Exposure to Urban Nature and Tree Planting Are Related to Pro-Environmental Behavior via Connection to Nature, the Use of Nature for Psychological Restoration, and Environmental Attitudes

Abstract

Pro-environmental behaviors (PEBs) may be associated with a personal relationship with nature. We conducted a quasi-experiment with 423 residents who had or had not actively participated in a tree-planting scheme and lived in 20 neighborhoods that differ in their greenness level. We tested whether exposure to nature (specified by the amount of vegetation cover in residents’ neighborhoods) and/or past PEB (specified by tree-planting participation) was associated with residents’ PEB and whether key psychological constructs would mediate these relationships. Structural equation mediation models revealed that the level of neighborhood vegetation and involvement in the planting scheme explained 46% of the variance in PEB, with connection to nature, the use of nature for psychological restoration, and environmental attitudes mediating the relationships. Connection to nature was more strongly associated with engagement in PEB than the use of nature for psychological restoration and environmental attitudes.

Nature Experiences and Adults’ Self-Reported Pro-environmental Behaviors: The Role of Connectedness to Nature and Childhood Nature Experiences

“…A new and innovative line of research about the promotion of PEB draws on the hypothesis that direct contact with nature is positively associated with pro-environmental attitudes and PEB (Larson et al, 2011a; Chawla and Derr, 2012; Cheng and Monroe, 2012; Collado et al, 2015; Otto and Pensini, 2017; Whitburn et al, in press). In line with this, it has been suggested that reducing opportunities to have contact with nature can lead to an amplified feeling of human-nature dissociation (Chawla and Derr, 2012), which may, in turn, hinder support for environmental causes (Soga and Gaston, 2016).…”

“…Despite the extensive and robust research literature identifying the link between positive experiences in nature and PEB (Chawla and Derr, 2012), the processes behind this relation are still unclear (Wells and Lekies, 2006; Schultz and Kaiser, 2012; Whitburn et al, in press). Explanations have been offered to understand the relation between experiences in nature and PEB, such as psychological restoration (Byrka et al, 2010) and environmental attitudes (Wells and Lekies, 2006; Collado et al, 2015).…”

“…Due to the study design, it is difficult to distinguish between the impact of exposure to nature and the impact of environmental education on children’s increased connectedness to nature and ecological behaviors. More recently, Whitburn et al (in press) have used structural equation modeling to evaluate the mediating effect of connectedness to nature on the relation between exposure to nature and PEB. Exposure to nature was recognized as the percentage of neighborhood vegetation cover.…”

“…This will allow us to identify whether the relations between nature experiences, connectedness to nature, and PEB found in previous studies hold true for people in developing countries, and to widen our understanding of the transaction between people and environments in different cultures (Clayton et al, 2016). Second, studies evaluating the mediating role of connectedness to nature in the relation between exposure to nature and PEB have recognized contact with nature as the amount of vegetation within the neighborhood (Whitburn et al, in press), visits to educational nature facilities (Otto and Pensini, 2017), and general contact with nature both directly and indirectly. This broad recognition of contact makes it difficult to examine the effect of direct experiences in nature, as other variables such as indirect contact with nature and education may influence the results.…”

Larger Than Life: Injecting Hope into the Planetary Health Paradigm

“…Available evidence suggests that life course experience with (and early perceptions of) nature can shape nature relatedness and pro-environmental attitudes/behaviors; researchers are looking more closely to determine how and in what environments nature relatedness and other 'planetary health' attitudes are shaped and how they subsequently determine interactions with nature [139][140][141][142][143][144]. Emerging research shows that understanding specific types of human-nature relationships may help predict pro-environmental behaviors [145] and the messaging that might resonate with specific groups (for example, on reducing meat consumption, one of planetary health's already-stated goals) [146].…”