This is the newest main section of the Eat.Play.Live website, joining its three companions: Nutrition (Eat), Fitness (Play), and Lifestyle (Live).

At first, I considered grouping environmental factors under the Lifestyle heading. After all, where we live and how we live are closely connected. But the many ways our surroundings can influence health and well-being are complex and deserve their own space. Environment covers both the natural world (air, water, soil, ecosystems) and the man-made settings (homes, workplaces, cities) where we spend our time. And just like diet or exercise, the “health” of these environments can have a major effect on our own health and well-being – sometimes in subtle, positive ways, and sometimes in more concerning ones.

This page will explore those connections in a clear and practical way, with the same approachable style as the rest of Eat.Play.Live. The goal is to help you understand how your surroundings influence your well-being, and what steps you can take to embrace what’s good for your health – and avoid or change what is not.

Environmental factors play a crucial role in our overall health and well-being, touching both body and mind. A healthy environment gives us the basics we need to thrive: clean air, safe drinking water, nutritious food, secure living spaces, “green” spaces (and the sunlight that comes with them), good sanitation and hygiene – plus opportunities for physical activity and social interaction. On the flip side, polluted or unsafe environments can chip away at our health and well-being, sometimes in obvious ways (like respiratory illness) and sometimes more quietly, through stress or chronic conditions. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), a healthier environment could prevent nearly a quarter of the global disease burden – a staggering reminder of how much our surroundings really matter.