Nature’s Calling: Upgrade To An Outside Office

The Nature Conservancy (TNC) Australia is encouraging office-bound Aussies to swap their desks for the great outdoors by working outside for an hour during Work with Nature week running April 18th to 24th.

The campaign aims to inspire Australians to appreciate the 
environment and consider their role in preserving it by
 pledging to work outside in their nearest park, reserve or
outdoor area.

5 Benefits Of The “Green Desk”

1. Improved circadian rhythms

Working outdoors could help you say goodbye to the afternoon slump and maybe even a couple of your double shot lattes. Exposure to natural light serves to balance our hormonal levels of serotonin, linked to our mood, and inhibit the production of melatonin, used to regulate sleep. “Sunlight on a clear day is 500 to 1,000 times greater than artificial lighting, which enables our bodies to reach an optimal hormonal balance,” says TNC Australia Director Rich Gilmore.

2. Improved short-term memory

Studies have found that walks in nature boost working memory by as much as 20 percent, compared to walks in urban environments. By scheduling your next walking meeting at the park or along the water if you’re by the coast, your short term memory will be firing on all cylinders when you return.

3. Restored mental energy

Research has found that exposure to the great outdoors can help you recover from mental fatigue. Being in the presence of natural beauty has been shown to elicit feelings of awe, and studies have shown that even looking at pictures of nature boosted people’s mental energy, while pictures of city scenes had no such effect.

4. Reduced stress levels

Feeling stressed? Head for the trees. One study found a decrease in both heart rate and levels of cortisol for people who spent time in a forest environment compared to those in the city. More impressively, overall parasympathetic activity – which occurs when we feel relaxed, increased by 56.1 percent.iii

5. A change is as good as a holiday

In the last decade, psychologists have found the one of the strongest requirements for basic functionality at work is the need for change in temperature, air and light. “Think about how different the office environment is from our ‘natural habitat’ as humans,” says Gilmore. “An hour in nature gives you a break from air conditioners, artificial lighting, chairs rolling and phones ringing and let’s you switch up your environment,”.

To register your own green-desk, or to donate visit workwithnature.org.au


As a leading conservation organisation, TNC has been working to secure the future of Australia’s flora and fauna since 2002.

The Carousel would like to thank The Nature Conservancy for this article.