Sustainable Medicine Evokes Abundance

Imagine walking into your doctor’s office and feeling a sense of ease. Diverse plants are placed throughout the office to help filter the indoor air. Each room displays a sign indicating steps taken to make it a toxic-free environment. When you inquire, the receptionist tells you they work hard to reduce their resource consumption and educate patients about environmental health issues. She tells you, “This is Green Health Care.”

On December 1st, 2006, twenty-one health care professionals celebrated their successful integration of environmental awareness and action into their health care practices at the First Bay Area Green Health Care Awards. The event was hosted by the Teleosis Institute and held at the McKinnon Institute in Oakland, CA. Describing the drive behind Green Health Care, John Vito Moraglia, program graduate and owner of Body, Mind & Spirit Massage Therapy Center, said “Many health professionals want to ‘do no harm.’ In order to do no harm to a client, we must assess what the byproduct is of our professional actions. This principle must shift to include ‘do no harm to the earth and the environment as well.’ Our health depends on it.”

Throughout 2006, this diverse community of physicians, dentists, nurses, therapists, naturopaths, and health care clinics dedicated themselves to meeting rigorous health and environmental standards. Through resource conservation, pollution prevention, and community education, they encourage their clients and staff to recognize the inextricable link between human and environmental health. The Teleosis Institute recognizes the transformation these participants made through the exploration of individual values, beliefs, experience and purpose.

The celebration was a great success with over 70 people in attendance. Health professionals, educators, students and Bay Area business owners, including non-profits and certified green businesses, made this event a unique occasion where a diverse group of people gathered for one cause – health care that is good for people and the environment.

Hosted by Dr. Joel Kreisberg, Executive Director of the Teleosis Institute, invited speakers included Terry O’Keefe, Director of the Sustainable Business Alliance and Ina Pockrass, Co-Founder of Transcendentist and Circle of Life Board Member. Each discussed the increasing demand for Green Health Care, and the need for practitioners of sustainable medicine to evoke a “mentality of abundance,” as Ina explained, “…the rising tide raises all boats.” Both O’Keefe and Pockrass share a vision of sustainability as the only option for the future of health care.

Since the inception of this program, the Teleosis Institute has collaborated with the Bay Area Green Business Program in developing assessment tools while increasing certification within the health care community. A year ago today, only two health care practitioners were certified Green Businesses: Dr. Joel Kreisberg, DC and Transcendentist.

Pamela Evans, Alameda County Green Business Program Coordinator, describes this recent collaboration as, “a bridge to the health care sector, which is very much on the path toward greater sustainability.” This partnership has expanded the availability of sustainability tools to health care. Pamela states with enthusiasm, “Thanks to the Teleosis Green Health Care Program, we now have 15 new applications for Green Business certification within the Bay Area.”

The awards celebration was a “zero-waste” event thanks TheGreenOffice.com who donated the compostable cutlery and dishware and Green-Mary who provided recycling and composting services. The Healing Hearth provided a delicious, all-organic, locally grown winter feast. These steps contributed to reducing the ecological footprint associated with health care, which is just one of the many goals associated with the Green Health Care Program . Michael Anne Conley, Therapist, Green Health Care graduate, and owner of Stillpoint Center for Health, believes the Green Health Care program is an opportunity for practitioners to "make our little drop in the ocean, to remind ourselves that we are all in this together creating possibilities for our patients, communities and for the world to sustain the human family into the future."

The Teleosis Institute is currently accepting applications for the 2008 program. For more information please contact Nina Fry at nina@teleosis.org.

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