I'm walking from Canada to Key West on the Graham-the Green Route Aiding Healthy Adaptation and Mitigation. I started this walk to talk to people with disabilities along the route about climate change. That did happen and what I found was a lack of sidewalks, roads meant to exclude pedestrians, let alone bike riders or persons with disabilities and not enough green spaces. I started this petition to share all of our needs with politicians at every level.   

Our built environments promote materialism, not health. Around the world, life expectancies are decreasing and disasters are more frequent. We've got to change direction now to make our world promote health-not harm. 

Our environments are based on the use of fossil fuels, forcing us to drive gas powered vehicles and live using fossil fuel controlled temperatures. Urban heat islands are making cities hotter and more dangerous. Light pollution blocks out the stars. And, if you want to walk or wheel places, it is often unsafe or inaccessible. 

As a result people around the world are being physical and mentally hurt.  Obesity, diabetes, asthma, allergies, cancer, stress, depression and drug use are all worsened by our built environments. Yet, people that have not profited from the causative economics: the poor, the elderly, children, women, Indigenous Peoples, black and brown people, people that live in small island states and persons with disabilities are more impacted. To save ourselves, we must work together and make sure  adopting policies all over the planet to promote a healthy environment for everyone is our priority. 

For all of our futures, all people need to come together in community and all our politicians, community leaders and industry leaders must put money into greener infrastructure that supports health, both for people and our planet.     

Maybe, things are just a little harder for a while; but if everyone works together, we, our children, and their children will have a healthier, hospitable home on earth.  If not, we'll just be another extinct species.