Zoom Speaker Series: Vitamin N: The Health Benefits of Nature

Many people intuitively know they feel better after spending time in Nature, and scientific research also supports this idea. Certified forest therapy guide Donna Esposito will present an overview of how time in Nature impacts physical and mental health and ways to incorporate more Vitamin N in your life.

Donna Esposito is a forest therapy guide and writer based in Scotia. Originally from Pennsylvania, she spent the first part of her career as a geneticist, earning a bachelor’s degree in molecular biology from Lehigh University and a doctoral degree in genetics from Cornell. After doing basic research at the NY Department of Health, she spent a dozen years running a DNA testing laboratory at the RPI Tech Park. Since 2014, she has focused on her interests in writing, historical research, and plants, especially ethnobotany. She trained to become a forest therapy guide certified by the Association of Nature and Forest Therapy Guides in 2024. She enjoys volunteering as a Master Composter/Recycler with Cornell Cooperative Extension, gardening with Schenectady Urban Farms, learning from plants, and striving for mindful consumption and ecologically conscious living.