Rain Man

This letter originally appeared in the May 2022 issue of Men’s Health Australia.

WHILE OUR annual Earth Issue is a highlight on the editorial calendar, it also hits with a bittersweet flavour. Personally, I find the content of these issues fascinating and essential, particularly in light of the current state of the world. However, therein lies the problem: why is it still necessary to produce an Earth Issue when, by now, everyone’s eyes should be open to the environmental crisis that’s threatening to spin out of control? 

As this issue went to print, communities along the East Coast of Australia were rebuilding following devastating floods, yet another ‘once in a lifetime’ ecological disaster unfolding only three years after the last. As the fallout continues, if you’re still asking, “What does the environment have to do with my health?”, then this is the issue for you. 

Close to home, almost everyone involved in this issue has been directly impacted by the devastation. Our cover feature was shot and produced in the Northern Rivers region only weeks before towns went underwater. While we battled heavy rain during the three-day production, it was only a prelude to what was to come. 

Two weeks after shooting, the crew behind the shoot, including photographer Jamie Green and stylist Tessa Law, downed creative tools and donned gumboots as their roles – and lives – were dramatically transformed. Both have been key players in the clean-up efforts, harnessing the power of social media to organise help where it’s needed most, and getting in and amongst it on the ground. While we’ve been proud to call this crew a part of the MH family for many issues now, their selfless efforts during this latest emergency have made us prouder still. They embody what this issue, and the MH spirit at large, are all about. 

The degradation of our environment affects your health in all manner of ways, many of which might encourage a more conscious approach to consumption in even the most obdurate climate-change denier. If the cost of petrol alone won’t do it, it gets scarier: according to two Melbourne-based scientists, micro plastics in our food and water are causing genital defects, resulting in smaller penises and sexual dysfunction. 

When it comes to mental health, Shinrin-yoku (or forest bathing in English) is one of my all-time favourite examples of nature as medicine. An ancient Japanese tradition, forest bathing has been shown to reduce stress hormones, boost immunity and lower blood pressure. The practice, which involves simply spending time in and around nature, is so effective that it’s been a formalised public-health initiative in Japan since 1982. More recently, Canada has authorised doctors to prescribe national-park passes to patients as part of a holistic approach to a range of conditions, from cardiovascular disease to anxiety and COVID-induced stress. 

And while a forest isn’t always easily accessible, research published in the Journal of Environmental Psychology showed that working around office or house plants significantly increased workplace (or WFH) satisfaction and self-reported levels of concentration. The researchers found the mere presence of plants in an office setting boosts your ability to maintain attention by a whopping 20 per cent. 

Conscious choices when it comes to motoring (click here), grooming (click here), and dressing (click here) are easy places to start on your journey towards becoming an eco-warrior. As for the issue of microplastics, we’re committed to protecting your junk by reducing ours. We’re wrapping all of our subscriber copies in a biodegradable plastic solution and transitioning to a waste-free, wholly digital work-flow to produce MH.

They’re small steps, yet as our cover man, actor and environmentalist Sam Corlett, suggests (click here), while it’s certainly a hard ask to function in modern society as a zero-waste, carbon-neutral entity, it’s the sum of our small actions that could make the difference in the long run. So arm yourself with the expert advice contained within these pages and head for the hills. Your forest bath awaits.