Delaware Valley University to Celebrate One Health Week

Credit: Delaware Valley University. Delaware Valley University will celebrate One Health Week to raise awareness about the interconnectedness of the well-being of people and society, the environment and plants, and animals.

At Delaware Valley University, Nov. 2 through Nov. 7 will be One Health Week! The week will include student competitions, engaging presenters, and interactive activities to raise awareness of One Health-related issues.

One Health is a trans-disciplinary approach that works locally, regionally, nationally, and globally to attain optimal well-being for people and society, the environment and plants, and animals. Together, the three major components make up the One Health triad, and the well-being of each is inextricably linked to the others in the triad.

“One Health is relevant to everyone and these issues are especially timely now,” said Reg Hoyt, a DelVal professor and chair of the University’s One Health Working Group. “This is our fifth-year hosting One Health speakers at DelVal. Our goal with these programs is to promote understanding of how human well-being is impacted by that of the environment, plants, and animals and vice versa. We encourage the community to join us for the Zoom presentations and, we’re fortunate to be bringing some exciting experts to speak on these issues this fall.”

DelVal students will have a variety of opportunities to explore One Health-related issues through interactive activities. Students and alumni will give virtual presentations on topics they’re passionate about that relate to One Health. There will be a window painting competition and a statue created to promote plastic recycling. DelVal faculty are hosting a mock disease outbreak with the USDA that will involve students and faculty in examining the impacts of a disease outbreak.

There will be two public, virtual guest presentations as part of One Health Week. The guest speakers’ presentations are open to the public at no cost. Registration is required. The guest speakers are being co-sponsored by Heritage Conservancy.

One Health Week Guest Speakers

John Elkington, who coined the term "triple bottom line," will present “One Health Requires One Regeneration” on Zoom on Thursday, Nov. 5 at noon. His presentation will focus on the need to consider the health of all forms and levels of life and to simultaneously regenerate weakening or broken natural, agricultural and food, community and urban, economic, financial, political and cultural systems.

Elkington, the founder and chief pollinator of Volans, is a pioneer of the global sustainability movement, who co-founded Environmental Data Services in 1978 and Sustainability in 1987. An author of 19 books, his million-selling book, “The Green Consumer Guide” brought mass attention to the environmental impacts of everyday products and brands. His “Cannibals with Forks” in 1997 popularized his “Triple Bottom Line” concept (People, Planet, Profit) and laid the foundation for sustainable business strategy. Elkington co-founded Volans to span the divides between what the sustainability industry was doing and what needs to be done. As the company enters its second decade, he is on a mission to “10X” Volans’ impact.

Peter Couchman, executive director of Bowman's Hill Wildflower Preserve, will present, “Ecological Responsibility From Scratch: Creating Something from Nothing," via Zoom Thursday, Nov. 5 at 6 p.m. His presentation will include an overview of unique landscape design projects that include ecological restoration and the greening of impervious surfaces, reviewing the 2009 design and installation of the green roof on the corporate headquarters of Arizona Iced Tea, as well as the 2013 to 2020 development of a 64-acre private estate toward a public garden through a site master plan process and restoration of a wetland and adjacent meadow.

Couchman is a hybrid between a vegetable gardening father and an ornamental horticulturist mother, germinated and grown in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. He has a variety of experience in the horticulture industry. As the Green Roof Associate at Landcraft Environments in Mattituck, New York, he assisted in the design and installation of a design-forward 20,000 sq. ft. green roof. The following year, he joined Verdant Gardens Design as the associate designer and horticulture manager, creating lush, dynamic residential and commercial landscapes throughout New York City. In 2011, Couchman traveled to Frederick, Maryland to start as the new head gardener at High Glen Gardens, becoming their first executive director in 2013. He led High Glen Gardens through their first master plan, first strategic plan, managed a wetland restoration, created new marketing initiatives, implemented new database and mapping software, and was the lead designer for several new gardens and garden renovations. An active lecturer, Couchman has spoken at the New York Botanical Garden, Longwood Gardens, the United States Botanic Garden and American University. He was thrilled to continue his passion for public horticulture, conservation and ecology as the new executive director of Bowman’s Hill Wildflower Preserve in June 2020, and has relocated back to his home state with his husband Phillip, who is a psychotherapist.

For more information and links to join the Zoom presentations, please visit delval.edu/onehealth and click on the schedule.