“What is Arbor Day all about?” I ask this question of the visitors during my tours at the Tree Adventure and Arbor Day Farm. As you may expect, I get a variety of answers:  anywhere from planting trees to Johnny Appleseed to saving the planet. I tell them that they all are close, and explain the need to plant, nurture, and celebrate trees. 

Throughout my summer as a Nature Interpreter Intern I have learned a lot, starting with the Arbor Day Foundation’s mission and now ending with heirloom varieties of apples. My time this summer, however, has taught me that Arbor Day is about more than just trees.

By working with groups of children from inner-city neighborhoods, I’ve had the opportunity to interact with those who rarely venture beyond their front door. I grew up with a tremendous exposure to nature and the outdoors, but many students, especially from urban areas, did not. They spend their days inside with the many screens (TVs, computers, videogames, etc.) keeping them occupied. This is often because it is safer inside than out, and because they don’t know what to do outside. When they get off the bus at Arbor Day Farm and learn they are going to be outside all day, they quite literally are on “sensory overload.” This can even entail screams, tears, and clinging to the interpreter. To these children, being outside for more time than it takes to walk from the house to the car is terrifying, and this is not an irrational fear on their part. They have never had the opportunity to spend significant amounts of time outside, and we fear what we don’t know. 

Thanks to the Arbor Day Foundation and the Arbor Day Farm Tree Adventure, I had the privilege of leading children through significant time in nature. We had lots of “first” experiences: seeing deer for the first time, being “actually in the woods” (as they would say), and learning that yes, woodchips really do come from trees. Most of the children left wishing they had more time in this natural setting.  The children I worked with this summer left with some knowledge of the world around them, and an introduction to the lessons nature has to teach. (My favorite lesson? Nature does not discriminate:  a mosquito will suck anyone’s blood.) Without J. Sterling Morton and his yearning to plant trees, these children would have spent another day inside.

So what is Arbor Day all about? To me, Arbor Day is about a lot more than trees. It is about appreciating the nature that surrounds us. Through the time I spent with children this summer at Arbor Day Farm, this lesson became apparent, it also became apparent that they would never look at nature the same way again. These little steps, child’s play, are helping to move cultures back to nature, and for that I am eternally grateful.

Hanna Pinneo is a Nature Interpreter intern at Arbor Day Farm Tree Adventure, majoring in Parks and Recreation at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. She enjoys hiking, playing outside with her nephew and dog, and spending time with her friends. As a National Team member of the Natural Leaders Network, Hanna is dedicated to reconnecting all children with nature.

But as a Conference Planning Manager for Lied Lodge at Arbor Day Farm, I get to surround myself with these natural elements every day. I know, I know… this is not the typical workplace setting. Many of you reading this right now trudge along in traffic to get to the office, circle endlessly in parking garages looking for a space, lug your stuff through the concrete jungle before sitting down in your cubicle for a solid eight hours and usually more. I feel your pain, and I sympathize.

Every day during my lunch hour, I take advantage of my prime surroundings and enjoy a brisk walk across Arbor Day Farm and through Arbor Lodge State Historical Park in Nebraska City. Now that spring is finally here, each day brings something new and beautiful to see.

These lunch-time walks started about a year ago as part of our all-staff fitness program to increase both physical and mental wellness among our employees. Now there’s a group of us that walk together about three days a week or more. We change our route each time, allowing us to see what’s new in our surroundings — which seasonal flowers are blooming, what animals we see busy making their homes in the forest. We enjoy all the benefits of the proverbial “water cooler chat” — catching up on each other’s personal and professional news — but without the donuts and time wasting.

These walks around the property also provide a good opportunity to talk about challenges we’re facing on projects or programs in our respective departments, and quite often, it’s during these walks when we come up with some of the best solutions. In less than 30 minutes, we’ve caught up, solved some issues, thought of new ideas, exercised, and enjoyed the best part of all …. the nature that surrounds us here at Arbor Day Farm.

Just like our group of employees has discovered, your work team can enjoy the same fresh perspective. It’s my job to find better ways to help my clients host energetic and successful events. I can relate to the need to get away from the day-to-day constraints and search out new ideas. Getting out and walking around Arbor Day Farm on my lunch break has helped me, personally, do the very thing that I encourage others to do.

Meetings don’t always need to be the 8-to-5 confined structure. If at all possible, choose a site that gets your team out of the cubicle, and out into the fresh air. Lied Lodge and Arbor Day Farm is just that kind of place; it offers so much more than tables, chairs and power point presentations. By changing the run-of-the-mill meeting format, you and your team can capitalize on the mental and physical benefits offered by natural light, fresh air, and a view of the surrounding trees. Exposure to these elements are actually shown to increase blood flow, which leads to increased brain activity, which leads to new ideas and new solutions to old problems. A walk on the trail with coworkers or group members encourages new perspectives and thoughts that otherwise might not have surfaced.

So think outside the cubicle for your next meeting, and get a fresh perspective you’ll find only on the outside.

Jennifer Phillips has been a Conference Planning Manager at Lied Lodge & Conference Center in Nebraska City for almost 7 years. When she’s not coordinating meetings, she enjoys spending time with her family.