In September, the second annual Healthy Desert, Healthy You Summit once again convened scientists, innovators, medical professionals and community members to discuss the impact of environmental factors on public health.

Presented by the Desert Healthcare District and Foundation, the event reiterated the environment’s impact on our most vulnerable populations, including east valley children and seniors, and presented many proposed and implemented solutions. Keynote speaker Andrea Vidaurre, who took on public policy at the grassroots level and was awarded TIME magazine’s 100 most influential people, shared her continued efforts amid setbacks and struggles in creating policy change in Southern California’s high-traffic, high-pollution areas. “Momentum doesn’t disappear; it only changes form,” she encouraged. “People can move mountains when mobilized.”

Solutions presented at this year’s summit include:

A master plan to increase the “green economy” throughout the valley, utilizing local trees and pollinators. This effort will help produce clean oxygen, add shade structures and create a more vibrant environment. Planting has already begun on the Salton Sea’s vast and barren playa.
Advancing renewable energy for community transit through hydrogen fuel cell technology, increasing residential and commercial solar, enhancing wind power and increasing renewable energy storage.
Weatherizing homes in the east valley’s most vulnerable areas through air sensors, weather stripping, air filters and insulation.
Improving access to health care for those most impacted through mobile medical teams and possibly a trolley system along CV Link to connect community members to care. The valley-wide path is completed from Palm Springs through Coachella with plans to extend to the Salton Sea.

There was also much focus on community education. The second day, summit attendees had the opportunity to visit a windmill farm, hydroelectric generating plant, a composting project, and more local efforts underway. Empowered youth groups shared their united efforts, and free education programs on enhancing green environments were proposed.

Vidaurre reminded us to get to know our neighbors. Change doesn’t always look like headlines or big winds, she said. Sometimes, it begins with door-to-door efforts and grassroots campaigns, but it is always rooted in hope, trust and action.

See more on local air quality with the Pacific Institute’s latest study and solutions, and Dr. Porter’s advice for Healthy Aging in a Changing Climate. For additional information and resources, visit www.HealthyDesertHealthyYou.com.