February 15th, 2010

Personal Wellness is Good for Planet Wellness

By Beth Bengtson

Last week, the First Lady announced a comprehensive White House initiative aimed at eliminating childhood obesity in the U.S., which “threatens the healthy future of one third of American children.” The initiative, titled, “Let’s Move,” centers on creating healthy habits for our youth – from food choices to exercise.

As organizers of Let’s Move note the U.S. spends $150 billion each year to treat diseases that are related to this obesity epidemic. For the healthcare industry, this opportunity comes at a perfect time as organizations across the sector are trying to hook into a sustainability message that resonates with consumers. Here’s your chance. As I’ll explain in a minute, personal wellness is good for planet wellness.

First off, it’s noteworthy that most sustainability messages are disconnected from a consumer’s values. Sure, using recycled plastic in packaging is a terrific idea. But from a consumer’s point of view, that’s the least a healthcare company should be doing in regard to environmental work. It’s not going to build trust or raise the cache of a company’s social responsibility in the mind of the consumer.

A better sustainability communications strategy is to support initiatives such as Let’s Move, which promotes personal wellness – something that resonates with consumers on a deep level. So how does that help the environment? Well, people who are healthy, and feel good about themselves, tend to be more conscious not only about what they eat and how they exercise, but how they impact the earth.

Creating a sustainable lifestyle is a holistic endeavor for people and involves personal wellness, family wellness, community wellness and planet wellness. So, for healthcare companies, there are several ways to get involved. The Partnership for a Healthier America, which is core to the Let’s Move initiative, is a public-private partnership that is taking the obesity epidemic head on. Its partners include the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, The California Endowment, the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, The Alliance for Healthier Generation, Kaiser Permanente, and Nemours, among others. And more help is needed.

On a personal note, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation is funding the formation of a partnership to fight childhood obesity in my hometown of Kingston, N.Y. The effort is being led by the Cornell Cooperative Extension Ulster County with partners that include the City of Kingston, Kingston City Schools, the Ulster County Health Department, and the Kingston Land Trust, among others. The work involves community and school gardens, creating safe routes to schools and parks, and developing after-school healthy snack policies.

With the Kingston effort, the direct connection between personal wellness and planet wellness is clear. As people start to see the benefits on an individual level by feeling better and having increased energy, the environment benefits through increased awareness of the effects of their impact.

Healthcare companies looking to become more sustainable have a great opportunity to focus their programs and messaging around increasing individual’s wellness. Healthier behavior is the first step on the journey to sustainability.