The Story of Cosmetics video opened my eyes to the fact that we use many chemicals in our daily lives that have not been tested for safety and the effect of the combination of the chemicals in the products is unknown!
Close your eyes and imagine a stadium with the seats for 80,000 people, now imagine a chemical filling every seat. There are enough chemicals used in the U.S. to fill every seat and only 200 of them are tested for safety (Gupta, 2010).
When we reuse items, we reduce the chemicals used to produce new items and we reduce the environmental risk of disposing of these products.
I completed a Graduate Certificate in Public Health and wanted to spread some of the information I learned around sustainability and health too:
There is a strong tie between nature and health. For instance:
If two people have the same surgery and one is sent to a room with a view of a wall and the other has a view of trees, the patient with the nature view will get better faster and require less pain medication.
In identical housing blocks, the residents in the units of apartments surrounded by trees had "higher levels of attention and greater effectiveness in managing major life issues" and substantially lower levels of aggression and violence" (Kuo, 2001).
To find out more watch Professor Howard Frumkin's presentation on nature and health. He will talk about the proof that exists around nature contact and how it will help:
Reduce stress
Improve sleep
Reduce depression and anxiety
Create greater happiness
Reduce aggression
Reduce ADHD symptoms
Lower blood pressure
Improve birth outcomes
Reduce obesity
Reduce diabetes
Improve eyesight
Improve health in cancer patients
Improve general health
Lead to longer life expectancies
Living more sustainably and protecting our environment, so we can stop and smell those roses (!), is tied to our health and well-being.
People are also more productive, healthier, and less stressed in Green or LEED certified office buildings.
It is eye-opening to learn about the difference in life expectancies that occur within zip codes in the U.S.
References: Gupta, S. (2010, June 6). Toxic Childhood Clip 2. Retrieved from https://arizona.hosted.panopto.com/Panopto/Pages/Embed.aspx?id=6bb0a2db-e573-46c9-bd98-ecc609325a57
Kuo, F.E. (2001). Coping with poverty: impacts of environment and attention in the inner city. Environment and Behavior. 33(1),