How can we mindfully make our houses and spaces more open to nature?

Greetings, everyone,

I live in the US and have, over the years begun to really notice how “sterile” we make ourselves – we live in boxes completely sealed off from nature (which is how we are typically buried as well), we go to work in bigger boxes completely sealed off from nature, we sterilize our yards with pesticides, it is basically a crime to go barefoot and feel our earth when go into public (no shirt, no shoes, no service), and we generally try to put nature into a sort of box that we can control (putting the trees in a “tree museum” as the song goes).

While I would welcome your thoughts about all of these things and how we in the west can return to a relationship or connection with our mother earth without destruction but through peace and understanding, what I really seek is what we can do if we happen to live in a suburban house or condo and still be connected to nature without making conditions worse. What I mean is that generally a central air system helps to prevent mold, and just opening the windows permanently in the spring and summer and then shutting everything in the winter would invite mold to begin growing. Does someone know of a way to “modify” the current western home into something more natural, where nature’s breath of life can meet us? I would welcome any of your thoughts and ideas.