Introduction: Let’s start with a quote from Environmental healthcare Association’s webpage to set the scene: ‘Human health always takes place on a planetary scale, and must therefore be thought of and practiced ecologically. This is to say that we recognize that it is not possible to think the one (human health, healthcare, physical therapy, etc.) without simultaneously thinking the other (environment, ecology, planetary health). And further, that if it is not possible to think the one without the other, it is also not possible to practice human healthcare without simultaneously practicing environmental healthcare. Physical therapies can make a much more valuable and significant contribution to human and planetary health than the historically and socially self-imposed limits on the profession have previously allowed. The Association has been made possible by a growing sense that a critical mass of physiotherapists is eager to advance contemporary physiotherapy theory and practice towards a more positive, inclusive, environmental future for the profession’. (Ref. http://environmentalphysio.com/about/ ) Let’s join forces to find ways to define, develop and practice environmental healthcare. In this course we will introduce you to an example of how we combine reuse, environmental awareness, and our passion for people, health and nature. You will get inspiration to develop your own environmental healthcare initiative. Who are we? Betina Ringby, Project leader, Garden to Connect Rwanda. PT, Master of Health Science, Nature Therapist and Marianne Mikkelsen, Project leader, Garden to Connect Denmark. Master of Arts, Nature Guide, skilled community gardener. We are both social entrepreneurs, based in Aarhus, Denmark. This course is supported by Vinyl Plus (EU) and the PVC Information Council in Denmark. We connect people with plants and each other In the initiative Garden to Connect, we make urban landscape greener and bring people closer to nature and each other. Urban gardens are often expensive and resource intensive when using plant containers of steel, concrete or terracotta. Reusing plastic building waste saves money and resources. By upcycling discarded products, production of new plant containers is avoided, which helps to mitigate climate change. For our prototyping in Rwanda see: https://vimeo.com/715145421 For further understanding of the initiative browse the website www.gardentoconnect.eu and pay attention to also the Rwanda page. Now you are probably curious to know more about other environmental physiotherapy/healthcare initiatives. Go to http://environmentalphysio.com/about/ and read the vision and mission. You have now gained an insight into environmental healthcare, the initiative Garden to Connect and who we are. Before entering session 2 you must read, do and upload reflection task 1. Reflection task 1 – Getting insights: Log into https://sdgs.un.org/goals. Read through all goals Select 3 goals that draws your attention and reflect on the subgoals Pick 3 subgoals that you find especially important and reflect on why these subgoals are of special interest to you. Upload the 3 subgoals and reflections on the website under Reflection task 1 (https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/18MsEBS9ZDtTgLoUyQ41qUiju1ALDNxXH) For your inspiration of an example to connect SDG’s to physiotherapy go to: http://environmentalphysio.com/project/the-sdgs-and-physiotherapy-at-ucn-denmark/

Garden To Connect is about inner and outer growth and draws upon the relationship between IDG’s and SDG’s. Introduction to Inner Development goals: The Inner Development Goals (IDGs) is a not for profit and open-source initiative. Meet the founders, hear from the advisory board and co-creating researchers, and learn how the IDGs framework can help accelerate the work towards the UN’s Global Goals or SDGs. https://vimeo.com/657361309 Read the framework in more detail here: https://www.innerdevelopmentgoals.org/framework As featured on www.gardentoconnect.eu Rwandan communities was involved in green health activities in 2022. To understand how the GTC-initiative can be linked to inner growth read the blogpost as an example of how we connect the dots of pipes, plastic and physiotherapy. Hopefully you are now inspired to move in your own direction. We now move on to idea generation in order to reach an action stage at the end of the course. We are eager to learn more about your ideas, passion, experiences and possibilities for turning your special competences into new environmental health related actions. Call for action: Please get ready to take at least 1 hour walk in your neighborhood. Let your body and mind get into a state of flow. Then pay attention to the people and environment around you. What comes to your mind when you think of health and environment in your community? When you are back you reflect, choose the need that you find most necessary to do something about. Write down notes – not fixed plans: Need, Approach, Benefit and Competition (NABC model) An environmental health care initiative in my community is needed because… My initial idea is: How will people and nature benefit from this initiative? Where can I get inspiration from people already working with initiatives like the one, I suggest? With whom can I collaborate to make it happen? What do we have at hand to start? What 2 questions do I really need to discuss with other people to clarify my idea? Reflection task 2 – developing ideas: You have already done a lot of reflection, so now you only remain with the task to upload the document in the folder: reflection task 2 Upload your work in the link below: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1g2sfvDUYkC16uSljaSHre4wEeNGAHE02

Live online session with Marianne/Betina for discussion of ideas – 1 hour. We build on to your questions uploaded last week. Reflection task 3 – communicating ideas: Building upon the session you might now have new elements to add to your idea, some to withdraw, change etc. Create a 2 min. video pitch with a smartphone and upload in the folder: Video pitch Use the format provided for your written pitch, add 4 first moves to get started and get inspiration. Upload your video to the link below as a link (youtube, instagram, facebook or any other link). https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1s6RTXcEGEJDE-RaaWkpVUF_j0eOmLXam

Welcome to session 4. We bet you are very excited to explore all your colleagues’ ideas and to learn from them. Now watch 10 video pitches and reflect on what you learned from each one. (Depending on the number of participants). You vote for 4 pitches you have watched from the criteria: Which pitch provided me with the most learning? Which pitch has a clear connection to environmental health? Which pitch suggests the most easily implementable idea? 4. Which pitch can I easily ‘copy and paste’ into my own community/health care practice? UPLOAD YOUR WORK HERE: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1AUZTvPKMobodfLorPHIZWPHLfXbDZ0fN You are now ready to make a change. But before that we want to congratulate you on your journey. We will provide you with a certificate of attendance when you have completed.