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Enhancing biodiversity
The participating organisations invest in biodiversity and sustainability on their sites. The amount of habitat available to insects, plants and animals is targeted to increase by 5%.
National partnership · The Netherlands
Groene GGZ
Together with 25 mental healthcare organisations, Nature For Health, IVN, De Nederlandse GGZ, De Buitenpsychologen, health insurers CZ and a.s.r., and Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam are building a green movement within mental healthcare. The aim is to reconnect mental and positive health with nature, while also investing in greater biodiversity on and around healthcare sites.
About this programme
The Groene GGZ partnership aims to make nature a structural part of mental and positive health. This applies to clients, family members and healthcare professionals alike. At the same time, the partners invest in nature itself by increasing biodiversity on healthcare sites and in the surrounding areas.
The surrounding community also plays an important role. Local residents are invited to take part and help create green, healthy and social places. The partnership also contributes to the Vergroening Zorgterreinen (Greening Healthcare Sites) initiative of Collectief Natuurinclusief.
Partnership
Within Groene GGZ, Nature For Health works with a broad group of partners from healthcare, nature, research and insurance. In addition to the 25 participating mental healthcare organisations, the following organisations are involved:
- IVN
- De Nederlandse GGZ
- De Buitenpsychologen
- Health insurers CZ and a.s.r.
- Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
The five pillars of Groene GGZ
The Groene GGZ partnership is built around five pillars that connect nature, health, biodiversity and social connection.
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More nature in treatment
Nature is integrated into client treatment, for example through outdoor therapy. Groene GGZ organisations aim to include nature in the treatment of 5 to 10% of their clients.
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Healthy and resilient employees
Healthcare sites are designed so that clients, experts by experience, family members and employees can recharge in nature and support their health. Organisations without their own grounds apply these principles in the surrounding neighbourhood or at another suitable site.
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Connecting with the local community
Groene GGZ organisations invest in social green spaces and strengthen connections between clients, family members and the local community. Examples include creating a pond or vegetable garden together, or organising walking routes with volunteers.
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Sharing experience and expertise
Lessons learned by pioneering green organisations are shared with other healthcare providers. This creates momentum for a wider green movement across mental healthcare in the Netherlands.
The scale of the partnership
Together, the pioneering Groene GGZ organisations have considerable reach. This enables the movement to benefit large numbers of people while contributing to greener and more biodiverse healthcare environments at scale.
25participating mental healthcare organisations
30,000+employees across the pioneering organisations
300,000+clients treated collectively
Together, the participating organisations manage grounds covering an area equivalent to roughly one to one-and-a-half Dutch national parks.
More about Groene GGZ
More information about the nationwide programme, participating organisations and the movement behind Groene GGZ is available from IVN.