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14.3: Creating a Healthier Planet

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    13421
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    CDC's Building Resilience Against Climate Effects (BRACE) Framework

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    The Building Resilience Against Climate Effects (BRACE) framework was created by the CDC to help cities include climate change in city planning. The five-step process that allows health officials to develop strategies and programs to help communities prepare for the health effects of climate change. This helps cities effectively anticipate, prepare for, and respond to a range of climate sensitive health impacts.

    Living a Sustainable Lifestyle

    Living a sustainable lifestyle, or a “green” lifestyle, means taking into consideration the health of the planet with decisions we make every day. Before considering what changes you could make, you may first want to get a better understanding how you personally contribute to global warming. What is your carbon footprint? There are many different carbon footprint calculators you can use, one is available on the Environmental Protection Agency’s website.

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    Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

    To reduce your impact on the planet you can start by reducing your consumption of water and energy. You can also become a more conscious consumer by reducing purchases and buying sustainable products.

    Reduce Water

    • Installing watersense labeled appliances will reduce your water use. Watersense is both a label for water-efficient products and a resource for helping you save water.
    • Fix leaking faucets.
    • Water plants at night or early in the morning.
    • Turn off sink when brushing teeth
    • Take short showers instead of using the bath tub.
    • Only run the dishwasher or clothes washer when full.
    • Collect rainwater to use for watering plants
    • Additional resources from Washington State Department of Ecology:

    Reduce Energy

    • Energysaver.gov provides numerous tips for reducing energy such as:
      • Turn off and unplug appliances
      • Insulate your home
      • Choose energy efficient lighting and appliances
      • Use renewable energy sources
      • Choose energy efficient transportation options
      • Install energy saving windows and doors

    Reduce Waste: Reuse and Recycle

    • Buy used materials
    • Buy products with minimal packaging
    • Buy reusable and not disposable products
    • Fix products rather than throwing them away.
    • Borrow or rent items that are used infrequently.
    • Recycle to reduce the amount of waste sent to the landfill

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    Contributors and Attributions

    Creative Commons

    Public Domain Content


    This page titled 14.3: Creating a Healthier Planet is shared under a CC BY-SA 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Kelly Falcone via source content that was edited to the style and standards of the LibreTexts platform; a detailed edit history is available upon request.