Global wellness is what might ensue if we all were motivated toward achieving individual, family, worksite and community wellness. Of course, that isn’t going to happen any time soon. Global warming, over-population, economic disparity, war and terrorism are some of the effects of the global “worseness” which we have all been practicing for generations.

Can we really have an impact on any of these big issues? A better question might be, “If we don’t try, who will have an impact? Some of you may remember the sixties slogan, “Think globally, act locally”. This attitude is still very appropriate; yet, as we said in the first paragraph, not everyone will be pursuing wellness any time soon.

So, what can we do?

In another of Don Ardell’s essays, he cites the Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion, written at the end of the First International Conference on Health Promotion in 1986, as a good road map for us to follow still:

Health is a resource for everyday life, not the objective of living. Improvement in health requires a secure foundation in basic prerequisites. These are:

• Peace
• Shelter
• Education
• Food
• Income
• A stable eco-system
• Sustainable resources
• Social justice and
• Equity.

The Charter also added support for equal opportunities, a supportive environment, boosting life skills and creating opportunities for healthy choices. Other Ottawa Charter highlights included support for the following:

• The inextricable link between people and their environment requires a socio-ecological approach to health.
• The need to encourage "reciprocal maintenance," that is, taking care of each other, our communities and our natural environment.
• The development of personal skills, including critical thinking, a capacity and respect for reason and presumably, an embrace of common decencies, all part of developing better humans while promoting health.
• Expansion of the health sector beyond clinical and curative services.
• Health services that embrace an expanded mandate sensitive to cultural needs -- a mandate that supports the needs of individuals and communities for a healthier life, and opens channels between the health sector and the broader social, political, economic and environmental components.
• Approaches that counteract harmful products, the depletion of resources and unhealthy living conditions.
• Attention to public health issues such as pollution, occupational hazards, inadequate housing and settlements.

In a nutshell, the goal of our new SeekWellness mission is to have an impact on Global Wellness by supporting our visitors to strive for wellness in any or all of five spheres – individual, family, worksite, community and global.

To help you get started, we’ve decided to organize some of our content and products into these five spheres. If you decide to learn about or work on wellness projects, you’ll be able to search on “community wellness” or “worksite wellness”, for example, and pull up a list of articles and products that might be useful. SeekWellness.com will be branding articles and products with our Global Wellness icon that are particularly useful to citizens who wish to participate in global wellness projects. Look for these icons to begin appearing on our pages.

Please let us know how you feel about our mission and what kinds of information or products you would find useful in your efforts.

Here are some resources to help you get started:

Don’s articles

• Moving Toward Global Wellness: Where We Are Versus Where The Wellness Movement Might Need To Go (Part One)
• Moving Toward Global Wellness: Where We Are Versus Where The Wellness Movement Might Need To Go (Part Two)
• Moving Toward Global Wellness: Where We Are Versus Where The Wellness Movement Might Need To Go (Part Three)
• Moving Toward Global Wellness: Where We Are Versus Where The Wellness Movement Might Need To Go (Part Four)
• Ethics, Population Trends and Wellness Prospects for the Civilized World of the Future
• A Wellness Promoter Is Summoned To Ad Lib for Earth Day and Global Justice
• How Much Is Enough, Already? A Call For Diverting The Wealth of Americans For Good Causes After One Billion Dollars Is Accumulated!
• Hunger, Bizarre Beliefs And Wealth Disparities Are Wellness Issues
  

Organizations

• Architecture for Humanity seeks architectural solutions to humanitarian crises and brings design services to communities in need. They believe that where resources and expertise are scarce, innovative, sustainable and collaborative design can make a difference. By tapping a network of professionals willing to lend their time and their talents to helping those who would not otherwise be able to afford their services, they support community development, help communities rebuild after disaster and provide pro bono design services to community partners around the world.
  
• CARE is a leading humanitarian organization fighting global poverty. We place special focus on working alongside poor women because, equipped with the proper resources, women have the power to help whole families and entire communities escape poverty.
  
• National Wildlife Foundation inspires Americans to protect wildlife for our children's future.

Websites

• ReUse a Shoe collects worn out athletic shoes and reuses them to make different parts of sport surfaces around the world.
  
• Global Giving is Nike's website to give small organizations a platform to connect directly with small donors and achieve financial sustainability.
  
• Earth911 provides useful information on recycling and saving the earth. Earth911 also offers a "recycling center" locating tool.
  

Products

Learn more about our other Wellness Spheres