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A group of people from various ages and backgrounds working together to plant trees

It’s time to create solutions with people, not for them.

I can help you untangle conservation challenges and engage communities in meaningful ways to co-create initiatives that meet people where they are.

Headshot of Dr. Lauren Watkins

About Lauren

Dr. Lauren Watkins is an environmental psychologist who specializes in how people interact with and connect with natural resources. By understanding these connections, she helps organizations and communities address today’s most pressing environmental challenges.

What does an environmental psychologist like Lauren do?

Environmental psychology explores how people interact with and are influenced by their environments, including their emotional, mental, and behavioral responses to places, ecosystems, and wildlife. These relationships shape our decisions and well-being. By understanding how people connect with nature, environmental psychologists like Lauren help design solutions to pressing environmental challenges and programs, campaigns, and initiatives that foster healthier, more sustainable interactions between people and the environment. The result is positive outcomes for people, economies, and natural systems.

 Longleaf pines rise from the misty Green Swamp in North Carolina, their slender silhouettes aglow against a vibrant sunrise, surrounded by eerie fog

What values guide Lauren’s work?

Integrity

Committing to ethical practices, transparency, and accountability in everything we do.

Collaboration

Believing that the best solutions come from working together with communities and organizations.

Empathy

Approaching our work with understanding and compassion for the challenges people, communities, and ecosystems face.

Sustainability

Focusing on creating long-term, lasting impacts that support people, nature, and livelihoods.

Inclusivity

Prioritizing diverse perspectives and ensuring that our solutions are inclusive of all voices, meet people where they are, and consider the culture and values of others.

Lauren’s Services & Sample Projects

Two women in Tanzania carry wood
Community-based Behavior Change Initiatives

If you build it, they may not come. Let me help you work better with your audiences.

I collaborated with communities, leaders, and experts in western Tanzania to create a large-scale composting campaign, helping restore soil fertility and slow deforestation. Learn more on the Jane Goodall Institute website. Read more at the Jane Goodall Institute’s website.

I've designed in-depth case studies in the southeastern USA and Pacific Northwest that explored environmental challenges community members were experiencing and then led project teams and community members in designing pilot behavior change initiatives to support positive change.

Social Science Research

You get what you ask for. Let me help you ask better questions of your project, data, and target audiences.

I led a multi-state, large-scale research project on exotic pet ownership, exploring people's motivations, behaviors, and knowledge about acquiring exotic pets.

I've designed thoughtful research projects with local governments to uncover and understand barriers communities, especially communities of color, face in accessing clean water, air, and shoreline spaces.

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Environmental Communication

Good communication is like a bridge between your organization's mission and the heart and mind of your audiences.

I've designed Master Interpretive Plans for parks and zoos, empowering teams to share cohesive, impactful stories through programs and exhibits.

I customize training workshops on values-based environmental communication that help organizations engage with diverse audiences. 

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