Digital and green innovations for student wellbeing and sustainability
Opportunity to participate in a digital tool pilot project
Researchers from the RSU Department of Health Psychology and Paedagogy are participating in the Erasmus+ cooperation partnership project GreenTouch: EcoMind Development for Higher Education Future. The project aims to promote student mental wellbeing and sustainable thinking in higher education by integrating digital and green innovations. The project was launched in 2024 by an international team in collaboration with the University of Maribor (Slovenia), FOREHUB LDA (Portugal), and the Cyprus University of Technology (Cyprus).
Main concepts of the project
- Contact with nature has a beneficial effect on mental, emotional, and social health
- Even brief moments of connection with nature can have a lasting positive impact
- Integrating nature-based approaches and digital innovations can strengthen student psychological resilience, promote self-help skills and a sustainable attitude towards the environment
Mental wellbeing, sustainability, and digital skills in higher education
The project is based on an interdisciplinary methodology that combines education, research, and digital technologies. Special attention is given to nature-based interventions that promote ecological thinking (EcoMind) and mental wellbeing.
RSU Asst. Prof. Guna Svence, one of the project initiators, emphasises: ‘GreenTouch brings together key challenges in higher education – student mental wellbeing, the development of digital skills, and environmental sustainability. The project is based on research into the interconnection between human health and the environment and aims to improve the study environment. The EcoMind interventions help introduce healthy and sustainable mental hygiene into the stressful daily lives of modern students, enabling them to develop effective self-regulation skills, using natural resources – both digitally and through direct contact with nature, thus paying more attention to student health concerns. Moreover, Latvia’s abundance of natural resources is a significant advantage.’
Project activities
- A survey of 2000 students and academic staff across four partner countries
- Development of the GreenTouch digital tool, testing and implementation of a nature-based interventions
- Development and implementation of the EcoMind e-course
- International student networking activities to promote collaboration
- Presentation of the project results within an interdisciplinary conference
GreenTouch digital tool
One of the main benefits of the project is the GreenTouch digital tool. An interactive platform has been created where students can complete nature-inspired tasks and reflective journaling activities on themes such as Immersion in Nature Sounds or Exploring a Pleasant Natural Object.
The tasks included in the tool, when participants independently go out for a session in nature, promote mindfulness, psychological resilience, and ecological responsibility, helping students strengthen their connection with nature while also supporting their personal development. The session activities focus on awareness of their own feelings and self-observation.
rsu[pnkts]lv by 30 April 2026.Participation in the pilot study includes:
- 7 outdoor sessions (e.g., in a park) – a mind-full walk, a specific task, and/or a reflective walk;
- Completing a survey before and after each session;
- Filling out a journal in a Word document after each session, recording their reflections on the session’s specific theme.
EcoMind e-course
The project is also developing an EcoMind practice e-course which will provide a theoretical overview of environmental psychology and behaviour change theories in the context of nature-based interventions. Lecture video presentations and other e-course materials prepared by the project team will be available for self-education and also integrated into related study programmes. The practical part of the e-course will consist of a nature-based intervention using the GreenTouch digital tool. For a wider audience, the e-course materials will be available in the spring semester of 2027 on a specially created website.
Project manager and acting research assistant Aija Ozola notes: ‘GreenTouch will continue for another year, but even now it is clear that the project has significantly strengthened the nature connection dimension, both in the study programme content and in research projects conducted by students and lecturers. In the future, nature-based interventions should find their place not only in research and self-help but also become more firmly rooted in psychological counselling and healthcare practice. I believe that GreenTouch is a powerful step towards our vision of strengthening the connection with nature across different societal groups, combining the power of nature with the possibilities offered by technology.’
