Esther Bonney

La Plata, Maryland

Promoting mental health through native landscapes

More About Esther

Seven years ago, Esther Bonney faced the unthinkable: She lost her big brother to suicide. Just 12 years old at the time, she struggled with overwhelming grief. Nature was her only respite.

During countless walks along her local creek in Charles County, Maryland, in the wake of her brother’s death, Bonney started paying attention to the resident plants and bees. This casual interest grew into a deep love for native pollinators and ecosystems — and a newfound purpose to protect them. In 2022, she founded the nonprofit Nurture Natives to promote native biodiversity across the Chesapeake Bay region. In healing the local landscape, she found that she was also healing herself.

Today, Nurture Natives partners with dozens of community organizations to host educational programs and native plant giveaways. In just the past few years, the nonprofit has engaged more than 15,000 youth, facilitated the planting of 3 million native seeds, and restored over 420 acres of habitat across Maryland. The organization also coauthored a guide to non-native species, which it distributes to residents and nurseries across the East Coast to promote native purchases.

Nurture Natives was conferred the 2024 Presidential Environmental Youth Award by the Biden-Harris administration for helping to restore natural ecosystems while also empowering youth and improving their mental health through tangible action. Bonney now wants to spread this healing program across the nation.