A Systemic Perspective of Environmental Health
The notion of “inviroment” embodies a holistic perspective on environmental wellness poised between exterior environmental health and interior human well-being. Recently, environmentally aware has become a prominent topic at the local and global level of conversation. Faced with climate change, pollution, and destruction of habitat, there has never been a more pressing need to care for the planet than now. However, a new term, “inviroment”, emerges in conversations to represent an even greater general view of environmental wellness – transdisciplinary wellness that bridges the gap of what we know about human health and environmental health.
What is Inviroment?
“Inviroment” reflects an internalization of our external environments with a focus on human health (mentally, emotionally, and physically) and the added environmental context of that health externalized to wildlife and the environment. While traditional environmentalism and environmental wellness include protecting wildlife and the natural world, inviromentalism connects the interdependence between the impacts of our built environment and our natural environment on personal wellness and vice versa. The care for our planet and care for our health and well-being are interconnected.
Where Did the Inviroment Concept Begin?
The inviroment concept, in part, arose from an increased understanding about our needs, our surroundings, and our ability to live sustainably. Early thinkers in ecology, psychology, wellness, and related fields began to discuss the quality of our environment and the direct effects on our physical and mental health. The external experience could be affected by air quality, exposure to outdoor settings, noise pollution, or quality green space.
The integration of “inviroment” also serves as a reminder of the bidirectional relationship as our environments affect us, but our actions affect our planet. Stress and anxiety experienced by many individuals living in urban settings could very well be endemic to limited visitation to natural settings (quality of nature); consider and explore the opposite: the actions of our unsustainable behavior on our planet (drainage, plastic, deforestation) threaten our health.
Key Considerations Related to an Inviroment:
1.Physical Health and the Inviroment:
The health of the inviroment has a direct impact on physical health. The air you breathe, the water you drink, and the food you eat entirely depend on environmental health. For example, air pollution can contribute to respiratory diseases, such as asthma and bronchitis. Water sources that are contaminated can expose people to a range of waterborne diseases, and if soil health is poor, the quality of crops and human food consumption may be compromised, leading to malnutrition or food insecurity. Ensuring the health of the external environment contributes to better physical health outcomes for human beings.
2.Mental Well-being and Green Spaces:
Numerous studies have linked time spent in natural settings to improvements in one’s psychological well-being. Exposure to green spaces is known to reduce stress, anxiety, and depression. Inviroment suggests that caring for parks, forests, and green urban spaces is as important for mental health as it is for the ecosystem. Conversely, people who reside in polluted or congested urban areas often report higher levels of anxiety and psychological stress.
3.Sustainable Living:
The perspective of inviroment encourages people to adopt sustainable practices for their personal health as well as that of the planet. Eating organic foods, using less plastic, and employing energy-efficient practices, should reduce one’s ecological footprint while also improving personal health. For example, avoiding pesticides and other harmful chemicals in organic farming is an example of a practice that protects the health of both soil and humans.
4.urban design and Human Health:
Urban areas are increasing, and the lens of an inviroment allows for the design of urban environments that take into account sustainability as well as human comfort. Urban planning that includes walkable neighborhoods, green and wild spaces, and energy eco-friendly buildings can adhere to principles of inviroment. When cities emphasize the development of physically healthy and sustainable spaces, residence can enjoy a clean air, less noise pollution, and higher quality of life.
5.Mindful Consumption:
The inviroment also brings attention to the concept of mindful consumption, that is consciously considering our consumption practices in terms of the health of the environment and our health. Products made from natural materials, that are free of toxins, or that are sustainably sourced, support a healthy me, a healthy planet. This applies to everything from what we eat to the products we use for personal care.
The Global Implications of the Inviromental Mindset
There are profound implications in adopting an inviromental mindset. It is a lens for looking at and consideration both humans and the environment together unlike the ubiquitous and standard separation in perspectives of interest in well-being. Agencies and policymakers can adopt policies, as can individuals develop behaviors, that support health for the planet and for the person.
For example, climate change has long been seen as related to the preservation of natural ecosystems as though humans were somehow excluded, but how we look at climate change moves from isolated charitable interest to real and tangible regard for the future of health for humankind. Beyond contributing to global respiratory disease increases as a result of polluting air. Climate change is not just an environmental concern, but a public health priority, just as ensuring clean water access has re-aligned as environmental concern to priority public interest.
On a behavioral level, many mindful practices are known to improve mental clarity, physical health and emotional resilience. Or by contributing to shared goals such as waste reduction or regularly enaging with nature, individuals too can see improved well-being. In a domestic life, reducing the footprint may mean adopting more greener practices, for example using renewable energy, creating compost systems or daily engaging with the surrounding environment improve well-being more than one may promote or see.
Conclusion
Inviroment is an interesting and new way to engage and present environmental concerns. In general, one may re-evalulate humankind-gainlessly, in contrast to interdependency; benefitting all together. The philosophy is that we cannot attain personal health if we do not attend to caring for the planet and vice versa.
By realizing and recognizing the inviromental connection, we can begin to build a world oriented toward creating balance between the health of the Earth and the health of its inhabitants, such that everyone may thrive for years to come.
