The Green Chimneys Projects
Understanding Nature-Based Interventions in Treatment Environments
Our Partnership
Brewster, New York's Green Chimneys is a residential treatment and special education facility for students with serious psychosocial challenges. Here, researchers from the University of Denver worked with scholars from Oregon State University to assess the animal- and horticulture-based interventions the facility specializes in. Through this collaboration, the team worked to develop a better understanding of the links between the natural environment and human health factors.
About Our Research
We leverage cross-institutional collaboration to address some of today’s most pressing challenges, producing interdisciplinary solutions that influence policymakers to effectively serve the public good. From Stanford to UChicago to NYU, we’ve refined our collaborative process through years of mutually beneficial relationships with institutions nationwide to understand and address challenges like climate change, HIV and youth homelessness.
DU’s current research efforts have been featured in news outlets like The New York Times. They include…
- exploring the effects of felony disenfranchisement.
- employing lasers as the medium for quantum science.
- using theatre to heal and rehabilitate inmates.
About the Project
Green Chimneys is a summer camp and residential treatment facility that believes in the healing power of nature. As such, it's an ideal place to explore the effectiveness of interventions that rely on contact and connection with animals, plants and the surrounding environment.
As part of the effort to study the use of these types of interventions, we developed a new methodology suited to such a complex clinical environment. The methodology was designed to measure self-regulation skills and positive youth development, which revealed insights into the use of environment-based interventions.
This project is a collaboration between the University of Denver, Oregon State University, Tufts University and Green Chimneys.