Pillar #4: Environmental Health


The fourth and final pillar of The Four Pillars Framework is focused on environmental health.  This means the potential harm to human health from exposures to threats such as pollution in the built and natural environment.  This also includes keeping the air, water and land clean for the Earth's health.  This pillar is extremely important amidst the large systematic changes that we are facing today - deforestation, fishery depletion, loss of biodiversity, increased urbanization and climate change.

Companies today are being asked (and are expected) to do more than just avoid being part of the problem.  They are being urged to be part of the solution.  There are many areas that companies can choose to focus on within environmental health.  For example, food access and farming, conservation of green spaces for leisure time and play and decreasing pollution so that the outdoors is a safe place for people to be are all potential options.

Much of this section spoke of behavioral economics and how it is important to nudge humans towards the good behaviors that they know are inherently good.  Because most humans do not have a long-term orientation and instead focus on the here and now, it is imperative that these nudges help individuals act more appropriately for the future.  There were three specific nudges that were highlighted as the most important when it comes to environmental health.  They are
  1. Give people information - Individuals will often not be aware of a problem if it is not something that directly affects them.  Without this information, an individual will not be persuaded to act any differently.
  2. Give people reminders - People are busy and often forget things.  The information an individual receives may motivate them to want to act, but their busy life might distract them before they can get all the way to action.  This is where reminders are helpful.
  3. Make the healthy course the default - Similar to the goal of the Robert Wood Johnson foundation, this means that individuals will follow the path of least resistance.  An example of this for a company might be to have the default settings of their printers be double-sided.  This can save paper without much thought.

One other way that companies are getting more involved in environmental health is through product redesign.  Whether it is the actual product materials, as has been the case with metal and paper straws, or the product packaging, companies are recognizing that consumers are looking to buy from companies that share their values.  Consumers expect to be able to trust companies to be going out of their way to innovate how they can be more environmentally friendly.  After all, we only have one Earth.

-Vicky













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