Cultivating A New Vision of Health
Now on display at the Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport!
As travelers make their way through the Louisville Airport during its construction phase, they are greeted by a bold and beautiful message:
A New Vision of Health.
This collaborative display features the Circle of Harmony & Health, a visual tool that represents the many interconnected elements that shape human flourishing. It is set against a striking image of Pine Mountain captured by artist Jennifer Honeycutt.
Surrounding this central image are the names and logos of seven organizations and projects that are working together to expand the meaning of health—for individuals, communities, and the natural world. These partners represent a wide range of missions, from scientific research and land conservation to urban greening and cultural advocacy. What unites them is a shared belief: that health is more than the absence of illness. It is a state of deep connection, balance, and care.
This installation invites both visitors and locals to imagine a future where the health of people and the planet are not separate pursuits, but parts of one shared and harmonious whole.
Learn more about the highlighted projects and organizations:
UofL Christina Lee Brown Envirome Institute
The Christina Lee Brown Envirome Institute engages researchers and citizen scientists to learn how our natural, social, and personal environments impact health. With initiatives like the upcoming New Vision of Health Campus and projects that study the impact of nature on well-being, the Institute is pioneering a new way of thinking about what it means to live a healthy life.
Kentucky Natural Lands Trust
Kentucky Natural Lands Trust works to protect the globally significant Pine Mountain and Cumberland Mountain corridor, one of the most biologically diverse temperate forests on the planet. This conservation effort is Kentucky’s gift to the lungs of the world which supports rich ecosystems, Appalachian culture, and our natural heritage.
Trager MicroForest Project at Founders Square
As part of the University of Louisville’s Christina Lee Brown Envirome Institute’s New Vision of Health Campus, the Trager MicroForest Project is transforming Founders Square in the heart of downtown Louisville. By planting thousands of native trees using the dense Miyawaki method, this project reimagines urban greening and offers a living laboratory to measure how nature directly improves human health and well-being. A new model for cities is taking root, one where forests are part of everyday life.
Green Heart Louisville
A groundbreaking study led by the Envirome Institute, Green Heart Louisville is exploring the connection between nature and health by treating trees as medicine. With a multimillion-dollar investment in underserved Louisville neighborhoods, Green Heart is testing how increasing tree canopy can lower rates of heart disease, reduce air pollution, and enhance overall community health.
Kentucky Waterways Alliance
Kentucky Waterways Alliance envisions a Kentucky that sustains and celebrates our vast network of healthy waterways. Kentucky’s lakes, rivers, streams, and wetlands support thriving aquatic ecosystems, healthy fish and wildlife populations, abundant recreation, and dependable, clean water supplies for future generations.
Ohio River Way
The Ohio River Way is a designated 308-mile National Water Trail that follows the borders of Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana. The organization helps people rediscover the adventure, beauty, and potential of the Ohio River by promoting outdoor recreation, connecting river towns, and celebrating the region’s natural and cultural heritage. Through partnerships that support safe, healthy outdoor activities, education, and tourism, Ohio River Way is boosting local economies and inspiring deeper care for the land and water. Its work strengthens the connection between thriving communities and healthy waterways.
The Berry Center
The Berry Center was established to carry forward the urgent conversation begun by Wendell Berry’s The Unsettling of America: Culture and Agriculture, which in 1977 exposed the deepening crisis in American farming and rural life. Rooted in the agricultural legacy of three generations of the Berry family—John Berry, Sr., John Berry, Jr., and Wendell Berry—the Center works to strengthen agrarian communities through modeling sustainable farming programs in Henry County, Kentucky.
From advocating for land-conserving communities and local food economies to training a new generation of farmers, the Berry Center works to restore a culture that values healthy land, strong communities, and meaningful work. Through programs like Our Home Place Meat, the Farm & Forest Institute, their Archive, and the Agrarian Culture Center and Bookstore, it is helping rebuild the systems and stories that support small farming communities.
