The second chapter of the College of Medicine’s new manifesto for better health, Hope for the Future, sees Dr William Bird discussing the power of nature on our well-being, a topic that’s increasingly in the headlines as we emerge into a world changed by the Covid pandemic.

The GP and social prescribing champion, who created Green Gyms and the Beat the Street and Health Walks schemes, writes in the chapter, entitled Reconnecting with Nature, about how our own health is intrinsically linked to the state of the planet, saying: ‘An environment in rude health is at the foundation of our own resilience and well-being.’

Dr Bird adds: ‘Climate change, a loss of bio-diversity and increasing toxins from human waste act like a wrecking ball on our delicate world.’

In the rallying piece, the author calls for wide-reaching actions ‘to re-connect people to nature, one that is indiscriminate on age, background or location’ including communities being easily able to measure local air quality and children having access to wild nature wherever they live in the world.

CLICK HERE OR ON THE IMAGE BELOW TO READ THE FULL CHAPTER

CLICK HERE OR ON THE IMAGE BELOW TO READ THE FULL CHAPTER

MORE ABOUT OUR MANIFESTO

The College of Medicine’s new manifesto, Hope for the Future, is our vision for better healthcare in the next decade.

Published during the uncertain era of a global pandemic, it looks ahead to a world altered by Covid-19 and has been written by some of the most influential names in UK health, including Sir Sam Everington, Sir Stephen Holgate and Dame Donna Kinnair. Click on the image below to read the manifesto online…