In the Finnish city of Lahti, the doctor’s prescription might surprise you. Barefoot forest walks, gardening, and foraging for your dinner are all ways of taking care of residents’ health. The city has a long-term eye on how planetary health affects the health of its citizens, but a two-month pilot is already showing promising results.

Over the summer, Lahti invited a group of locals to test a health plan and see if making greener choices can be good for your health. Five locals received personalized health plans created by Finland’s first Planetary Health Physician, Dr. Hanna Haveri, and followed her recommendations for two months. The participants’ carbon emissions and overall health were mapped before and after the experiment.

“In the light of research, nature promotes recovery. Even short nature visits restore stress levels, lower cortisol and improves immune regulation,” says Dr. Haveri.

The experiment is aimed to raise awareness for the health benefits of an environmentally conscious lifestyle and also inspire locals to make better choices for their own health and the health of the planet.

In planetary health, human health and the planet’s welfare are linked: taking care of one looks after the other. Many environmental concerns have been linked to health issues: according to the World Health Organization, almost 1 in 4 of total global deaths are linked to environmental conditions such as air pollution, climate and living conditions in cities.

Biggest improvements in mental wellbeing

The participants were all local residents from different age groups: from busy young professionals and families with children to retirees. Health plans were tailored to each participant individually, containing recommendations for exercise, nutrition, relationship to nature and living environment. The planetary prescriptions took a creative approach to health. For instance, participants were encouraged to replace dairy spreads and cheese by foraging wild herbs from local nature, strengthen their connection to nature through barefoot forest walks and creating wildflower meadows in their backyards.

Despite initial doubts, participants were impressed

“Incorporating barefoot forest walks into my exercise routine has been mind-blowing. I’m a performance-oriented person and this has helped me slow down and pay more attention to recovery,” says Markus Kontiainen, a 30-year-old Lahti resident who took part in the experiment. After two months, Kontiainen, whose plan had a special focus on mindfulness and recovery, saw a 58 percent drop in his exhaustion levels.

Liisa Heino reduced her diabetes risk by 75 percent. Raija Repo, a grandmother concerned for the planet’s future, made major changes in her diet by adding the amount of vegetarian food by 40% and replacing dairy products with locally foraged wild herbs. She saw a 35% drop in her carbon footprint.

“The experiment has made me feel lighter,” says Raija Repo. “I haven’t had to take naps as often as before and I have replaced meat dishes with vegetarian and wild herb recipes at least once a week.”

Busy working mom Anna Hakala looked for family-friendly ways to be more sustainable and managed to increase both her daily exercise score and the use of vegetables, fruits and berries by 20 percent.

On average, the five participants saw a 17% decrease in their carbon footprint, a 16% increase in their overall wellbeing and a 36% drop in their exhaustion scores.

A green city is a healthy one

The experiment is inspired by an ongoing 10-year initiative in Lahti, which studies the long-term public health impact of a greener lifestyle. Lahti, known as a pioneer in urban sustainability, was named the official European Green Capital 2021 by the European Commission.

Learnings from this summer’s experiment, along with planetary health advice from leading Finnish specialists, will be shared as a content series in Lahti’s channels on YouTube, Instagram and Facebook. You can watch a short video presentation about the projecthere.

Read more: greenlahti.fi/en/planetary-prescription