Tim Jarvis: How 'going green' is good for your health

I think a lot of people believe that living or behaving more sustainably is good for the environment, and that’s it. That the only benefit – although it is a very big one! – is that they’ll be doing a little less harm to the planet.

The thing is, living more sustainably, and living more in harmony with nature and the natural world, can do absolute wonders for your physical and mental health too.

As a species, we’re designed to be outdoors, we’re designed to move, and we’re hard-wired to thrive when we’re among nature and the natural world. But our modern lives can leave us increasingly disconnected from all of it.

We spend more time indoors, more time looking at screens, more time disconnected from the natural world than ever – despite the fact that the science says we need the exact opposite of all of those things to thrive, to feel good, and in some cases even to function (did you know, for example, that around 5% of New Zealand adults are deficient in vitamin D?)

And being more sustainable is an exercise in developing a better connection with our home planet. It’s an exercise in caretaking, in looking after it, and in turn looking after ourselves. That might sound a little wishy-washy – but here’s what that looks like in practice.

This one’s a simple one: but as soon as you start thinking about getting around under your own steam, rather than just taking the car or public transport, you’re opening up a world of possibilities.

As soon as you start walking, running or cycling, your carbon footprint shrinks immediately. But that’s only one side of the equation: you see, hear and sense things when you’re on a bike, for example, that you wouldn’t when you’re in a car or on a cramped rush-hour train. Again, you’re just more connected to nature, to being outdoors.

Even if you live in a city, the ability to just hop on a bike or put your shoes on and head out the door I think is so good for your mental health. You won’t get stuck in traffic, you don’t have to rush to catch a train by a certain time, you can actually experience this big dose of life, nature and fresh air before you even get to work, or wherever you’re going.

Psychologists say that things like depression and anxiety often arise when people feel like they’re losing control – and I think our busy modern lives take a lot of that control away from us. We always need to be somewhere by a certain time to do a certain thing. But on a bike, for example, you can assert a little more control over your day.

You can pedal faster if you want to get there sooner, or you can just take your time and let the world wash over you. You’re not stuck in traffic or having your morning ruined by delays or cancellations. I’m telling you, riding a bike is disproportionately empowering!

Using renewable energy on or within our homes gives us more control too. Instead of being tied to whatever the energy companies decide to do with their prices, we can draw all (or a large part) of our energy from the sun, rain and even the wind.

We’re lucky in that our house is powered by solar, and there’s something very empowering about getting all of your energy from the sun. There’s a real peace of mind that comes with knowing that your daily electricity needs aren’t costing the earth.

You start to regulate your behaviour and your day-to-day living pattern around the sun and these natural rhythms too – which is something our ancestors used to do, and something that’s more deeply embedded in us than we might think.

It’s hard to articulate, but there’s something that just feels good about living like this. It’s as if it taps in to something primal that we lost somewhere along the way – it’s that same feeling as growing your own food or catching a fish for dinner instead of just going to the supermarket. It feels like the way it’s supposed to be.

And luckily, solar isn’t anywhere near as expensive as it used to be – there are more and more residential schemes popping up to help make solar available to New Zealanders whether they own their own home or not. Give it a Google and see what you find. 

There is swathes of research by now about the pitfalls of industrial agriculture, and the impact it’s all having on the environment. So yes, vegetarianism is going to be better for the planet in the short-term. But of course, eating more vegetables – for anyone, from any background, at any time – can make a huge difference to an individual’s overall health and wellness too.

You get all the health benefits: lower blood pressure, lower cholesterol, more vitamins and minerals and, at the same time, you’re not contributing to the clearing of vast amounts of land for beef or dairy cattle. There are win-wins across the board.

You’ll often find, too, that the more you go down the ethical and sustainable path when it comes to food, the healthier the food gets. You know – coconut-milk-based ice cream and dairy-free chocolates often have less sugar and nasty stuff in them than the less-ethically made stuff. So in many ways, you can have your cake (or chocolate, or ice cream) and eat it too – often without the added sugar or calories.

And then there’s the whole idea of buying local, from farmers or vendors close to you. Not only will you likely be getting superior produce, but that food may have fewer air miles attached to it, meaning it has a much lower carbon footprint.

This is really just scratching the surface. But by adopting even just a few ‘greener’ behaviours and habits in your life, there are so many potential physical and mental health benefits – many of which you may never have even considered.