1440 Multiversity has been selected as the site for a multi-year case study dedicated to corporate social responsibility, employee wellness and human flourishing. The research will be performed by an educational institution and the resulting best practices of the study will be published and made available worldwide for public use to optimize health and human performance for all.
This is an exciting opportunity for our organization to inspire and enrich the world. At the same time, we ask for your support as availability of traditional weekend Rest & Renewal stays, workshops and other programming will be limited and offered exclusively via our Events Calendar.
1440 has established a waiting list for private mission-aligned group events and continue to support our flagship advocacy programs such as Healing Our Healthcare Heroes, True North Leadership and Healing Our Education Communities in support of our philanthropic community building efforts. If you would like to provide a grant, donation, or support any of these important initiatives, please email CreateHope@1440.org.
Please accept our deepest gratitude for your continued support and understanding of this important research – an impactful way to commemorate our five-year anniversary this May! And to our dedicated 1440 staff: Thank you for your grace, resilience and commitment to forming an authentic community that expresses deep hospitality through a genuine love for our guests and one another.
"A tree can be only as strong as the forest that surrounds it."
―Peter Wohlleben,The Hidden Life of Trees: What They Feel, How They Communicate
The Mother Tree
If you've ever been to the 1440 campus, then you truly understand the amazing communal love for the majestic redwoods that cover our campus.
In addition to their physical presence that awes all of us, the presence of the redwoods is integrated into the very structures that sit beneath their beautiful boughs. Our largest auditorium is named Redwood, and the deck outside was actually built around the trees that were there first. And all the windows and doors that line Redwood allow for sublime glimpses of the forest all around.
Step off that deck and head down the stairs further into the woods (oh, it smells so good!) and you're going to find something else quite special: the Mother Tree of 1440.
This one specific redwood is the beginning of the grove it's surrounded by. Experts say the Mother Tree is around 1200 years old. She shades the amphitheater that we call Cathedral – it's a quiet place perfect for solitude, journaling, meditation, or a pleasant conversation with new friends.
She's Actually Working
The Mother Tree is thought of as the hub of the community that it grows in. She provides water and nutrients through fungal networks in the soil … and she's actually "talking" with the other trees.
Scientists discovered that these underground fungal networks, known as mycorrhizal networks, aren't only used to dispense food but also allow the trees to communicate with one another. These networks can be used to warn other trees about threats that might be incoming such as drought, insects, or disease.
In The Hidden Life of Trees: What They Feel, How They Communicate, author Peter Wohlleben writes:
We have learned that mother trees recognize and talk with their kin, shaping future generations. In addition, injured trees pass their legacies on to their neighbors, affecting gene regulation, defense chemistry, and resilience in the forest community.
Like humans, trees need more than food and water to thrive. Their communities and networks are vastly important to the survival of their collective – and this is where a mother tree plays such a key role.
We like to think that these lessons of passing resilience to our neighbors and our kin are not only present in the narratives and science around the 1440 trees but in the very work done at 1440. Whether you're in a webinar, a program, or enjoying a little reflective time, you're part of a community of like-hearted people looking to help and sustain each other, passing passion and resilience through the network (in-person or virtual), and cultivating each of the 1,440 minutes in a day – just like the Mother Tree and her grove of redwoods.
In the vicinity of the 1440 Mother Tree, you'll find a sign with this inscription:
The Mother Tree: For more than 1,000 years, the Mother Tree – elder of this cathedral – has filtered nutrients and wisdom to the younger trees. Through underground root systems, she hosts conversations that increase the resilience of her entire community and remind us of our interconnectedness and shared resources.