Climate Action Is Health Action
Why the Health of Our Planet and Our Bodies Are Deeply Connected
Written by Shanon Tysland | Founder, CEO at Experience Momentum
At Experience Momentum, we believe health is bigger than a single appointment, workout, treatment plan, or nutrition goal.
Health is shaped by the environments we live in, the communities we belong to, the air we breathe, the food systems we rely on, the places we move through, and the businesses we choose to support.
That is why the intersection of climate and healthcare matters so deeply to me.
As we look ahead to PNW Climate Week, I am reminded that caring for the planet is not separate from caring for people. It is healthcare. It is wellness. It is prevention. It is community care.
Climate change is already affecting human health in very real ways. Extreme heat, wildfire smoke, air pollution, food insecurity, displacement, and stress all impact the body. They affect how we breathe, how we recover, how we move, how we sleep, and how safe we feel in our communities. And while these impacts touch all of us, they do not touch everyone equally. Children, older adults, people with chronic health conditions, outdoor workers, and historically under-resourced communities often carry the greatest burden.
At the same time, healthcare itself has a role to play. The healthcare sector exists to help people heal, yet it also contributes to emissions through energy use, supply chains, transportation, waste, pharmaceuticals, and the built environment. That tension asks something important of all of us: How do we care for people today while also protecting the conditions that make long-term health possible?
For me, this is where purpose and business meet.
Experience Momentum has always believed business can be used as a force for good. That belief has shaped our work as a Certified B Corp, our commitment to 1% for the Planet, our environmental partnerships, our community events, and the way we think about redefining what is possible for people, communities, and the world.
My own 1% for the Planet journey began with a simple but powerful idea:
business can be used to help repair and restore the systems that sustain us.
Around 2013, I read Yvon Chouinard’s Let My People Go Surfing, and it sparked a moment of clarity for me. Business did not have to be separate from purpose. Business could give back. Business could help create a healthier future. If Experience Momentum existed to help people live healthier, more connected, more empowered lives, then caring for the planet had to be part of that mission.
The health of our bodies could not be separated from the health of the environment around us.
Since then, our 1% for the Planet commitment has become much more than a giving strategy. It has become part of who we are.
Through partnerships with organizations like Viva Farms, EarthCorps, Conservation Northwest, Washington Trails Association, Puget Soundkeeper, and many others, our team has had the opportunity to support local food systems, environmental restoration, trail stewardship, tree planting, watershed health, and community-based climate action.
We have hosted annual CSA programs with Viva Farms, supporting local farmers who are tending the land and strengthening regional food systems. We have partnered with EarthCorps, whose work combines local environmental restoration with leadership development. We have planted trees with Conservation Northwest, cleaned trails with Washington Trails Association, and joined Puget Soundkeeper on Lake Union to better understand and protect the waters that connect our region.
Experience Momentum team members help remove invasive blackberry bushes with EarthCorps.
These experiences have shaped me.
They have shaped our culture, our team, and our understanding of wellness. They have reminded me that clean air, clean water, healthy soil, access to outdoor spaces, and thriving ecosystems are not separate from health. They are part of health.
Every person, every community, and every living being benefits from a healthier planet.
I am proud to share that through our 1% for the Planet commitment,
Experience Momentum has contributed more than $500,000 toward environmental nonprofit partners.
That milestone represents years of choosing to make environmental responsibility part of our business model, not an afterthought.
Because as business owners, we have a choice.
We can see climate action as something outside of our lane, or we can recognize that every business has a footprint, a platform, and an opportunity to lead. We can wait for someone else to solve the problem, or we can become part of the movement. We can separate purpose from profit, or we can build businesses that prove the two can work together.
For healthcare and wellness businesses especially, this responsibility feels clear. If our mission is to help people live healthier, more resilient lives, then we must also pay attention to the systems that make health possible.
Climate action is health action.
This is not about perfection. It is about participation. It is about asking better questions, taking meaningful steps, and using whatever influence we have to create positive change. For some businesses, that may mean reducing waste, sourcing more responsibly, choosing renewable energy, supporting environmental nonprofits, or educating their teams and communities. For others, it may begin with joining organizations like 1% for the Planet and committing a portion of revenue back to the planet.
The important thing is to begin.
During PNW Climate Week, I am excited to be part of conversations that bring together business leaders, healthcare professionals, climate advocates, environmental partners, and community members who are asking what is possible when we work together.
On July 14, I will join Kate Williams, CEO of 1% for the Planet, and other Pacific Northwest founders and 1% for the Planet business members for Sessions: Seattle, hosted by 1% for the Planet at Patagonia Seattle.
1% for the Planet Sessions are designed to inspire environmental action and grow a global movement by showing up in local communities, engaging members, giving back to environmental partners, and inspiring local businesses to join the network.
At Sessions: Seattle, guests will hear local partnership and impact stories, meet and support local environmental partners including Adventure Travel Conservation Fund, Na’ah Illahee Fund, and NW Avalanche Center, learn more about 1% for the Planet’s vision for the future, and connect with member brands committed to using business as a force for good.
This is not your average networking event. It is a casual, meaningful space to gather with people and businesses doing good work — because when networks come together around shared purpose, incredible things can happen.
Then, on July 16 at 6 pm, Experience Momentum Fremont will host a Climate Change & Healthcare Presentation as a part of PNW Climate Week, featuring McKenna Parnes, PhD, MSEd, a clinical psychologist and researcher in Seattle, WA, and Adam Lough, MHA, a senior strategic advisor at the Wilshire Group with a background spanning healthcare sustainability, revenue cycle, supply chain, and health systems management.
This 45-minute presentation will explore how climate change affects health, healthcare’s role in contributing to climate change, emerging challenges and opportunities for AI in healthcare, and what healthcare systems can do to address climate change.
These conversations matter because they help us move from awareness to action.
At Experience Momentum, redefining what’s possible means helping people build healthier bodies, stronger communities, and a more sustainable world. It means recognizing that wellness does not end at the walls of our clinics or gyms. It extends into our neighborhoods, our region, our planet, and the choices we make every day.
The health of our planet and the health of our bodies are deeply connected.
And together, we have an opportunity to be part of the solution.
Join Us During PNW Climate Week
Sessions: Seattle with 1% for the Planet
July 14, 6 – 9 pm
Location: Patagonia Seattle
Join Kate Williams, CEO of 1% for the Planet, Experience Momentum CEO, Shanon Tysland, and other Pacific Northwest founders and 1% for the Planet members for an evening of local impact stories, environmental partnership, and community connection.
Tickets are $35, with proceeds supporting 1% for the Planet.
Register here: https://luma.com/7b1hbi2h
Climate & Healthcare Presentation
July 16, 6 pm - 7:30 pm
Location: Experience Momentum Fremont
Join us for a free 45-minute presentation with McKenna Parnes, PhD, MSEd, and Adam Lough, MHA, exploring the relationship between climate change, healthcare, sustainability, and the future of health systems.
Register here: https://luma.com/nvmb4x4b