The OUAB Grad/Prof student committee will kick off its spring 2026 Wellness Wednesday series Wednesday from noon to 1 p.m. in the Ohio Union. Credit: Meron Desta | Lantern File Photo
On the heels of harsh winter weather, the Ohio Union Activities Board’s graduate and professional student committee will kick off their spring 2026 Wellness Wednesday seminar series this week with a session focused on environmental wellness.
The event, titled Connecting with the Environment: Even in the Winter???, will take place Wednesday from noon to 1 p.m. in the Interfaith Room at the Ohio Union. Tom Reeves, program director for sustainability at the Office of Student Life Wellness Center and presenter at the event, said in an email students will be taught the importance of connecting with the environment, even when it’s cold outside.
“Connecting with the natural environment is so important for our mental health,” Reeves said. “It gets us away from our screens, our emails, our textbooks [and] our papers.”
Alex Wenglein, program coordinator for OUAB, said in an email the biweekly Wellness Wednesdays series aims to equip graduate and professional students with tools to cultivate different dimensions of wellness.
“The goal of the series is to create a welcoming and practical space where students can gain the tools and insight to support their success both in and beyond the classroom,” Wenglein said. “Each session seeks to explore a different dimension of wellness, ranging from mental health and stress management to financial wellness and work-life balance.”
Wenglein said Wellness Wednesdays were inspired by OUAB’s goal to increase its support for graduate and professional students’ well-being.
“The series is meant to offer practical guidance while inviting conversations on a wide range of health-related topics,” Wenglein said. “The intention is to give students a moment to pause, learn something useful and feel supported in the midst of a busy semester.”
Reeves said engaging with nature can help alleviate those stressors, such as midterms and busy schedules.
“Studies have shown that walking in nature helps to reduce ‘morbid rumination,’ the repetitive negative thought loop that contributes to anxiety and depression,” Reeves said.
According to Reeves, spending time in the natural environment helps the brain rest and combat fatigue.
“Nature provides us with stimuli that help distract us from our thoughts: things like leaves rustling, birds chirping and even the sound of the wind blowing,” Reeves said.
In addition to mental health benefits, Reeves said there are many physical benefits associated with outdoor activity.
“Being out in nature goes way beyond just getting exercise,” Reeves said. “For example, being outside helps boost our immune system, helping us fight off infections [and] exposure to natural light helps regulate our internal clock, which helps improve our sleep quality. Being outside helps reduce heart rates and blood pressure.”
Reeves said remaining grounded in nature and living sustainably go hand in hand.
“In my mind, environmental wellness is sustainability, just as making sustainable choices is environmental wellness,” Reeves said. “Sustainability is all about making choices that help preserve the environment and make the world better for future generations.”
When it comes to living a sustainable lifestyle, Reeves said sustainability begins with an individual choice.
“When someone chooses to compost their organic materials, for example, that simple act helps keep waste out of the landfill which in turn helps protect the same natural environment that students can get out to enjoy,” Reeves said. “For me, you can’t separate sustainability from environmental wellness.”
For more information on the event, visit OUAB’s website.
