07 Apr HEALTHY EARTH, HEALTHY LIFE
On Thursday 7th April, World Health Day is celebrated worldwide to commemorate the founding and work of the World Health Organization in ensuring a healthy planet since the year 1948.
This year’s theme is ‘Our Planet, Our Health’ where World Health Organization (WHO) focuses on global attention on urgent actions needed to keep humans and the planet healthy and foster a movement to create societies focused on well-being.
Logically, a healthy planet is essential to every person’s health. Helping a planet by keeping it clean ensures we act like doctors in helping earth stay healthy.
According to the healthy people article, it is stated that more than 12 million people around the world die every year because they live or work in unhealthy environments. Healthy People 2030 focuses on reducing people’s exposure to harmful pollutants in the air, water, soil, food, and materials in homes and workplaces.
The environment directly affects health status and plays a major role in the quality of life, years of healthy life lived, and health disparities. Poor air quality is linked to premature death, cancer, and long-term damage to respiratory and cardiovascular systems.
Here are a few tips for how you can play a part in keeping our planet happy and healthy according to the ocean service article.
• Reduce, reuse, and recycle. Cut down on what you throw away. Follow the three “R’s” to conserve natural resources and landfill space.
• Volunteer. Volunteer for cleanups in your community. You can get involved in protecting your watershed, too.
• Educate. When you further your own education, you can help others understand the importance and value of our natural resources.
• Conserve water. The less water you use, the less runoff and wastewater that eventually end up in the ocean.
• Choose sustainability. Learn how to make smart seafood choices at www.fishwatch.gov.
• Shop wisely. Buy less plastic and bring a reusable shopping bag.
• Use long-lasting light bulbs. Energy-efficient light bulbs reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Also, flip the light switch off when you leave the room!
• Plant a tree. Trees provide food and oxygen. They help save energy, clean the air, and help combat climate change.
• Don’t send chemicals into our waterways. Choose non-toxic chemicals in the home and office.
• Bike more. Drive less.
Contributing to keeping the planet healthy resonates with healthy living as well. Having one planet makes it a responsibility for every human being to make the best condition out of it.
The above is applied through setting a good example, educating and encouraging the younger generation to take care of the environment.
In relation to healthcare, medical waste including paper towels, wipes, gloves, syringes without needles, bandages or dressings and any other material from medical care, sharp objects that can pierce through a plastic bag require a special storage container for additional protection. In addition, the medical sector is working tirelessly on ensuring consistent effort toward a clean planet.
On this day, taking time to look at the surrounding community to see what might need improvements in terms of pollution and other ways that destroy the planet, is important.
Last but not least, an individual’s contribution can be as simple as picking up an empty coffee cup and placing it in a trashcan. We strongly encourage you to think of how you can help the planet putting in mind that Earth Day is anticipated to be a fun day!
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