Links Links and More Links!

Firstly apologies for being silent for a while. I'm fast learning that trying to co-ordinate Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Blogger and live a life is sometimes more than my limited brain capacity can cope with. While I've been away I've been heavily involved in the new Public Health agenda trying to make sense of how it might work. In doing that I've never been more aware of what people call the silo mentality. Inherently over the last couple of decades health has been dominated by doctors, an obvious statement you might think. After all health is all about making sick people well isn't it? Well yes and no is the answer to that, yes people get ill and need treatment but no in that health is also about stopping people getting ill in the first place. Access to green spaces, a healthy diet, exercise etc all play their part. So why am I telling you this on what is labelled a sustainability blog? Well that really is the point as sustainability and health are inextricably linked. Why are we trying to be sustainable so we can enjoy a better quality of life in the future. I've attended so many seminars, meetings, where the focus has been on low carbon technology, fitting wind turbines, recycling, while at others I've been taken through the perils of obesity, excess winter deaths and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Rarely though have I been anywhere that's linked the lot together. For me Health = Sustainable and vice versa. Hopefully as I continue my work on Public Health I can try to spread the message and link these two vital areas together. Not that I'm a pioneer in this at all have a look at http://www.warmerhealthyhomes.org.uk/index.php which is a great example of where both worlds collide. A few more projects like this and we could really change things.