Why Eden Project wants everyone in Cornwall outside for 17 minutes

A man in a flat cap lines up a photo on his phone. In front of him, a father and daughter pose beside a giant living Emergency Exit sign, made almost entirely of plants, propped up in the middle of one of London’s busiest business districts. It looks like an odd piece of street art. It is actually the opening move in a three-year campaign that starts much closer to home, in a quiet garden near Stithians.

The gap between wanting nature and using it

New research commissioned by Eden Project has found that 51% of adults across Cornwall and the wider South West spend less than two hours a week in nature. That is despite 84% of people in the region saying that time in nature helps their wellbeing, and 88% reporting that they have very or fairly easy access to green or natural spaces.

It is a gap between what people believe and what people actually do, and it sits at the heart of a new campaign the charity has just launched.

A ready-made routine, not a lifestyle change

Coinciding with Eden Project’s 25th anniversary year, the charity is working with partners on Nature: Connections and Recovery, a three-year programme connecting people with nature to support health and wellbeing while building the skills and confidence for communities to take climate-positive action where they live.

Greentime17 is the public-facing mission that sits inside it, launched this week with one simple aim: to make 17 minutes in nature as ordinary a daily habit as five-a-day fruit and veg or 10,000 steps. That 17 minutes can happen almost anywhere. A walk through a local park, time spent beside water, an afternoon in the garden, or birdwatching from a balcony all count.

The figure is grounded in research from the University of Exeter’s Centre for Environment and Human Health, which found that people who spend at least 120 minutes in nature a week, the equivalent of just over 17 minutes a day, are more likely to report good health and higher psychological wellbeing than those who spend no time in nature at all during an average week.

Nature: Connections and Recovery is led by Eden Project and made possible by The National Lottery Community Fund, the Ashken Family Foundation and Bupa Foundation, delivered in partnership with Gwent, Ulster, Lancashire and Scottish Wildlife Trusts, and Intelligent Health. It is aimed at communities worst affected by climate change and health inequalities, and Cornwall is one of six focus areas nationally, alongside Dundee, Morecambe, Belfast, Newport and Liverpool.

Mick Mullaney’s fresh start in a Cornish garden

For 70 year old Mick Mullaney, from Stithians, the value of that time outdoors is not theoretical. The retired Army veteran moved from Yorkshire to Cornwall just as the Covid pandemic began, and found himself isolated in an unfamiliar place while lockdown restrictions made it difficult to build friendships or any sense of community. Mick was living with depression and anxiety when a social prescriber referred him to Eden Project’s Nature Connections programme.

Gardening, structure and gentle social contact helped support his recovery. Inspired by the experience, Mick went on to complete an RHS gardening course and began volunteering with Eden Project’s Defence Garden Scheme, which supports veterans and the wider Armed Forces community through nature-based activities at the Vounder Garden.

He describes the Vounder Garden as “a very peaceful place,” where participants can garden, grow food, cook together and spend time with people who understand what they have been through.

“Because we’re all veterans, we’ve got something in common,” Mick said. “It’s a quiet, peaceful and safe place and people can take things at their own pace. Spending time outside, doing something practical and being around other people has made a real difference to me.”

Backing the new campaign, he added: “17 minutes doesn’t have to be complicated. Just getting outside, spending a bit of time in a garden or doing something with your hands can give you a sense of purpose and connection. For me, being around nature and good people has helped enormously.”

A giant living sign with a serious message

While the Cornwall work carries on quietly at ground level, Eden Project has taken the Greentime17 message to a much bigger audience. A 6 x 3 metre living Emergency Exit sign, built primarily from drought-tolerant plants, was unveiled in London’s Canary Wharf to mark the campaign’s launch.

The installation is designed to reflect the climate emergency and biodiversity collapse, while pointing commuters toward a different kind of exit, the nearest route into nature. Volunteers were seen building the piece plant by plant in the days before crowds began stopping to photograph it and pose beside it, the same reaction the charity hopes to spark in gardens, parks and coastal paths back in Cornwall.

Where Greentime17 goes next

The campaign forms part of Eden Project’s wider effort to drive climate-positive action in the places people actually live, while improving their own health and wellbeing at the same time. The charity is aiming to reach at least 10 million more people feeling the benefit of 17 minutes a day in nature, and taking action for nature and climate, by 2028.

Andy Jasper, Chief Executive Officer of Eden Project, said: “I love that just 17 minutes in nature a day can make a real difference for everyone. Get outside, walk, breathe, notice what’s around you. The more connected we are to nature, the better we feel, and the more we value and protect it.

“I’m incredibly proud that our charity, Eden Project, is leading this work alongside our fantastic partners. Greentime17 is about inspiring millions of people to make one small change that, together, can have a huge impact on human health and nature recovery. Seventeen minutes: anyone can, and everyone should do it.”

More information on the campaign is available at greentime17.com.