Healing People, Healing the Planet: A Student's Journey Into Occupational Therapists for Environmental Action

As occupational therapy (OT) and occupational therapy assistant (OTA) students, we are taught to consider the complex cluster of factors that influence health and occupational participation, including the environment. Our health, well-being, and occupational engagement are deeply interconnected with the environment. Occupations don’t exist in isolation, and many of our occupations take a toll on the environment or climate. For instance, think about how our meals are produced: many foods are grown relying on machinery using fossil fuels, such as fertilizers and irrigation. Then we drive or use another type of powered transportation to the grocery store; and afterward, food waste, plastic wrappings, and containers become a significant source of methane emissions contributing to climate change. Meal preparation is one of many occupations that are negatively affecting our environment. It’s essential that we all recognize how environmental changes are shaping human occupations and how our profession can take meaningful action to raise public awareness. One of these meaningful actions for me was joining Occupational Therapists for Environmental Action (OTEA).

As a student, it was intimidating to step into a space filled with experienced, seasoned OT and OTA students, practitioners, and passionate advocates. I wondered whether I had enough knowledge or perspective to contribute. However, I found that OTEA was a welcoming and collaborative community for students—one that not only values our voices but actively encourages them. I soon realized that engaging in this work wasn’t about having all the answers. Rather the opposite, it was about being willing to ask the right questions and take action alongside occupational therapy practitioners (OTPs), students, and other health care professionals who care. These are some of the reasons I joined OTEA, a community where occupational therapy (OT) and climate action can unite.

Occupational Therapists for Environmental Action (OTEA)

OTEA is a collective of OT and OTA students, OTPs, and allied health care professionals who are committed to raising awareness about how climate change impacts human health, well-being, and participation in meaningful occupations. OTEA primarily seeks to collaborate with OT and OTA students and practitioners and those from other health care professions who share a vision of addressing how human occupation can both contribute to and mitigate the effects of the climate crisis. From being a part of OTEA, I have developed so many professional connections and realized that climate change impacts nearly every aspect of daily life—from the food we eat to the air we breathe; the routines we follow; and the communities where we live, work, and play. Additionally, I discovered more about how climate change threatens the environments that make everyday occupations possible; and that vulnerable populations often face the greatest environmental burdens, deepening disparities in health and occupational participation. Recognizing these intersections is essential for promoting occupational justice and well-being for all in any practice setting. For example, extreme weather events force people from their homes, disrupting their roles and routines; rising temperatures and poor air quality impact physical health; and anxiety posed by climate change, or eco-anxiety, limits engagement in daily activities. Many of us who have lived in the United States for the majority or entirety of our lives may not fully grasp these effects. However, when it becomes too hot to go outside, or when the air pollution is too severe to safely see friends or exercise, the effects on occupational participation become undeniable.

How Students and Graduates Can Get Involved

You don’t need to be an expert to start making a difference. As students and new graduates, we have a large potential to help shape the future of our profession. OTEA carries out extensive work in many areas allowing students, OTPs, and other health care professionals to get involved during and outside of monthly meetings. This organization offers community building, where students can collaborate with other OT and OTA students, OTPs, and other health care professionals to connect and support one another. Other areas include education and advocacy, webinars, resources, blogs, and opportunities for capstone projects about climate change or for presenting your capstone that made a difference in environmental health. Here are a few specific ideas to learn and advocate more:

• Join OTEA or follow their initiatives to stay connected with current conversations. OTEA meets on the first Thursday of each month at 4:40 pm PT, 6:30 pm CT, and 7:30 pm ET for 1.5 hours. To join, please sign up by filling out this form.
• Educate yourself and share this information with your peers about how climate change affects occupational performance, especially among vulnerable populations.
• Integrate environmental considerations into your academic or work projects, capstone initiatives, or clinical work, or join one of OTEA’s projects or research studies.
• Promote eco-conscious practices on campus, such as advocating for increased waste sorting at campus cafes, initiating compost areas within the program or college, or utilizing fewer single-use plastic materials (e.g., plastic water bottles, food containers, etc.) and styrofoam (e.g., food and beverage containers, packaging, etc.).
• Seek fieldwork opportunities with organizations that support or emphasize environmental justice for all.
• Curious about OTEA? Learn about their initiatives.

Engaging with OTEA has helped me realize that our practice has always been about more than individual health—it’s about fostering participation, well-being, and inclusion within the broader context of life. As future and current OTPs, we have the responsibility and opportunity to expand our scope to include environmental stewardship. Now, we have the chance to extend that mission by protecting the natural environments that sustain human occupation so we help ensure a healthier, more inclusive, and more sustainable future for all and generations to come.

Tyler R. Hood, OTS, is a third-year student at Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine’s Program in OT. He is service-driven and passionate about teaching, sustainability, and making a positive change in OT practice. He hopes to work in an outpatient setting while continuing to promote positive change in OT to improve the profession’s prominence.

Carol Myers, OTR/L, is a seasoned occupational therapist with experience in a variety of settings and populations. She is passionate about climate action among the OT profession, her community, and faith-based organizations.