Healthy Planet
Healthy Planet has three key aims:
- to promote awareness of the link between environment and health
- to advocate more environmental policy and action, by highlighting the importance of living within ecological limits for health and well-being
- to encourage and enable Medsin as an organisation to operate in the most environmentally-friendly way possible
Our Campaigns this Year
- The NHS is a massive organisation, and there is plenty of room for it to clean up its act. We will be putting pressure on the government to introduce incentives to make trusts greener.
- We will encourage medical schools to teach students about the effects of climate change as well as reducing their own ecological footprint
- We have the opportunity to endorse the Climate and Health Council's declaration stating the links between climate and health, and attempt to encourage other organisations to agree and follow the principles to reduce their negative environmental impact.
Getting involved with Healthy Planet
Any branch or anyone can become involved with Healthy Planet. If your Medsin branch hasn't started the campaign yet, get in touch with healthyplanet@medsin.org for more information
Background to the campaign
A healthy environment is vital to allow people to live healthy lives. Air pollution increasing respiratory problems is just one of many examples of the negative impact that environmental degradation can have on health. Climate change will have far reaching effects from flooding to changing biodiversity affecting the availability of food to resource wars over resources such as water.
Many environmentally sound ways of living are also healthier for individuals, as avoiding the use of fossil fuels is often synoymous with living a more active life style. Sharing resources is also a good way to reduce harm to the environment and there is some evidence that living in more cohesive communities is good for health and well-being.
Other websites that are worth a look
- http://www.medact.org/envclimatechange.php - many of the key issues are addressed here
- www.permaculture.org.uk - for information about minimal input, maximum output - los carbon living
- http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/332/7554/DC1 - the BMJ editor's carbon blog, with information about The Healthcare Carbon Council
The Healthy Planet campaign exists at
Recent news about the Healthy Planet campaign
- Cambridge Climate Events
- Healthy Planet DoH Letter - E-vote
- Action of the Week - Climate Change: the road to Bali
- E-vote Alert!
- Medsin Campaigns on Climate Change
- Join the Healthy Planet Team
- Join the Healthy Planet Mailing List
Recent photos from the Healthy Planet campaign
