resignation,\u201d but she suggests it should be called \u201cthe great realignment\u201d because people are searching for paths that fit their personal priorities.<\/p>\n

Root in Nature is a for-profit social enterprise, which means it\u2019s structured like a conventional business, albeit one with an underlying goal of improving the lives of its clients. Rather than set up a non-profit organization governed by a board, Ashworth wanted to start a venture that she could own and operate for the rest of her career.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe pandemic has exposed the need for more mental health supports and services,\u201d she says. \u201cThere\u2019s a lot of opportunity in this area.\u201d<\/p>\n

Horticultural Therapy for Holistic Health<\/h2>\n

This vision, and a staff of seven practitioners<\/a> she can call upon, will allow her to grow the business sustainably, starting with horticultural therapy programs at the Just Food Community Farm<\/a> in Ottawa\u2019s east end and virtual gardening sessions this spring for non-profits that support seniors, young mothers and other communities.<\/p>\n

Ashworth is also talking to companies that run retirement and long-term care homes, which serve a population that has been particularly impacted by the pandemic. Her team has started providing horticultural therapy for seniors with dementia at Symphony Senior Living and will begin providing services with Aging in Place<\/a> at Ottawa Community Housing buildings this spring. Root in Nature also is partnering with the Children\u2019s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO) to run programs for youth with autism and those who are struggling with what The Lancet<\/em> calls \u201cclimate anxiety.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Alexis
Alexis Ashworth<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a serious problem for many people, for youth in particular, and I couldn\u2019t find any treatments that were focused on this issue,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is important to address, or we\u2019re going to have a whole generation growing up with a sense of dread and doom about the future.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

On the employee wellness front, the Carleton grad has developed a lunch-and-learn presentation called Nature in the Workplace<\/a> that shares practical tips to help workplaces support the health needs of staff.<\/p>\n

\u201cSeveral studies show that having a plant in every square metre of office space is optimal for enhancing productivity,\u201d Ashworth says. \u201cBeyond bringing plants inside, orienting desks toward windows or adding nature scenes can have a psychologically restorative effect.\u201d<\/p>\n

Decades of scientific research affirm the curative properties of nature, including a seminal study<\/a> that showed post-operative patients whose hospital rooms had windows overlooking natural scenes recovered more quickly from their surgeries than people who had a view of a brick wall.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s only in very recent human history that we\u2019ve been living in an urbanized world, disconnected from wildlife and trees and the outdoors,\u201d explains Ashworth. \u201cOur brains are still wired to be in the natural world. This disconnect has a whole range of health implications.\u201d<\/p>\n

With a horticultural therapist on staff in Toronto and virtual programming available anywhere in the country, Root in Nature could expand across Canada within the next five years, says Ashworth. And though she doesn\u2019t want to sacrifice her own work-life balance or mental health, her experience running a non-profit and earning an MBA at Carleton University were perfect preparation for this next step.<\/p>\n

\u201cI really love managing and overseeing things,\u201d she says.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\u201cIn my role I focus on a lot of different aspects of the business and keep everything moving in the right direction, at the right time.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A pandemic. Climate change. War in Europe.These challenges not only have a devastating impact on physical, environmental and economic well-being across Canada and around the globe, they have also exacerbated an ongoing mental health crisis. One of the ways to seek peace and perspective in the face of such existential calamity is to spend time […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":554,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6,3],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\nSocial Enterprise Rooted in Nature Focuses on Horticultural Therapy<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Ottawa-based Root in Nature offers horticultural therapy, nature-based programs and employee wellness sessions, all aimed at nurturing\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/challenge.carleton.ca\/horticultural-therapy-employee-wellness\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Social Enterprise Rooted in Nature Focuses on Horticultural Therapy\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Ottawa-based Root in Nature offers horticultural therapy, nature-based programs and employee wellness sessions, all aimed at nurturing\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/challenge.carleton.ca\/horticultural-therapy-employee-wellness\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Challenge What's Possible\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/carletonuniversity\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2022-04-11T12:01:36+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2023-11-24T14:43:06+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/challenge.carleton.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/root-in-nature-team-1200x700-1.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"700\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Dan Rubinstein\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@Carleton_U\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@Carleton_U\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Dan Rubinstein\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/challenge.carleton.ca\/horticultural-therapy-employee-wellness\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/challenge.carleton.ca\/horticultural-therapy-employee-wellness\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Dan Rubinstein\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/challenge.carleton.ca\/#\/schema\/person\/cbfe4c0d9d87abb4919a2b4c6e57d65c\"},\"headline\":\"A Healthy Business Plan\",\"datePublished\":\"2022-04-11T12:01:36+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-11-24T14:43:06+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/challenge.carleton.ca\/horticultural-therapy-employee-wellness\/\"},\"wordCount\":812,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/challenge.carleton.ca\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/challenge.carleton.ca\/horticultural-therapy-employee-wellness\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/challenge.carleton.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/root-in-nature-team-1200x700-1.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Social Innovation\",\"The New Economy\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-CA\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/challenge.carleton.ca\/horticultural-therapy-employee-wellness\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/challenge.carleton.ca\/horticultural-therapy-employee-wellness\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/challenge.carleton.ca\/horticultural-therapy-employee-wellness\/\",\"name\":\"Social Enterprise Rooted in Nature Focuses on Horticultural Therapy\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/challenge.carleton.ca\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/challenge.carleton.ca\/horticultural-therapy-employee-wellness\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/challenge.carleton.ca\/horticultural-therapy-employee-wellness\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/challenge.carleton.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/root-in-nature-team-1200x700-1.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2022-04-11T12:01:36+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2023-11-24T14:43:06+00:00\",\"description\":\"Ottawa-based Root in Nature offers horticultural therapy, nature-based programs and employee wellness sessions, all aimed at nurturing\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/challenge.carleton.ca\/horticultural-therapy-employee-wellness\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-CA\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/challenge.carleton.ca\/horticultural-therapy-employee-wellness\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-CA\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/challenge.carleton.ca\/horticultural-therapy-employee-wellness\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/challenge.carleton.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/root-in-nature-team-1200x700-1.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/challenge.carleton.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/root-in-nature-team-1200x700-1.jpg\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":700,\"caption\":\"The Root in Nature team\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/challenge.carleton.ca\/horticultural-therapy-employee-wellness\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/challenge.carleton.ca\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"A Healthy Business Plan\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/challenge.carleton.ca\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/challenge.carleton.ca\/\",\"name\":\"Challenge What's Possible\",\"description\":\"True Leaders Challenge What's Possible\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/challenge.carleton.ca\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/challenge.carleton.ca\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-CA\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/challenge.carleton.ca\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Carleton University\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/challenge.carleton.ca\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-CA\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/challenge.carleton.ca\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/challenge.carleton.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/fav-icon.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/challenge.carleton.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/fav-icon.png\",\"width\":512,\"height\":512,\"caption\":\"Carleton University\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/challenge.carleton.ca\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/carletonuniversity\",\"https:\/\/x.com\/Carleton_U\",\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/carleton_u\/\",\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/school\/carleton-university\/\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/challenge.carleton.ca\/#\/schema\/person\/cbfe4c0d9d87abb4919a2b4c6e57d65c\",\"name\":\"Dan Rubinstein\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-CA\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/challenge.carleton.ca\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/109801c3e631087f9475b21cf0c5c81a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/109801c3e631087f9475b21cf0c5c81a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Dan Rubinstein\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/challenge.carleton.ca\/author\/dan-rubinsteincarleton-ca\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Social Enterprise Rooted in Nature Focuses on Horticultural Therapy","description":"Ottawa-based Root in Nature offers horticultural therapy, nature-based programs and employee wellness sessions, all aimed at nurturing","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/challenge.carleton.ca\/horticultural-therapy-employee-wellness\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Social Enterprise Rooted in Nature Focuses on Horticultural Therapy","og_description":"Ottawa-based Root in Nature offers horticultural therapy, nature-based programs and employee wellness sessions, all aimed at nurturing","og_url":"https:\/\/challenge.carleton.ca\/horticultural-therapy-employee-wellness\/","og_site_name":"Challenge What's Possible","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/carletonuniversity","article_published_time":"2022-04-11T12:01:36+00:00","article_modified_time":"2023-11-24T14:43:06+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1200,"height":700,"url":"https:\/\/challenge.carleton.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/root-in-nature-team-1200x700-1.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Dan Rubinstein","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@Carleton_U","twitter_site":"@Carleton_U","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Dan Rubinstein","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/challenge.carleton.ca\/horticultural-therapy-employee-wellness\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/challenge.carleton.ca\/horticultural-therapy-employee-wellness\/"},"author":{"name":"Dan Rubinstein","@id":"https:\/\/challenge.carleton.ca\/#\/schema\/person\/cbfe4c0d9d87abb4919a2b4c6e57d65c"},"headline":"A Healthy Business Plan","datePublished":"2022-04-11T12:01:36+00:00","dateModified":"2023-11-24T14:43:06+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/challenge.carleton.ca\/horticultural-therapy-employee-wellness\/"},"wordCount":812,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/challenge.carleton.ca\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/challenge.carleton.ca\/horticultural-therapy-employee-wellness\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/challenge.carleton.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/root-in-nature-team-1200x700-1.jpg","articleSection":["Social Innovation","The New Economy"],"inLanguage":"en-CA","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/challenge.carleton.ca\/horticultural-therapy-employee-wellness\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/challenge.carleton.ca\/horticultural-therapy-employee-wellness\/","url":"https:\/\/challenge.carleton.ca\/horticultural-therapy-employee-wellness\/","name":"Social Enterprise Rooted in Nature Focuses on Horticultural Therapy","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/challenge.carleton.ca\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/challenge.carleton.ca\/horticultural-therapy-employee-wellness\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/challenge.carleton.ca\/horticultural-therapy-employee-wellness\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/challenge.carleton.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/root-in-nature-team-1200x700-1.jpg","datePublished":"2022-04-11T12:01:36+00:00","dateModified":"2023-11-24T14:43:06+00:00","description":"Ottawa-based Root in Nature offers horticultural therapy, nature-based programs and employee wellness sessions, all aimed at nurturing","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/challenge.carleton.ca\/horticultural-therapy-employee-wellness\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-CA","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/challenge.carleton.ca\/horticultural-therapy-employee-wellness\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-CA","@id":"https:\/\/challenge.carleton.ca\/horticultural-therapy-employee-wellness\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/challenge.carleton.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/root-in-nature-team-1200x700-1.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/challenge.carleton.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/root-in-nature-team-1200x700-1.jpg","width":1200,"height":700,"caption":"The Root in Nature team"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/challenge.carleton.ca\/horticultural-therapy-employee-wellness\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/challenge.carleton.ca\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"A Healthy Business Plan"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/challenge.carleton.ca\/#website","url":"https:\/\/challenge.carleton.ca\/","name":"Challenge What's Possible","description":"True Leaders Challenge What's Possible","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/challenge.carleton.ca\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/challenge.carleton.ca\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-CA"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/challenge.carleton.ca\/#organization","name":"Carleton University","url":"https:\/\/challenge.carleton.ca\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-CA","@id":"https:\/\/challenge.carleton.ca\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/challenge.carleton.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/fav-icon.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/challenge.carleton.ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/fav-icon.png","width":512,"height":512,"caption":"Carleton University"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/challenge.carleton.ca\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/carletonuniversity","https:\/\/x.com\/Carleton_U","https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/carleton_u\/","https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/school\/carleton-university\/"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/challenge.carleton.ca\/#\/schema\/person\/cbfe4c0d9d87abb4919a2b4c6e57d65c","name":"Dan Rubinstein","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-CA","@id":"https:\/\/challenge.carleton.ca\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/109801c3e631087f9475b21cf0c5c81a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/109801c3e631087f9475b21cf0c5c81a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Dan Rubinstein"},"url":"https:\/\/challenge.carleton.ca\/author\/dan-rubinsteincarleton-ca\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/challenge.carleton.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/523"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/challenge.carleton.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/challenge.carleton.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/challenge.carleton.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/challenge.carleton.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=523"}],"version-history":[{"count":29,"href":"https:\/\/challenge.carleton.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/523\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1505,"href":"https:\/\/challenge.carleton.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/523\/revisions\/1505"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/challenge.carleton.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/554"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/challenge.carleton.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=523"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/challenge.carleton.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=523"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/challenge.carleton.ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=523"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}