“What is good for your health is good for the planet” (Hoelscher, 2021). For nurses, this statement becomes evident through daily behaviors that simultaneously contributes to personal and planetary health, demonstrating the nurse’s ability to multitask!
Active Transportation
Good for Your Health
Active transport, such as walking or biking instead of driving, can benefit your health. According to the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (2023), physical activity carries many benefits. One benefit includes a reduced risk of all-cause mortality, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, type 2 diabetes, an adverse blood lipid profile, dementia, and depression. The Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (2023) also reports that walking or biking more frequently reduces the risk of bladder, breast, colon, endometrium, esophagus, kidney, lung, and stomach cancers. Overall, choosing to walk or bike instead of driving enhances quality of life through improved sleep, weight maintenance, bone health, and physical function. As an added benefit, walking and biking are linked to a reduced risk of falls and fewer, less severe injuries from falls that do happen (Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, 2023).
Good for the Planet
Walking or biking reduces greenhouse gas emissions that cause climate change. A typical passenger vehicle emits about 4.6 metric tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) annually, or 400 grams per mile (Environmental Protection Agency, 2023). In addition, gasoline cars produce methane and nitrous oxide, which can further harm the environment. All vehicles can futher emit hydrofluorocarbons from leaking air conditioners, possibly exposing pedestrians to harmful emissions. In addition to the gases produced outside a vehicle, air pollutants can also impact those inside a vehicle. Panchal et al. (2022) found that concentrations of air pollutants inside cars can be higher than those breathed outside by active travelers. Car commuters miss the benefits of physical activity, and they may inhale more pollutants.
Exposure to Nature
Good for Your Health
While biking or walking, there is a good chance a person might see trees, foliage, and other natural phenomena. Spending time outdoors in green spaces has been linked to lower mortality, better sleep, lower blood pressure, and reduced risk of chronic disease (Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, 2024). Weir (2025) reviewed psychological research showing that time in nature is associated with cognitive benefits and improvements in mood, mental health, and emotional well-being. Even in socially and economically fractured societies, trees can connect communities, foster economic advantages, and increase civic pride (Arbor Day Foundation, n.d.).
Good for the Planet
Mackay and Schmitt (2019) found a robust association between connection with nature and pro-environmental behaviors across various demographics. People who connect with nature tend to do more to protect it. This is good for the planet because trees help to clean the air and reduce the amount of CO2. In one year, a tree will absorb more than 48 pounds of CO2 from the air and release oxygen in return. Additionally, trees filter our water, slow storm surge, reduce flooding, provide shade, and cool cities by up to 10 degrees Fahrenheit (Arbor Day Foundation, n.d.).
Gardening
Good for Your Health
One way to connect with nature is by planting and growing flowers, fruits, and vegetables. According to Chalmin-Pui et al. (2021), people participating in home and urban gardening report less stress, increased physical activity, and better overall well-being. In addition to prevention, gardening can improve health in those with existing disabilities. Chalmin-Pui et al. (2021) concluded that those who have physical disabilities, such as back pain or arthritis, also reported an increased feeling of overall well-being.
Good for the Planet
Offering food and beauty, gardens contribute to the environment by regulating water absorption, enhancing air circulation, and cooling through plant transpiration and shading. Furthermore, gardens provide vital habitats for wildlife and promote genetic diversity (Cabral et al., 2017).
Eating Less Meat
Good for Your Health
Growing fruits and vegetables in a garden or orchard could entice people to eat less meat. According to the American Heart Association (n.d.), compared to meat and other animal-based foods, a plant-forward diet carries less risk of developing heart disease, stroke, obesity, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, type 2 diabetes, and many cancers.
Good for the Planet
Poore and Nemecek (2018) studied greenhouse gas emissions of various food products across 38,700 farms in 119 countries. These studies considered factors such as land-use, production (fertilizers, manure), animal feed, processing, transport, and packaging. Poore and Nemecek (2018) estimated the CO2 equivalent (CO2 eq.) emissions for various commodities during their study. The results indicated beef cattle had the highest at 99.48 CO2 eq of food. Lamb/mutton was next at 39.72 CO2 eq. Root vegetables measured the lowest at 0.43 CO2 eq., and others measured 0.53 CO2 eq. per kg of product. Producing fruits tended to emit slightly more CO2 eq than vegetables but were still considerably lower than meat products. The results of this study indicate that eating a plant-forward diet produces less greenhouse gas emissions than a meat-centric diet, which increases them.
Conclusion
It is clear. What is good for your health is good for the planet. As nurses, we can practice these health behaviors ourselves, share them with our friends, families, and patients, and reap the rewards. Many healthy behaviors are also interventions that nurses can use to improve their health, capitalizing on the nurse’s ability to multitask. Nurses can improve the health of the entire planet while benefiting themselves simultaneously!
References
American Heart Association (n.d.). How does Plant-Forward (Plant-Based) Eating Benefit Your Health https://www.heart.org/en/healthy-living/healthy-eating/eat-smart/nutrition-basics/how-does-plant-forward-eating-benefit-your-health
Arbor Day Foundation. (n.d.). The Value of Trees. https://www.arborday.org/value
Cabral, I., Costa, S., Weiland, U., Bonn, A. (2017). Urban Gardens as multifunctional nature-based solutions for societal goals in a changing climate. In: N., Korn, H., Stadler, J., Bonn, A. (eds) Nature-Based Solutions to Climate Change Adaptation in Urban Areas. Theory and Practice of Urban Sustainability Transitions. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-56091-5_14
Chalmin-Pui,L.S., Griffiths, A., Roe,J., Heaton, T., Cameron, R.(2021). Why garden? – Attitudes and the perceived health benefits of home gardening.Cities,112. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cities.2021.103118
The EAT-Lancet Commission on Food, Planet, Health. (2019). EAT-Lancet Commission Brief for Healthcare Professionals https://eatforum.org/lancet-commission/healthcare-professionals/
Environmental Protection Agency. (June 2023). Tailpipe Greenhouse Gas Emissions From a Typical Passenger Vehicle (pdf). (104KB,-420-F-23-014) https://nepis.epa.gov/Exe/ZyPDF.cgi?Dockey=P1017FP5.pdf
Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health (2024). Time spent in nature can boost physical and mental well-being. https://hsph.harvard.edu/news/time-spent-in-nature-can-boost-physical-and-mental-well-being/
Hoelscher, DM. (October 4, 2021). What’s good for your health is good for the planet, presented at the SXSW Eco Conference. Austin, TX.
Mackay, C.M.L. & Schmitt, M.T. (2019). Do people who feel connected to nature do more to protect it? A meta-analysis. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 65. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2019.101323
Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. (June, 2023). Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans. https://odphp.health.gov/our-work/nutrition-physical-activity/physical-activity-guidelines
Panchal, R., Panagi, M., May, H.R., Obszynska, J.A., Evans, M.S., Hansell, A.L., Gulliver, J., Vande Hey,J.D. (2022). Personal air pollution exposure during morning commute car and active transport journeys. Journal of Transport & Health, 26(Sept.). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jth.2022.101365
Poore, J., & Nemecek, T. (2018). Reducing food’s environmental impacts through producers and consumers. Science. – processed by Our World in Data. “Greenhouse gas emissions per kilogram” [dataset].
Weir, K. (2025). Nurtured by nature: Psychological research is advancing our understanding of how time in nature can improve our mental health and sharpen our cognition. American Psychological Association 51(3).
