Sustainability and Occupational Therapy, continued from Page 5
When the three areas intersect, that is the expression
of sustainability. This is the business that uses renewable
energy to create a sustainable product, offers their employees
a safe place to work with a liveable wage and nets a profit
for their investors. It’s in the overlap between the circles that
we begin to understand how sustainability plays a role. The
overlap of environmental and social introduces the concepts
of environmental justice and natural resources stewardship.
In a recent Chicagoland article Chase (2018) details how
residents and workers near the south side of Chicago have
the “greatest exposure to toxic air pollution and other
environmental health hazards in the city”. According to the
USEPA, this kind of repeated exposure can cause everything
from a decrease in lung capacity to brain altering seizures.
These individuals may need care and rehabilitation from
occupational therapists to maintain the quality in their lives.
The intersection of economics and social introduces the
concepts of business ethics, fair trade and workers’ rights.
Occupational therapists and other caregivers are often
underpaid and work very long hours. Corporate chains have
been identified that cut corners to save money often at the
expense of their employees and patients. Exposure to medical
waste can also endanger the safety of caregivers.
The environmental-economic juncture identifies the
necessity of energy efficiency, and the use/misuse of our natural
resources. Students are assigned the task of traveling around
an unfamiliar city as a person with disabilities and limited
resources (Vogt, personal communication 2018). Teaching
one with disabilities, the elderly or injured to get work, to
doctors’ appointments, to therapy or even just too social
events can be immensely challenging. Public transportation
often has limited availability to some communities and
can be very time consuming impacting job efficacy. Ride
sharing programs are very costly for the long term. All of
these forms of transportation have impacts on our natural
resources. Diesel busses cause an air pollution hazard and
while many busses have switched to natural gas, there are
still environmental and safety concerns with burning this
fossil fuel as it contains methane, one of the most potent
greenhouse gasses.
Finally, the sweet spot where we see all three circles overlap
is the true expression of sustainability. One where medical
waste is properly managed, workers and caregivers are paid
fairly and treated well and our communities are given the
voice to care for themselves and the world around them.
A final example is medical and home household
hazardous waste. Many patients simply do not know what
to do with waste, medical equipment, cleaners and/or
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pesticides. Information on how to handle and dispose of
these items safely is available but often not readily available
for one with disabilities or elderly. Most counties have an
office of Public Health and within that office, the Office of
Solid waste and or a solid waste coordinator that can help
locate appropriate resources to help with safe disposal. Don’t
overlook environmental groups as well. Just as we have here
in McHenry County, many nonprofit environmental groups
are working to help solve issues around those difficult to
recycle items such as batteries and Styrofoam.
In conclusion, the concepts surrounding sustainability
play a powerful role in everyday life for everyone. Occupational
therapists are always researching, testing and implementing
methods and practices for those that experience disability
in some way either temporarily or permanently. Helping
them to address ordinary things like recycling can introduce
more normalcy and help the patient feel more confident. By
connecting their daily actions to a bigger, regional or global
impact, the patient can begin to understand the impact of
their choices.
References
Association for the Advancement for Sustainability in
Higher Education (AASHE). (2018). The three spheres of
sustainability. Retrieved from http://www.aashe.org/
Chase, B. (2018, October 25). In Chicago, pollution hit
west side, south side the hardest hit, study finds. The Chicago
Tribune. Retrieved from https://chicago.suntimes.com/
business/chicago-pollution-health-hazard-west-south-side-
study-finds/
United Nations, World Commission on Environment
and Development. (1987). Report of the World Commission
on Environment and Development: Our Common Future.
Retrieved from http://www.un-documents.net/wced-ocf.
htm
About the Author
Kim Hankins is the first full time Administrator
dedicated to sustainability at McHenry County College. The
Sustainability Center opened in spring 2012, with Kim as
the Director, following the Board of Trustees approval of the
Sustainability Strategic Plan which guides the Center’s day to
day activities around green campus, green community and
green curriculum.
Kim holds a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Policy
from Hartwick College in Oneonta, NY and a Master’s degree
in Environmental Science from Johns Hopkins University in
Baltimore, MD.