American University is in a city abundant with nature. Students can step off the metro and walk onto the green of the National Mall. The red line takes Washingtonians to both Fannie Mae, one of the district’s 16 Fortune 500 companies, and cherry trees at Stanton Park. Students live in a city home to two of the world’s surviving Giant Pandas, but also over 678,972 people, according to the 2023 census.
Yet, some of that green space is unapproachable in Washington’s busy urban space. While the District is 22% parkland, a majority are under five acres, according to a 2017 assessment by the Trust for Public Land.
For some AU students, the small, isolated nature of these parks can make it difficult to adjust to the cityscape. Others, meanwhile, have found ways to bring nature to their urban life by appreciating the nature around them, exploring national parks and fostering their own green space at AU.
Ryan Fabbio, a sophomore at AU, said one difficult aspect of finding nature in the district is travel. In a new city, she said, navigating public transport can inhibit some from finding nature.
“It could be a barrier, like taking the bus, maybe some people aren’t comfortable with that,” Fabbio said. “I went with a friend to Rock Creek Park. I probably wouldn’t have gone by myself or even with a friend if we didn’t know where we were going.”
Fabbio said traveling with friends has helped her navigate new green space by providing support and guidance.
“He knew where to go, so that took away some of the intimidating factors of trying to go to a new place in the city for the first time,” Fabbio said.
AU itself is not without green space. The Interactive Community of Arboreta granted AU Arboretum status in 2004, according to Bender Library archives. The Community lists AU as a Level II arboretum on its website, indicating it has over 100 species of plants, hosts educational nature events and plans and maintains its green space, according to Arbnet.
Kylie Bill, the president of AU’s Gardening Club, said the organization helps educate students on environmentalism, teach practical plant cultivation skills, reduce AU’s carbon footprint and maintain the school’s community garden. Bill said gardening helped them realize that nature is everywhere, not just the traditional, specified green space people tend to think of as pure nature.
“We think of the outdoors as national parks or these quote-unquote pristine areas,” Bill said. “But a garden, especially this community garden, teaches you to view every space as something that you’re a steward of.”
Bill also said gardening can create a sense of power and independence while fostering a connection to Earth.
“I’ve always been really in love and fascinated by the idea that we can grow our own food,” she said. “I think that’s something that people don’t realize; we have the agency and the power to do that. And I see gardening as a way to connect us to nature, to see nature as a part of ourselves and create this reciprocal relationship.”
In spite of the connection gardening fosters, Bill noted that AU’s isolation from conventional green space can make it difficult for some students to connect with nature. They said AU Outdoors Club can help students access these spaces.
“We’re kind of secluded from other parts of D.C.,” Bill said. “I would say it’s definitely hard. I definitely miss being close to hiking trails and just a wider outdoors area, and it’s hard if you don’t have a car. But I’m really grateful to clubs like Outdoors Club.”
According to the Outdoors Club’s Engage page, the club creates events for outdoor adventurers at all skill levels to teach AU students “how to enjoy and appreciate the outdoors while living in a city.” The club has hosted several hikes in Washington parks, as well as opportunities to pick up new skills like bouldering or ice skating.
But for Gardening Club member Will Shister, those opportunities are out of the picture. Shister said technology and the pressures of student life often confine him indoors.
“I feel like maybe a little bit of detachment from the natural world; always being inside, screens and technology,” Shister said. “I’m not sure if others have expressed that as well, but I think there’s an increasing need, at least for me, to be in a more natural setting.”
In addition to travel and technology, the mental transition from city to wilderness can make engaging with nature hard, said Lily Slade, events director for the Gardening Club.
“I think it’s sometimes harder to make the mental switch between being in the city and being outside,” Slade said. “But I think there definitely are a lot of ways you can find it.”
Slade suggested people lay on the quad and look up at the trees if they’re seeking a simple way to find nature in the city. She also suggested visiting Rock Creek Park, which is a 30 minute walk from Van Ness, according to Google Maps.
In addition to hiking trails and bike paths, Rock Creek Park offers opportunities to learn about local flora and fauna, play tennis or golf and take a boat on the Potomac, according to the park’s website.
Autumn Cook, a public affairs officer for Rock Creek Park, said taking advantage of these activities and popup park events can help students engage with nature while having fun. By volunteering to help with park cleanups or plant new seedlings, students can create a connection with the Earth and develop their resume, Cook said.
Cook described a change in her mental state that occurs when she enters the park each day. She said the transition between her time on the metro and time working in the parking can be a striking change.
“When I’m hiking, it’s like you almost forget you’re in the middle of a bustling city once you step into the forested landscape,” she said. “You’re like ‘Oh, wait, there’s a city just a few blocks in any direction.’ But I think that’s what’s more unique about it.”
Slade said she spends time at Rock Creek Park’s Battery Kemble trail, appreciating how it is less tamed and curated than on-campus green space.
“Battery Kemble down the road is a great spot,” Slade said. “I think that just trying to be in green spaces that are not on campus and that feel a little bit less manicured is what I try to do.”
Sophomore Savannah Selin also likes to hike at Battery Kemble, as well as the Glover-Archbold trail. They said exercise allows them to engage with nature while also improving their physical health.
“I go on runs a lot, I go on hikes in Battery Kemble and in Glover-Archbold,” Selin said. “There’s so many places. So just walk and run and hike. Get out there.”
The Glover-Archbold trail is a 20-minute walk from AU, stretching nearly 2.5 miles from Van Ness Street and connecting to the Foundry Branch Park trail, according to Rock Creek Park’s page for the trail.
Despite the effort required to find green space, Slade said she feels Washington integrates small natural areas into the cityscape well.
“I feel like we have a lot of interesting little corridors, like tree sections, that you could be on a trail and actually be pretty close to a lot of different things, like Georgetown or other things, but you feel like you’re actually in the woods,” she said.
