By Josie Osborne, Staff Writer
As the days grow longer and the earth becomes warmer, students return from break to finish the spring semester, eager for the summer months. Despite the hurry to finish classes, it is important to remember to step outside, breathe the fresh air, and take a break from the computer screens.
With finals fast approaching and work building up, this may seem impossible. However, the Treehouse Club reassures us that there are easy ways to incorporate nature into your routine.
Established last spring, The Treehouse Club initially began as a resource for ecology majors to make connections and find support amongst the heavy workloads. But, as the seasons changed, the club grew into weekly meetings and community projects centered around helping the environment blossom.
Founder and vice president Luisangel Godinez, a senior majoring in bio-chem, says it’s gratifying to see the fruits of your labor manifest in a sprouting plant or healthy garden.
As a group, the Treehouse Club has worked to create bug hotels, build birdhouses, restore Lake Jovita’s shoreline, and even build garden beds for churches. The Treehouse Club seeks to take care of nature, just as it takes care of us.
Being one with nature extends beyond helping the environment and community, though.
Executive Coordinator Chloe Farr, a senior majoring in general biology, says “Being one with nature allows you to become in tune with yourself again.”
The two describe spending time outdoors to escape mental stress and restart the brain, an alternative form of enrichment.
There are many ways to embrace the spring while on campus, such as taking your laptop to one of the various outdoor benches, reading in the bowl overlooking the beautiful lake, or taking a walk through the greenhouse gardens.
If you want to be more hands-on, consider joining the Treehouse Club. It’s open to anyone of any major or any experience level.
Farr says, “You don’t have to be a biology major to love plants. Nature belongs to everyone.”
