About PERL

The Parks & Ecotherapy Research Lab (PERL), led by Dr. Dorothy C. Ibes in William & Mary’s Environment & Sustainability program, cultivates nature-connected campus communities that support mental health, sustainability, and environmental stewardship.

PERL achieves this mission through interdisciplinary, use-inspired research that explores the connections between mental health and nature engagement. We apply these insights to inclusive campus programs that encourage all students to spend more time interacting with nature—both indoors and outdoors—and to develop meaningful, lasting relationships with the natural world. These lessons and practices are designed to be adaptable, offering guidance for other communities, workplaces, and domains seeking to foster well-being and ecological connection.

In addition, PERL engages students in research, teaching, and outreach, preparing them to become leaders and practitioners in ecotherapy, greenspace engagement, and nature-based well-being.

By combining scholarship, practice, and community engagement, PERL strives to make campuses—and by extension other communities—places where people and nature thrive together, helping students, staff, faculty, and broader populations experience the benefits of sustained connection with the natural world.