Sustainable Living
Sustainable living is about the idea that we are not separate from the environment we inhabit. It embraces a more systemic (ecological) view that we are all part of an environment composed of all the physical, biological and social interactions in which we participate. This way of thinking leads us to a different perspective: that our personal needs are not separate from planetary needs. That is to say, sustainability is directly related to wellbeing, physical and mental.
The most obvious links are physical: pollution, for example, is linked to respiratory diseases, skin conditions and suppressed immune functioning. Less well known are the links to mental health: exposure to natural environments appears to relate to good mental wellbeing, with sensory stimuli of natural shapes, sounds and textures having been shown to improve cognitive functions, induce positive emotions and generally help people to de-stress.
This programme explore the direct links between wellbeing and sustainability to inform therapeutic, psychosocial and policy-based perspectives.
Lead: Dr Paul Stevens
B.Sc., Ph.D.
