# What does sustainability mean in health context?

> This article explores the intersection of sustainability and health, reflecting on student experiences from the Global and Sustainable Health (GOSH) intensive week in Singapore.

## Project Background
This article is part of a blog series related to the Global and Sustainable Health (GOSH) project, funded by the Finnish National Agency for Education (TFK). The project involves collaboration between four universities of applied sciences:
* Turku UAS
* JAMK
* Singapore Institute of Technology: University of Applied Sciences
* Savonia UAS

These institutions have developed a 5-credit study module titled "Global and Sustainable Health," which explores themes from the perspective of rehabilitation. The course included an intensive week held in Singapore in autumn 2025.

## Defining Sustainability in Health
Sustainability is generally understood as a matter of relative environmental impact. The United Nations Brundtland Commission (1987) defined it as “meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.” Beyond environmental factors, sustainability encompasses social and economic aspects, all of which intersect with health.

Assessing the sustainability of public health policies is complex. While promoting plant-based diets may reduce the environmental impact of food production, long-term health improvements can lead to longer lifespans, which in turn increases an individual's lifetime consumption of environmental resources. Therefore, striving for sustainability requires finding compromises and the least harmful options.

## Digital Services and Environmental Impact
While digital services are often perceived as inherently "green," their impact is nuanced:
* **Benefits:** Digital services can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by enabling remote work and virtual communication, while also promoting social and economic equality in sparsely populated areas.
* **Drawbacks:** The rise of AI has surged demand for computing power and electricity. For example, a single ChatGPT search requires significantly more energy than a standard Google search. Furthermore, large datacentres require millions of litres of water for cooling.

## Practical Steps Toward Sustainability
Because every action has local, regional, or global environmental impacts, careful decision-making is required. Small, actionable steps include:
* Optimizing device usage (avoiding annual upgrades and recycling old devices).
* Reducing unnecessary digital storage.
* Adjusting streaming habits.
* Using energy-efficient settings.
* Integrating vegetation into urban infrastructure (e.g., green roofs and balconies) to promote inhabitant health and compensate for land usage.

## Authors
* **Minna Rutanen**, physiotherapist, Master’s Degree Programme in Multidisciplinary Rehabilitation student, Savonia University of Applied Sciences, Kuopio, Finland.
* **Marja Äijö**, PT, PhD, Principal Lecturer of gerontology and rehabilitation, Savonia University of Applied Sciences, Kuopio, Finland.

## References
* Andersen, M. M., Hauschild, M. Z., & Lauridsen, S. 2025. Is Public Health Environmentally Sustainable? *Health care analysis : HCA : journal of health philosophy and policy*, 33(2), 97–108. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10728-025-00511-8 (Referred 8.11.2025).
* Balthasar, N., Ohnmacht, T., Z’Rotz, J., Hostettler Macias, L., & Rérat, P. 2025. The effects of teleworking on CO2 emissions from commuting: baselining key data to investigate transformative change in living labs. *Consumption and Society*, 4(3), 357-379. https://doi.org/10.1332/27528499Y2024D000000019 (Referred 9.11.2025).
* European Climate Pact. 2025. Going digital – good or bad for the climate? Directorate-General for Climate Action. https://climate-pact.europa.eu/articles-and-events/pact-articles/going-digital-good-or-bad-climate-2025-02-19_en (Referred 9.11.2025).
* Pitkänen M, Rutanen M, Uusitalo M.M, Äijö M. 2024. Experiences from the summer school in Netherland. Savonia Pro Article. Published: 16.8.2024.
* United Nations. 1987. Our Common Future. Report of the World Commission on Environment and Development. https://gat04-live-1517c8a4486c41609369c68f30c8-aa81074.divio-media.org/filer_public/6f/85/6f854236-56ab-4b42-810f-606d215c0499/cd_9127_extract_from_our_common_future_brundtland_report_1987_foreword_chpt_2.pdf (Referred 7.11.2025).