When I first began my journey as an intern working in sustainability programming at the University of Michigan-Dearborn, although they were happy for me, I was initially met with some confusion from my friends and loved ones. I was studying health and human services, and my interests were in social work. One of the most common questions I remember being asked was, “What does recycling have to do with social work?” I initially found it hard to articulate to many people why I felt that learning more about how to organize people to live more sustainable lives was so important to me and my future career interests.
The thing is, when I think of sustainability, I don’t just think about recycling (although recycling and waste reduction are absolutely essential!). I also think about public health; environmental justice; climate literacy and education for all; and the importance of all of us trying to play our part in creating a world where access to basic human needs like healthy food, clean drinking water, and fresh air to breathe are treated as human rights and not commodities.
Although I am biased, I can think of several ways in which sustainability overlaps with social work, and more broadly, human health and social justice. Two major concepts that come to mind to better illustrate this connection are environmental wellness and sustainable well-being.
What is Environmental Wellness?
Environmental wellness is a dimension of health and wellness focused on occupying pleasant, stimulating environments that support well-being, and of striving to live in harmony with the natural world.
On some level, humans intuitively know that spending quality time out in nature is good for us. But what if I told you that this idea is not just folk wisdom, but also remains consistent in the scientific literature? Regularly spending quality time in nature is associated with several health benefits, including but not limited to:
- Improved cognitive functioning
- Lowered blood pressure, nervous system arousal, and stress hormone levels
- Reduced anxiety
- Enhanced immune system functioning
- Increased self-esteem and mood
One study involving 20,000 participants – all from various backgrounds – at the University of Exeter European Centre for Environment & Human Health found that the ideal amount of time for people to spend in nature each week to reap the full benefits of environmental wellness was only two hours. To receive benefits, you can spread these two hours across the entire week or all at once.
What is Sustainable Well-being?
A newer concept, known as sustainable well-being, refers broadly to the intersection of environmental wellness and individual wellness. Sustainable well-being is about not only trying to live more sustainably as an individual, but also through larger-scale collective actions that can make communities more sustainable for everyone. In essence, sustainable well-being acknowledges that there are many activities that not only improve your health as an individual, but also the health of the natural environment around you, including:
- Going for walks or bike rides instead of driving, whenever possible.
- Spending some time gardening or removing invasive plants. Fun fact: When our skin touches soil, it absorbs something called “mycobacterium vaccae,” which is associated with tiny bursts of serotonin release.
- Investing in reusable items; shopping second-hand; or repairing or fixing items instead of purchasing new ones. All of these things help cut down on unnecessary waste while also lowering your financial expenses. Learning how to practically fix things on your own also boosts feelings of self-efficacy.
Volunteering for a cause you believe in can not only boost your mood and make you feel good, but also helps your local community and strengthens social cohesion. Generally speaking, when people are happier, have their needs met, and feel less stressed, they act more prosocially and communities feel more peaceful.
Both environmental wellness and sustainable wellbeing are closely related to the social determinants of health (SDOH), which is a term used by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to describe the conditions in the environments where people live, work, and play in. Examples of SDOH include air and water quality; safe housing and transportation; and access to education and job opportunities. Unfortunately, we do not always have complete control over many SDOH that are shaped by large-scale policies, but there are many things that we can do to promote our individual and communal wellness in spite of these barriers. I have compiled a list of practical environmental wellness and sustainable wellbeing resources below this blog post.
I think that the connection between individual wellness and sustainability is not always clear to folks who are just getting started, but I hope that these resources I’ve assembled can act as a good beginner’s guide to the ways in which both of these concepts go hand in hand with each other. If anyone else has any other resources they would like to share, please feel free to drop them in the comments!
On-Campus Resources
UM-Dearborn
The Environmental Interpretive Center–which includes a 120-acre Environmental Study Area that was originally owned by Henry Ford–acts as a central hub of sustainability on the University of Michigan-Dearborn’s campus and utilizes education, applied research, environmental stewardship, and community engagement to work toward healthier and more sustainable futures. They host a wide array of programs and the natural area is accessible to any member of the public from dusk to dawn. For more information about the programs they offer, visit their website here. The main building also contains a Bird Watching Study room open to all students and visitors, where people can watch and listen to birds as they visit a bird feeder area. Student naturalists from the EIC also often collaborate on bimonthly Nature Walks for Mental Health each semester with Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) Peer Educators and the Planet Blue Ambassador program.
Managed by EIC staff, the Community Organic Garden rests on a hill behind the University of Michigan-Dearborn’s Grounds Building and contains 50+ garden plots available for campus and community members to rent for use. The garden also contains a Pollinator & Enabling Garden that is accessible for people in wheelchairs or with physical limitations. For more information about how to get involved with the community organic garden, contact umdearborn-eic@umich.edu.
In collaboration with the Environmental Interpretive Center, Dearborn Support, and other campus partners, the Planet Blue Ambassadors rent out two garden plots at the garden for the purpose of growing fresh produce for the Student Food Pantry during Spring and Summer semesters. If you are interested in volunteering at the PBA Garden Plot, complete this form.
While not an official part of UM-Dearborn’s campus, the Fair Lane Henry Ford Estate is the EIC natural area’s neighbor and within walking distance of the university. Their grounds are open to the public, seven days a week, from 8am to 6pm.
Dearborn Support, housed in Renick University Center Room #2130 is your go-to stop for anything concerning meeting basic needs. They offer a Student Food Pantry that anyone is welcome to visit up to two times a month. In addition to this, they run a Wolverine Wardrobe that offers free clothes to students, as well as funding for certain emergencies or disruptions to education that students may experience. Check out Dearborn Support!
The Rouge River Waterfall Loop Trail is accessible from the University of Michigan-Dearborn’s campus, beginning near Henry Ford Estate, and ending in downtown Dearborn along Michigan Ave. It is an excellent route for anyone who wants to bike and go on walks while admiring parts of the Rouge River, as well as other campus flora and fauna.
UM-Flint
This page lists several UM-Flint offices and/or initiatives that are related to improving environmental health for the campus community, ranging from Creating Safer Spaces–a dedication to ending sexual violence–to UM-Flint Sustainability resources (including a Resource Toolkit and Sustainability Maps).
All UM-Flint students have free access to recreational activities at the campus Recreation Center–including personal training, club sports, group fitness, and so much more! All you need to bring is your MCard.
Wolverine Essentials, formerly the Wolverine Food Den, is an excellent resource dedicated to providing UM-Flint students with resources and/or referrals to services they need to access basic needs, including food, housing, clothing, and toiletries.
If you are ever in need of a laptop for school, UM-Flint also offers a program that provides students with short-term emergency laptop loans until they can acquire a new laptop or other device to work on.
UM-Ann Arbor
Located to the northeast of UM-Ann Arbor’s central campus, Matthaei Botanical Gardens is an over 300+ acre amalgam of outdoor gardens, trails, and an indoor conservatory. Take a day or two to explore the beautiful flora and fauna preserved. The Nichols Arboretum or “the Arb” is attached, which is the area of the gardens that offers a dense network of scenic trails.
Matthaei Botanical Gardens also operates a nearby campus farm, which combines sustainable food system education with student engagement.
While this facility is not open to the public and reserved for scheduled events, Adventure Education Center is operated by Michigan Recreation and offers an indoor meeting room and a huge outdoor space to people who are looking to strengthen team-building skills with facilitator staff, or reserve the space for picnics, parties, and other outdoor activities.
Similar to Wolverine Essentials at UM-Flint and Dearborn Support at UM-Dearborn, UM-Ann Arbor’s campus provides free food; kitchen and cooking materials; toiletries; household items; school supplies; and other forms of support to students.
External Resources
- Active Hope Training 2025 – Free online course inspired by the book Active Hope: How to Face the Mess We’re in with Unexpected Resilience & Creative Power
- Mental Health Commission of Canada – Managing Eco-Anxiety
- Climate Mental Health Network Resources
- Michigan State University Extension – Mindful Eating
- Dr. Andrew Huberman – Panoramic Vision
Sasha serves as a Sustainable Wellbeing Intern for the PBA program at UM-Dearborn.