Being close to nature can help remedy and prevent a whole host of illnesses. Hiking, walking, gardening, or just being outside increases cognitive performance and reduces stress. 

It’s ironic that being “connected” makes us disconnected from the world around us. Studies have shown that stress of being indoors and having constant digital stimulation takes its toll on our health. What if you could counter that by changing the nature of your work? Here are five examples of badass jobs that will get you closer to nature.

Wildlife Rehabilitator

The National Wildlife Rehabilitators Association handles around 250,000 calls, regarding injured, abandoned and distressed animals, each year. Seventy-five percent of these cases are due to cars, illegal wild animal trading, hunting, poaching or some other type of human interference. The role of the wildlife rehabilitator is not only to return these injured animals to full health (and, hopefully, the wild), but also to educate the general public about the effects we have on wildlife. 

According to the Animal Behavior Institute, wildlife rehabilitators can expect to spend 35% of their time caring for animals, 35% working with the public, 15% handling administrative tasks, and 15% managing the facility. So, having a way with people as well as animals goes a long way in this job. 

You can learn about how to break into this field by visiting the National Wildlife Rehabilitators Association.

Green Architect

Sustainable buildings literally come in all shapes and sizes. According to the U.S. Green Building Council, the sustainable building sector is wildly outpacing overall construction growth. A yearly study by CRBE also found that 41% of commercial space across the top 30 metros is green-certified as of 2018.

The rapid growth of sustainable construction has lead to an increased need for green design professionals. Contributing to sustainable building is just the tip of the iceberg for this career. Green architects also design living roofs, living walls, procedures for greywater reuse, rainwater harvesting, salvaged material use and much more.

Urban Growers 

The city is usually the last place you’d look for a career in nature but it’s the place that needs it the most. Urban growers have been around for a long time with community vegetable plots and collectives set up to share their fruitful bounties. Recently, however, urban growing has made its way into big cities as a means for sustainable restaurants to feed their guests. 

These incredible gardens can be found on the rooftops of warehouses, buildings, and apartments. As an urban grower, you can sell fruits, veggies, and products to local restaurants and farmers markets. Some urban growing companies have also expanded to helping design gardens, as well as teaching people how to design their own.

Nature Photographer

Sure, the average photographer makes $36k a year but don’t let that deter you. Many of those stats are based on not just fulltime photographers but also part-timers. 

The www. is full of possibilities for amateurs and professionals. You can sell your photos online on the regs or just as one-offs. Of course, it helps to also showcase them on places like Unsplash, Instagram, and Pinterest to really get some eyes on your masterpieces. Also, a decent Instagram following could even have you raking it in as a micro-influencer.

So, if you’re the next Ansel Adams, pick up a camera and let people see.

Reforester

Want to up your gardening game? Well, roll up your sleeves because reforestery is kind of like extreme gardening. The job entails a lot of manual labor as the key tasks include planting, managing, and pruning trees. 

Trees have the extraordinary ability to turn harmful gases, like Carbon Monoxide, into oxygen–making this a very rewarding job. You will usually need a Bachelor’s degree in Forestry or Environmental Science. However, if you want to try it for size, and have the ability to volunteer, there are lots of reforestation programs all around the world.