Restore your wellbeing and our native habitat with a Nature Block

4 August 2023 CVA Updates

Restore your wellbeing and our native habitat with a Nature Block

We’re all aware of the weather – if it’s sunny or pouring, scorching or freezing, windy or calm.

But what if we all went that step further and took time to notice the play of light through the trees on our way to work, touched a crunchy autumn leaf, or even stopped to actually smell the flowers?

Mindful habits of connecting with nature are the best way to pull ourselves out of the boxes we live and work in, breathe in the natural environment, and feel better.

Nature Blocks help you reconnect with nature and improve your wellbeing

Connecting with nature improves your wellbeing

Connecting with nature is an antidote to stress

A study, commissioned by Beyond Blue and carried out by researchers at Deakin University, found that connecting with nature, as a way of restoring health, is something that humans have been doing for centuries.

Environmental psychologists, Dr Roger Ulrich and Dr Russ Parsons were quoted in the study because, 30 years ago, they found that cities with their “high levels of visual complexity, noise, intensity and movement” were stress-inducing.

By contrast, they observed that environments containing plants and nature tended to be less “perceptually jumbled” and so have “comparatively positive, stress-reducing effects on people”.

In Australia, our capital cities are bursting with houses and apartments, trams and buses, cars and traffic. Added to that, we’re often glued to a screen.

If you’re feeling stressed by this, it might be time for you to build your “Nature Block.”

Connect with nature, help native Australian species and feel better to boot

The promising beginnings of a buzzing pollinator block planted out with lush native species

Introducing Nature Blocks™️

In a new national partnership, Conservation Volunteers Australia (CVA) have teamed up with the Bupa Foundation to improve the health and wellbeing of Australians through practical opportunities that foster a closer relationship with nature.

At CVA, we have created an exciting new program called “Nature Blocks” to encourage all of us to rejuvenate and restore ourselves and our natural habitat.

By planting a small patch of Australian natives – a “Nature Block” – wherever we can, we can build back nature.

Build a Nature Block, help restore native habitat and feel better, too

All it takes is a few local native plants – you can create a home for our threatened species in your own backyard or even balcony

Unleashing the Power of Nature: From Concept to Reality

As conservation experts with 40 years of experience in conserving Australian flora and fauna, we at CVA have designed ten types of “Nature Blocks” to get you started.

Imagine if every Australian planted a “Nature Block.” As a society, we would be that bit more relaxed and rejuvenated, and we would have done something positive for nature we can feel proud of.

If you want to be an early adopter, you can sign up for our soon-to-be-released Nature Blocks App, and explore the range of Nature Blocks you can build.

With our helpful app as a guide, you can create Nature Pots, Pollinator Gardens, a Native Nature Strip or a Rain Garden. Later, maybe add a Nest Box, Insect Hotel, Lizard Lounge, Frog Bog or even a Bandicoot Backyard!

Add a few strategically stacked rocks to your Nature Block to create a lush lounge for our lizard friends

There are so many benefits of making a Nature Block. The activity itself is relaxing and will get you away from the screens.

By making a garden bed of natives or creating a habitat for fauna to come home to, you are also ‘taking action for nature’. With Nature Blocks, together, we’re building back nature, one block at a time.

This sort of native eye candy brings all the bees to your yard, and provides a haven for you, too

Join Us in Rebuilding our Native Habitat

Unfortunately, recent studies have shown a worrying decline in Australia’s biodiversity, which also poses a risk to human health. However, by building a Nature Block teeming with native plants, you can participate in a national effort to restore biodiversity in your local environment.

Biophilia – our inherent affinity for nature – teaches us that we all have a role in protecting and restoring our native habitat. And when you start designing your Nature Block and doing your bit, the benefits will be twofold: you’ll contribute to the environment and also nurture your wellbeing.

By embracing the beautiful chaos of nature, we can reconnect, relax, and restore – one Nature Block at a time. So, why wait? Join us today, and let’s rebuild nature together.