Earth Day: When I was a kid, my dad and I would hike the trail to Henninger Flats in Altadena, California. We’d sit at a wooden bench overlooking the San Gabriel Valley, sharing fruit and trail mix while trying to spot landmarks—Lake Avenue, Victory Park, maybe even our house tucked into the trees.
After the Eaton Fire earlier this year, I revisited the trailhead. Behind the locked fence, the once-green hillside lay scorched. The familiar view was gone. A lump formed in my throat as I recalled those formative hikes, now lost to fire damage.
Although my family was fortunate—we’re safe and still have our home—the fire reminded me just how deep my connection to nature runs. It also underscored how vital it is to protect our environment, not only for ourselves but for future generations.
Earth Day Is About Health
When Earth Day began in 1970, its focus was public health. The environmental concerns of that era—oil spills, polluted air, contaminated water—remain just as urgent today.
As physicians, we see the health consequences of environmental degradation daily. Think of your patients with asthma exacerbated by air pollution, or those who can’t safely exercise outdoors during heat waves. Patients in low-income neighborhoods may struggle with obesity because their communities lack safe green spaces.
Environmental health is human health.
Nature’s Impact on Our Most Vulnerable
In my practice as a pediatrician, I witness how environmental stressors disproportionately affect vulnerable children. From wildfire smoke worsening asthma to longer allergy seasons and heat stress aggravating chronic illness, the connection is clear.
We can’t fully care for our patients without also caring for the environment. Clean air, safe water, biodiversity, and accessible green spaces are not luxuries—they are health necessities. Our children, seniors, pregnant patients, and marginalized communities feel these environmental burdens most.
Nature as Medicine: An Underused Tool
While we increasingly understand the harm environmental factors can cause, we should also recognize nature as a preventive tool.
Studies have shown that time in nature boosts immune function and supports a healthier microbiome. It helps reduce anxiety and depression. Children with ADHD often experience fewer symptoms after spending time outdoors. Remarkably, one study even found that patients recovering from surgery who had a view of trees experienced shorter hospital stays and needed less pain medication.
And then there’s forest bathing, or Shinrin Yoku. This Japanese practice has been linked to lower cortisol levels, improved mood, and reduced blood pressure.
If we prescribe medications and lifestyle changes, why not also recommend a regular dose of time in nature?
Even short, daily exposure—just 20 to 30 minutes—can offer significant benefits. No forest required.
Nature Heals Us, Too
Physicians often pour themselves into caring for others, both at work and at home. Burnout, compassion fatigue, and moral injury are rampant. Nature can offer us a moment to reset and breathe.
Personally, prioritizing time in nature has been a lifeline. It helps me recharge, show up fully for my patients, and remain present for my family. That reset is critical, especially now.
Nature continually gives to us. This Earth Day, let’s give something back—by protecting our planet and ourselves.
Small Steps Toward a Healthier Earth and Healthier Selves
Let this Earth Day serve as both reflection and motivation. Try adding these nature-based practices into your day:
- Take a walk between patients or during lunch
- Add plants or nature art to your office
- Support community efforts to expand green spaces
- Grow or eat seasonally
- Schedule screen-free outdoor time with your family
- Notice nearby nature—pause, breathe, observe
These small moments don’t require mountaintop hikes. They can happen wherever you are.
A Shared Responsibility
Health is interconnected. So is our relationship with the planet.
Use your physician voice to advocate for policies that expand access to parks, protect public lands, and promote environmental justice. These actions support not only a healthier earth, but a healthier population.
What will you do this Earth Day—to heal yourself, your patients, and the planet?
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