NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Minister of Health & Wellness Dr. Michael Darville underscored the growing body of evidence that suggests access to nature can help in the healing of ailing and stressed-out populations during a donation at Aquinas College last week.
Darville addressed students at the donation of a greenhouse in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture and Marine Resources at the school’s celebration of World Health Day on Friday.
Pointing to the theme of World Health Day ‘Our Planet Our Health’, the minister said engaging with the environment was always considered a homegrown application for good health but that the scientific community is pointing to increasing data that touts nature as an under-recognized healer able to help in reducing depression, stress, high blood pressure and obesity, and to boost overall well-being in children and adults.
He continued: “The direct correlation between wellness and the environment means that we must protect our environment in order to foster good overall health. I know that I do not have to tell you how rapidly disease can spread in communities that are rundown from uncontained garbage and pollution; or how eating fruits and vegetables from your own backyard is better than canned fruit laden with unnatural sugars and preservatives. “
Darville said he was pleased to learn that the donated greenhouse has been incorporated into Aquinas College’s curriculum and as a part of the school’s environmental club. He also commended Aquinas for setting in place future goals of hosting Farmer’s Markets, exhibitions, and community events. He said these steps in the right direction represent initiatives that could be used as a template for other schools.
The minister underscored that youth are equal and fundamental partners in the government’s bid to commended the school’s faculty and students for embracing the technology to advance farming techniques and impact sustainable health and wellness, adding that the government’s manifest found in the Blueprint for Change speaks to the revolutionizing of healthcare, education, the green economy, providing food security and agribusiness. Young people he concluded are in the process.
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