Green Care Lab UC Davis

We haven’t posted in a while. The reason is heartbreaking.

Last September, we lost our beloved social media intern, Alyssa Contreras. Alyssa wasn’t just a member of our team—she was a force. A brilliant, charismatic soul who spent her life making science, knowledge, and experiences more accessible to all. She battled a seizure disorder with unwavering resilience, but ultimately, it took her from us too soon.

Her passing left a void we still don’t know how to fill. Her sharp wit, boundless humor, and relentless optimism lifted us daily. It’s been hard to find the words, hard to hit “post” without her here. But if there’s one thing Alyssa taught us, it’s that sharing knowledge, making connections, and lifting others up is always worth it.

So today, we post in her honor. Alyssa, you will always be part of the Green Care Lab family. We love you, we miss you, and we will carry your light forward.

Nature-based Solutions (NbS) refer to actions that protect, sustainably manage and restore natural and modified ecosystems to address societal challenges, such as climate change, disaster risk reduction, and food and water security.

Green Care, on the other hand, is a specific approach that utilizes methods in nature-based solutions to promote human well-being and biodiversity benefits.

NbS can help us understand how to implement projects in the analysis of Green Care and the different factors we must consider to ensure its benefits.

Animal spotlight: Meet Mary! 🐴

Mary is a mother, friend, and lovely companion that the Green Care Lab rescued in the Fall of 2023. Our mini donkey Mary came to us after being saved from unfit living conditions in an animal boarding situation.

She has since made the Green Care Lab her home, along with her son Memphis. Addressing welfare necessitates confronting important issues in science, health, politics, and ethics.

Animal hoarding is a complex issue that severely affects animal welfare and shelter overcrowding. It's crucial that we work together to destigmatize this issue and promote understanding and possible interventions.

We have an anonymous donor who has offered to DOUBLE the value of any donation up to a total of $1000 given between now and the end of the campaign (2/29). PLEASE, take advantage of this generous offer and double your impact!!

Please donate today!

https://crowdfund.ucdavis.edu/project/40838

We're fundraising to construct a pastoral sheep pen for the Sheepmowers at the Green Care Lab to support hands-on learning in mental health and environmental care. Shepherding Wellness with Therapeutic Pastures combines eco-friendly sheep grazing with nature's healing effects to foster healthier landscapes and minds and pioneer research-backed nature therapy and green management strategies.

Your support will help us establish a living classroom and therapy site conducive to experiential learning, innovative research, and community engagement for researchers, faculty, and students, as well as the local public. Partnering with the Green Care Lab will provide the Sheepmowers with a more permanent (and long term) location to research and apply grazing landscape management practices to manage weeds and pests, reduce labor costs, permit operating access to inaccessible terrain, and provide a cost-saving alternative to mowing. Research within the new pasture spanning animal behavior, stress physiology, and behavioral neuroendocrinology will delve into the intersection of human well-being and nature's restorative powers to examine the sheep's potential to improve public health.

Gifts to our crowdfund project will support the Sheep Mowing Project fund, including our current priority of a pastoral sheep pen.

This partnership will also allow the Sheepmowers Project to go mobile and take its message of sheep-sourced sustainability, community engagement, and health & well-being on the road to public schools, elder care facilities, and community events statewide.

Help Support this project and bring to life a living classroom like no other!

Swipe for more info & Share with friends!