Edition 7 | September 1, 2021
Welcome to the Green Corner!

This newsletter will keep you updated with stories, challenges, resources and myth-busting information about how you can make more environmental sustainable choices.
YOUR CHALLENGE FOR SEPTEMBER
From Ryan Janssen, Mental Health Counsellor
Challenge:
Use Active Transport - Like Walking Or Biking - To Get Where You Want To Go
"The real benefit to riding a bike to work goes beyond the obvious; we know that it’s healthier (yes, exercise is good for you), greener (hint: a bicycle’s carbon output rhymes with ‘hero’), better use of tax dollars (think road repairs: $1 of road maintenance money buys 1000 miles in a car and 17 million miles by bike), less expensive (my annual bike maintenance cost is less than a single tank of gas), more space-friendly (both on the roads, reducing congestion, and also parked, reducing the need for paved parking spaces), and the like. 
Indeed, for me, the real benefit comes from engaging with the world around me as I commute: rather than being trapped in a big metal box, I’m actually interacting with pedestrians, other cyclists, and shop owners; I become a living, human part of a vibrant, complete street. We need to shift out of the mindset that cycling to work is only for “road warriors” and ex-Olympians, and instead adopt it as an accessible and affordable means of transportation for everyone."

- Ryan Janssen, MHC
Now it's your turn!

Show us that you are on the move and out of your cars by taking a picture of yourself using any alternative method of transportation and send it to the Green Team! Pictures welcome from the whole health care team.

Send us a walking selfie here and we will enter you into a draw for a $50 gift card for an independent coffee shop of your choosing!

Send us a biking selfie here and we will enter you into a draw for a new bike helmet!

BONUS: Send us a biking picture + the name of your practice and we will apply to the City of Hamilton on your behalf for a free bike rack for your site!

*All pictures will be featured in our next Green Corner so get them to us ASAP!
RN Madeleine Elton and
Dr. Haider Saeed biking to work
Transportation causes up to 28% of Canada's greenhouse gases. Car pollution is one of the largest contributors to global warming. By actively transporting yourself, you'll be supporting your own cardiovascular and mental health, decreasing your risk of colon and breast cancer and diabetes, reducing your fuel bill, and improving air quality in your community. (Rabl A, de Nazelle A. Benefits of shift from car to active transport. Transport Policy. 2012;19(1):121-131. doi:10.1016/j.tranpol.2011.09.008). 

Some suggestions for alternatives to using a car include walking, biking, using a scooter or skateboard, or rollerblading.
HELPFUL REMINDERS
Need help with this or any other challenge? The Green Team is here for you! Contact the Green Team and we will be happy to get you started!
We want to hear about how you are being more green in your everyday life! Email the Green Team to have your story shared in an upcoming Green Corner!

Want to see past issues? You can find them all on our Green Initiative webpage by following this link!
"Our identity includes our natural world: how we move through it, how we interact with it, how it sustains us."
- Dr. David Suzuki
Green Initiative | Website