Sustainability and earth resources - Essay Example

Other (s) Sustainability and Earth Resources: Article Evaluation Brief Summary The article “Place-Based Practices Shape the Healthy Communities Movement” by Roulier Monte critically discusses the underlying relationships between places we usually spend most of our time such as schools, neighborhoods or places of worship and the choices that people often make. The primary intended audiences include civic leaders, community members and environmentalists. Throughout the article, the main overarching theme is making healthy choices and the author particularly highlights ways of making the healthy choice to be the easy choice in such places.

For example, Monte (6) argues that place based practices should focus in healthy eating and active living (HEAL). On the other hand, the other major topics that have been comprehensively discussed in the article include bikeable or walkable communities, partnerships between public health programs and policies of environmental change as well as the sustainable food systems that provide communities with access to healthy, nutritional foods.Evaluation The purpose of the authors writing is well explained and is fairly convincing.

For example, the proposed place based community change approaches are premised on the notion that places where people spend most of their time like workplaces, neighborhoods, schools and worship places have a significant impact on their daily choices and, therefore, a holistic, participative healthy community approach that departs from the status quo should be adopted. According to the author, this is particularly attributed to the fact that the rapid technological and social changes witnessed over the last few decades have significantly impacted on how communities approach the role of health and quality of life improvements.

The evidence used by the author to support his claim includes the success of a 1995 ‘Forging the Future’ program by a group of civic leaders in Scranton, Pennsylvania. Although the evidence effectively support the authors position, a number of additional information such as the potential weaknesses and limitations of the proposed community change approaches ought to have been included in his argument. Additionally, the author should have highlighted some of the counter argument s currently being advanced by the critics of the approach.

However, the author has also recognized that place based approaches do not have any exact formulas. With regard to his presentation form, the author has uses an essay format to advance his purpose of writing. This form has served the authors purpose by providing a clear and well structured presentation of the issue. However, while this form may not be the most effective, using an essay format has provided the author with the flexibility needed so that all the information can easily be included.

The article forms part of a continuing debate and many authors have concur with Roulier Monte’s assertion and have taken similar position on the issue. For example, Lee (13) also argues that the community in which one lives has a tremendous impact on their health. Finally, although the current intended audiences are mainly the civic leaders, community members and environmentalists, many other groups such as community health experts, researchers, and sustainable development agencies may also care about the author’s position (Cytron, 2010).

Works CitedCytron, Naomi. Improving the outcomes of place-based community initiatives. Community Investments, 22.1(2010): 2-7.Lee, M. Mary. “Promising Strategies for Building Healthy Communities for All.” National civic review 103.1 (2014): 13-17. Print.Monte, Roulier. “Place-Based Practices Shape the Healthy Communities Movement.” National civic review 103.1 (2014): 4-8. Print.