The Trust for Public Land Welcomes Journalist Florence Williams to National Board of Directors

The Trust for Public Land announced today that Florence Williams has joined the organization’s National Board of Directors. Williams was elected to the board on June 24, 2021. 

“Nature and the outdoors have been proven to make us happier and healthier, but not everyone has the same access to these spaces in order to experience those benefits,” said Williams. “I’m excited to work with The Trust for Public Land to advance conversations around park equity and ensure all communities across the country have safe, equitable access to the outdoors.” 

Florence Williams is an independent author, journalist, and podcaster. Her work focuses on the environment, health, and science. In her acclaimed book The Nature Fix: Why Nature Makes Us Happier, Healthier, and More Creative, she details how important our connection to nature is and how just a short time spent outdoors can improve our mental health and overall well-being. 

Williams is also a contributing editor at Outside Magazine and a freelance writer for The New York Times, The New York Times Magazine, National Geographic, The New York Review of Books, Slate, Mother Jones and numerous other publications. Williams is also the writer and host of two Gracie-Award-winning Audible Original series, Breasts Unbound and The Three-Day Effect, as well as a frequent contributor to Outside Magazine’s podcast. 

She is fellow at the Center for Humans and Nature, a visiting scholar at George Washington University, and also serves on the advisory board of the Ted Scripps Fellowship in Environmental Journalism. She lives with her family in Washington D.C. 

According to the Trust for Public Land’s 10th annual ParkScore® index released this year, Washington, D.C., has the best city park system in the country. Parks are an essential part of improving public health, protecting vulnerable communities from the impacts of the climate crisis, and building strong community cohesion. And yet, 100 million people, including 28 million kids, do not have access to a quality park within a 10-minute walk from home. The parks we do have are not equitable, as parks serving primarily Black, Latino, Indigenous and Native American, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders and other communities of color are half the size and serve five times more people per acre than parks in primarily white neighborhoods. 

About The Trust for Public Land 

The Trust for Public Land creates parks and protects land for people, ensuring healthy, livable communities for generations to come. Millions of people live near a Trust for Public Land park, garden, or natural area, and millions more visit these sites every year. To support The Trust for Public Land and share why nature matters to you, visit www.tpl.org. 

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