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As Nature Sacred’s first five-year strategic plan comes to a close, we’re taking this moment to reflect on what we’ve accomplished—and where we’re heading next.
Launched at the start of our journey as a private operating foundation just before March 2020, this first strategic plan emerged at a pivotal moment for Nature Sacred and the world at large. Adopted weeks before a global pandemic that underscored the urgent need for nearby nature for everyone and grounded in nearly 25 years of experience supporting community-led efforts to design and steward local greenspaces.
This plan was framed around three strategic goals: Model, Scale, and Mindset. These pillars provided steady guidance as Nature Sacred navigated a rapidly changing world, highlighting the vital importance of intentionally designed nearby greenspaces—Sacred Places—and resources to support the dedicated individuals who care for them and engage their communities—Firesouls. At the same time, the growing body of science linking human health to access to nature created a clear need for a bridge between knowledge and action, empowering communities to advocate for these spaces.
Over the next three blog posts, we’ll unpack each of these pillars—Model, Scale, and Mindset—to celebrate the progress we’ve made, spotlight the people and partnerships at the heart of this work, and look forward to what’s next. While this plan may be coming to a close, our journey—and the need for healing spaces in every community—is far from over. As we prepare to launch into the next phase of Nature Sacred, we’ve worked hard to develop, document and implement our community engagement, design processes and long-term support model — and we’re eager to share what we’ve learned and where we’re headed!
Mindset
In this final issue we will explore Mindset, which in this plan called for us to influence thinking on the value of Sacred Places. Strategies around this effort included:
Aggregate and disseminate research on healing power of contemplative, nearby nature.
Create Sacred Place design process certification.
Develop targeted outreach and education to influence Sacred Place creation.
Aggregate and disseminate research on the healing power of contemplative, nearby nature
Decades of research confirm what many of us feel instinctively—access to greenspaces can reduce stress, improve physical and mental well-being, strengthen social ties, and even create safer neighborhoods. Yet, these insights are often buried in academic journals. At Nature Sacred, we bring this research to the surface—making it accessible, clear, and actionable.
In support of our “Mindset” goal, we supported, curated, and shared research on the power of nature to inspire more investment in Sacred Places. We released a suite of comprehensive research reports that synthesize the best available evidence on nature’s role in human health and well-being.
This work has advanced the national conversation on the importance of nature-rich community spaces and provided a foundation for practitioners and partners seeking to implement them. Our efforts have gained significant visibility, with Nature Sacred’s work featured in major national and local outlets including The Washington Post, Newsweek, and Forbes.
A report in collaboration with the International WELL Building Institute demonstrates that integrating nature into workspaces—through plants, natural views, and accessible green areas—can significantly enhance employee well-being, performance, and organizational outcomes. It offers practical strategies that can transform workplace design to boost productivity, foster a stronger organizational culture, and support employee retention.
In his Forbes column, former Senator Bill Frist featured our health care savings calculator, which shows how often-overlooked greenspaces can meaningfully support healing, connection, and financial savings. By placing the first dollar value on the impact of hospital gardens in reducing burnout and related costs, this gives health leaders a clear, practical framework for advocating nature as both a wellness tool and a cost-saving strategy.
Underpinning this work in research aggregation is what we have long believed—that the strongest evidence of the impact of Sacred Places lies within the journal entries we’ve gathered since the opening of the first Sacred Place. We brought this conviction to life by publishing BenchTalk: Wisdoms Inspired in Nature, which showcases a carefully selected collection of these journal entries.
“Providing easy, convenient access to features of nature, even for short periods of time, is a low-cost, high-reward intervention proven to measurably reduce stress and improve well-being.”
— Former Senator Bill Frist, M.D.
Create Sacred Place design process certification
In the past 5 years we have codified the Sacred Place design process in close partnership with landscape architects across the country. As part of this effort we have collaborated with design professionals and institutions across the country to expand the reach and impact of this community-led design approach.
In 2023 we launched our first-ever Design CEU session in collaboration with Victor Stanley. This accredited learning opportunity introduces professionals to the Sacred Place design process and emphasizes the transformative power of community-led design. To complement we published a report, The Power of Sacred Places, which connects documented health benefits of natural spaces with practical guidance for landscape architects. By bridging research and practice, the report encourages designers to create environments that foster wellness, resilience, and stronger community connections.
Nature Sacred is also committed to supporting emerging professionals in the landscape architecture field. By partnering with these newcomers on many of our Sacred Place design projects, we can facilitate hands-on mentorship and professional development opportunities, helping the next generation of landscape architects apply the model in meaningful ways. Through these initiatives, Nature Sacred is not only expanding the reach of its design philosophy but also nurturing a community of designers dedicated to healing, sustainability, and inclusive, nature-centered spaces.
Design Advisor spotlights: Neha Srinivasan, PLA & Micaela Ada, MLA
Two emerging professionals who reflect the future of community-centered, healing-focused landscape architecture
Neha Srinivasan, PLA, Nature Sacred Design Advisor
Neha is a Certified Landscape Architect with Floura Teeter, a Baltimore-based firm that works closely with us on many Sacred Place projects. Neha is also a former member of the Nature Sacred team. She has a passion for ecology and sustainability that dovetails into her approach to community-based work by ensuring that spaces serve both the people who use them as well as the plants and wildlife that call it home. During her time at Nature Sacred, Neha was instrumental in our efforts to influence landscape architects and community designers to embrace our model. In 2022, she authored The Power of Sacred Places, a guide for landscape architects interested in utilizing our methodology for community engagement and design.
Micaela Ada, MLA, Nature Sacred Design Advisor
Micaela is a Landscape Design Project Coordinator at The Neighborhood Design Center. Connecting people with place and enhancing access to quality greenspaces are driving forces in her career aspirations. As a Maryland native, she strives to bring this passion to local communities and play a part in uplifting their visions and ideas. As a Nature Sacred Design Advisor, Micaela uses her talents and passions, working closely with the Nature Sacred team on Sacred Place projects. Most recently, Micaela designed the newly opened Beehive Sacred Garden, located in the Johnston Square neighborhood of Baltimore. In fact, Micaela has personal connections to this area, making this project’s community engagement process even more special.
“The way we are creating memory-making spaces where people take their kids, spaces that will show up in the background of photos, and knowing that I’m impacting people’s lives brings me joy.”
— Micaela Ada, Design Advisor
Develop targeted outreach and education to influence Sacred Place creation
In alignment with our mindset goal, we have focused on strengthening storytelling capacity to illuminate the lived experiences of individuals in Sacred Places. By sharing narratives that highlight how people forge connections, overcome challenges, and achieve improved health and wellness, we are demonstrating the profound social and personal value of these spaces.
Our team has presented at nationally targeted conferences, engaging audiences who are in positions to drive meaningful change within the nearby nature movement. We have also curated original content through a series of newsletters, blogs, program guides, and op-eds in major publications such as Newsweek, amplifying these stories to a wide, influential audience. These efforts are designed to encourage more organizations and communities to integrate the principles of Sacred Places into their design and planning processes, ensuring that the transformative benefits of these environments reach broader populations.
At the 2022 ASLA conference, Alden Stoner, CEO of Nature Sacred, presented alongside Annette R. March-Grier of Roberta’s House and Alice Storm-Jones of Floura Teeter Landscape Architects, to highlight how the country’s first Black-led grief house is using nature to support healing for the bereaved. Their presentation explored a transformative Sacred Place partnership and its impact on creating restorative outdoor environments for grief care.
Imagining, creating, and learning: Piloting Sacred Place curricula in schools
A spotlight on the Wildcat Way—a Sacred Place for César Chávez Elementary School
César Chávez Elementary School in Hyattsville, Maryland, is a K-5 dual-language Spanish immersion school serving a diverse student body, with 90% of its 355 students from minority backgrounds. Committed to academic excellence, equity, and multicultural leadership, the school recognized the need for inclusive outdoor space—a Sacred Place—to support student well-being and learning.
As part of the design process for this Sacred Place, Nature Sacred collaborated closely with teachers to develop a curriculum that cultivated student vision, ensuring it met both educational and well-being needs. Through a student-centered charrette process, students contributed drawings and ideas that shaped the layout, features, and creative opportunities of the space.
The resulting Sacred Place design fosters interactive learning, meditation, and connection to nature, with a curriculum that allows students to engage hands-on with environmental concepts while strengthening their bond with the school community.
