Earth Dayand

Positive HealthApril 22, 2010

Webinar for HEDIRCraig M. Becker, PhD, CWP

East Carolina Universitybeckerc@ecu.edu

Overview

Need Clean Energy Policy

Review health & Earth Day relationship

How can positively impact on both!

Show how helping self benefits all!

Positive Health = Wellness

Positive Health = physical mental & social well-being

Halbert Dunn!Father of Wellness

Coined Word - Wellness

1959, 1961 - High Level Wellness for Man & Society

Wellness = state more than simple “Unsickness”

Dunn & Earth Day

Originally Dr. Dunn defined wellness as, “… a direction in progress forward and upward, toward a higher potential of functioning...which involves the integration of the whole ...” (Dunn, 1961).

Wellness & Earth Day

What would Dunn say?

High LevelWellness

Envi ronmental

Axi s

Health Axis

FavorableEnvironment

PrematureDeath

ProtectedHealth

Poor Health

Low LevelWellness

Very UnfavorableEnvironment

Peak WellnessHealth Axis

Dunn’s Wellness Quadrant Matrix

Suggested Need Positive Health Quadrant

Said area:Undifferentiated

Darkly Seen

Why Earth day is Important to Positive Health

EnvironmentsRelationship to

Action in all Areas

©Craig M.Becker

©Craig M. Becker

Relationships

Pat Love - on Relationships

3 in a relationship (party 1, party 2, relationship)

Do things for relationship - then all win!

Relationships built on positive Interactions

We need positive Relationship with Environment

Want both us and environment to win

Beneficial Relationships

Need relationship with environment

Makes Positive Health possible

Better environment means = Better Life for self

Be Selfish?

Creating Benefits for Self?

Selfish?

That way all benefit

Huh?

Yes - WIFM

SynSelflessishSelf ergy

Action Needed:genic=creatingPan=all

Paneugenic

Application of Systems Appreciation

Actions, by individuals, groups or organizations that create the best

outcomes for all parties, with a byproduct of pervasive reciprocal positive benefits

eu=Good,well

W. Edwards DemingCheck out information at

Deming Institute

One of Greatest 20th Century Thinkers

Leadership

Guiding Principles

Profound Knowledge

1. Systems Appreciation

2. Understanding of Variance

3. Theory of Knowledge

4. Psychology

Continuous Never Ending Improvement

Systems Appreciation

• Everything is a System

• You are part of the system

• Our environment is the system

• If you serve it well - Everybody Wins!

• Its Paneugenic!

Another Connection

Dunn & Wellness!

Spirituality - Missing Integrated Dimension

To me - Spirituality about:

Connections - 1 Source

Greater Good

Environmentalism

Basic Assumptions

We all want to be good

Connect to something larger than self

Want to be part of solution

Can we make a difference?

THE STARFISH STORY(Based on the original, by Loren Eiseley)

A friend of ours was walking down a deserted Mexican beach at sunset. As he walked along, he began to see another man in the distance. As he grew closer, he noticed that the local native kept leaning down, picking something up, and throwing it out into the water. Time and again he kept hurling things out into the ocean. As our friend approached even closer, he noticed that the man was picking up starfish that had been washed up on the beach and, one at a time, he was throwing them back into the water. Our friend was puzzled. He approached the man and said "Good evening, Friend. I was wondering what you are doing."

"I'm throwing these starfish back into the ocean. You see, it's low tide right now and all of these starfish have been washed up onto the shore. If I don't throw them back into the sea, they'll die up here from lack of oxygen."

"I understand," our friend replied, "but there must be thousands of starfish on this beach. You can't possibly get to all of them. There are simply too many. And don't you realize it is probably happening on hundreds of other beaches all up and down the coast. Can't you see that you can't possibly make a difference?"

The local native smiled, bent down, and picked up yet another starfish, and as he threw it back into the sea, he replied, "Made a difference to that one!"

from Chicken Soup for the Soul

Can we make a difference?Cynicism is not realistic and tough. It's unrealistic and kind of cowardly because it means you don't have to try. - Peggy Noonan, 1950-present

Can we make a difference?

“ I have always thought the actions of men the best

interpreters of their thoughts.”

- John Locke

Can we make a difference?

“Economics is a value system masquerading as

mathematics.”-From Green Certificate Preconference:

Why be part of solution?

Cognitive Dissonance If violate own values, feel bad

Most people have reasonable self-imageBelieve self competent, moral, smart

Being part of solution Enhances self-imageHelps you feel good!

Meet Innate Needs

Quest to Meet Needs

•Need meaning from multiple sources

•Environmental Opportunity

•Meaning necessary but insufficient for happiness

•No meaning - happiness elusive

•➜ Meaning prerequisite for happiness

Being part of Solution Meets Needs

From Positive Psychology Handbook

How Make Sense of Life - Hardwired to find meaning!

1. Need for Purpose - connection to future

2. Need for Values - justifies course of action

3. Need for Sense of Efficacy - can make a difference

4. Need or Basis of Self-Worth - reason believe good

What Can we do?

Some ideas to attend to needs

Transportation

Yard-Work

Food Choices

Daily Actions

Transportation

• Cars and pollution

• Hybrids, driving habits - Impact

• My habits - hybrid, bike

• Connects actions and benefits

• WIFM, WIFT - win-win-win!

• Its Paneugenic

Yard-work

•Everything need already there - use it!

•Conversation with God about lawns

Conversation with Creator, Lawn Care

Imagine the conversation The Creator might have had with St. Francis about lawns:......................GOD: Frank, you know all about gardens and nature. What in the world is going on down there on the planet? What happened to the dandelions, violets, thistle and stuff I started eons ago? I had a per-fect, no-maintenance garden plan. Those plants grow in any type of soil, withstand drought and mul-tiply with abandon. The nectar from the long-lasting blossoms attracts butterflies, honey bees and flocks of songbirds. I expected to see a vast garden of colors by now. But all I see are these green rectangles.ST. FRANCIS: It's the tribes that settled there, Lord: The Suburbanites. They started calling your flowers "weeds" and went to great lengths to kill them and replace them with grass.GOD: Grass?? But it's so boring. It's not colorful. It doesn't attract butterflies, birds and bees, only grubs and sod worms. It's sensitive to temperatures. Do these Suburbanites really want all that grass growing there?ST. FRANCIS: Apparently so, Lord. They go to great pains to grow it and keep it green. They begin each spring by fertilizing grass and poisoning any other plant that crops up in the lawn.GOD: The spring rains and warm weather probably make grass grow really fast. That must make the Suburbanites happy.ST. FRANCIS: Apparently not, Lord. As soon as it grows a little, they cut it, sometimes twice a week.GOD: They cut it? Do they then bail it like hay?ST. FRANCIS: Not exactly, Lord. Most of them rake it up and put it in bags.GOD: They bag it? Why? Is it a cash crop? Do they sell it?ST. FRANCIS: No Sir. Just the opposite. They pay to throw it away.GOD: Now let me get this straight. They fertilize grass so it will grow. And when it does grow, they cut it off and pay to throw it away?ST. FRANCIS: Yes, sir.

continue

Yard-work

•Lawn & Green Grass Theory

•WIFM, WIFT - Win-Win-Win

•Its Paneugenic!

Earth Day & Food

• Relationship of diet to other aspects of life• Environment• Animal treatment• Resources: Land use, water, fossil• Control well-being, weight, energy, moods etc.

• Animal based diets and kind world?• Review at www.Meatrix.com

Food Choices

“Nothing will benefit human health and increase the chances of survival on earth as much as the evolution to a vegetarian diet.”

-Albert Einstein

• The connections are everywhere…• WIFM, WIFT?Suggested Readings: Jon Robbins; Food Revolution & Diet for a New America

• Our Food Choices can be Paneugenic!

Water Consumption Connection

½ of all water used here is for our Livestock productionGallons Needed for 1lb of FoodTomatoes, 23 – Milk, 130Lettuce, 23 – Eggs, 544Potatoes, 24 – Chicken, 815Wheat, 25 – Pork, 1630Carrots, 33 – Beef, 5214Apples, 49Oranges, 65Grapes, 70

Land Use Connections

Energy ConsumptionFossil Fuels used to create - 1 calorie from beef – 78 from soybeans – 2½ of all Total energy expended by agriculture is for livestock production

Land UtilizationLandmass Grazed for Livestock = 1/2

lbs of food from Acre of Land:Cherries 5000

Green Beans 10,000Apples 20,000Carrots 30,000

Potatoes 40,000Tomatoes 50,000Celery 60,000

Beef 250

Claim: Vegetarianism 'could help climate'

Alan Calverd argues, "I am not a vegetarian or an animal-rights advocate. But...ditching meaty meals could do more to cut greenhouse gas emissions than burning less oil and gas.”• If everyone had a primarily plant-based diet

•Cut greenhouse gas emissions by 21%•From animal to food production

•In addition - Vegetarianism has health benefits.

Food Choice Benefits

• CONTRIBUTE TO: Cleaner water, Air, more energy, clearer thinking, better skin, feeling of well-being, less waste, less rainforest deforested, less water consumption

• Kinder World = Better Health Status• Overall, choosing more plant based foods contributes

to Positive Health & Healthier Plant for self and all

What can you Do to Help, Daily?

Things You can do:• **Buy Better Bulbs -Energy Star Site• Run appliances when Full• **2 Degree Change•Water Heater <=120• Double-Pane Windows• Keep Clean A/C Filter - Lifetime• Upgrade to Energy Star Appliances• Be Unplugged - turn off strip-save $$• Power Showers• Low Flow Appliances• Push Mower• **Plant a Tree• Buy Local• **Practice 3 R’s - Reduce/Reuse/Recycle

• Go Green - Renewable Energy• Solar Option???

**Car Options• Greener Car/Driving Style• **Keep car tuned and pumped• **Combine Trips• **Carpool - social wellness• Be Light - Empty Trunk• Don’t be Idle (Hybrid benefit)• Use A/C sparingly - watch dragOur Impact

Footprint Calculator• Advocate Regularly and with Group• Sign Sierra Club Energy Petition

Shop atFarmers Market

Be An Advocate

Sierra Club

Also Refer to: www.everydayactivist.com

More Simple Things...

Add:•Compost•OptOut of Junk Mail •Cloth BagsToo much to do?

Remember as Jana Stanfield suggests….we can’t do it all, but the

world needs all the good we can do…

www.janastanfield.com

Earth Day & Positive Health

• Helping environment • Helps others and self!

• Celebrate Earth Day daily • Its Paneugenic• Enables positive health