Sarah Rolling

Shifting to more plant-based meals and curbing meat consumption not only helps the planet, it also improves your health by lowering intake of saturated fat, lowering the risk of developing heart disease and cancer, the world's leading causes of death. 

Wetlands differ from other ecosystems because they are highly biologically diverse systems that enhance water quality, control erosion, maintain stream flows, sequester carbon, and provide a home to at least one third of all threatened and endangered species.  It is really important to protect wildlife habitat, especially for species of aquatic and terrestrial plants and animals. Wetlands are valuable for flood protection, natural products, recreation, and neighborhood aesthetics. Wetlands are also important for maintaining fresh water supplies. They catch and store rain water, refill underground reserves and protect them from salty water. I grew up near a large marsh, and spending afternoons watching the ducks, and looking for frogs shaped who I am as a person. It allowed me to have a place to relax, become one with nature, and develop a passion for the environment/sustainability. In the picture below, the calming natural beauty is evident. 

Many of my favorite foods, are the foods that are the worst for the environment. Sugar for example, destroys the most biodiversity in the world. In addition to its intensive use of water and pesticides, the cultivation of sugarcane also causes erosion. Sugar is in most of the foods I consume, and limiting this intake is hard. Using artificial sweeteners may be a better option, although some have a funny aftertaste. I also consume quite a bit of chocolate, and learned that cacao cultivation puts a lot of strain on natural ecosystems. In the future, I hope to do more research and avoid industrial chocolate. Furthermore, coffee and red meat are also parts of my diet although I hope to cut those out, and replace them with water and other less detrimental forms of protein. Red meat is problematic due to deforestation and the production of greenhouse gases, and growing coffee beans also results in intense deforestation. 

Biochar can provide additional benefits besides sequestering carbon as biochar can improve soil fertility, which stimulates plant growth. Healthier plants are able to consume and convert more carbon dioxide (CO2), thus improving air quality. Due to its ability to retain soil nutrients for long periods of time, biochar reduces the need for chemical fertilizers. Farms that use biochar also have a better ability to withstand drought or flooding; it can also rid soil of heavy metals and other pollutants.

According to HealthyPeople.Gov, "environmental health consists of preventing or controlling disease, injury, and disability related to the interactions between people and their environment". I think this is a good definition as when I am considering places to take my dog and my family, the environmental health of the community is important. I'm not going to take my dog to a toxic waste dumping site to play in the creek. I'm going to pick an area such as a local park or nature preserve. These local parks are places to interact with community members and breathe a breath fresh air. Furthermore, it is a place to reconnect and learn about nature as well as exercising which makes me feel better about myself. Environmental health is correlated with physical health. 

I didn't know that there are family planning resources in my community, that was really eye opening. In my community, the local family planning office offers contraceptive, pregnancy and STD services. According to the United Nations, contraceptive use is above 70 per cent in Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, and Northern America, while being below 25 per cent in Middle and Western Africa. Looking at other trends, we notice that the growing use of contraceptive methods has resulted in not only improvements in health-related outcomes such as reduced maternal mortality and infant mortality, but also improvements in schooling and economic outcomes, especially for girls and women. Woman's health is universal, and it's something that's a basic necessity.