The first year of funding for the Creating Healthy Places to Live, Work and Play grant is almost complete. Seven Valleys Health Coalition along with their partner the Cortland County Health Department, has implemented programs that increase access to fruits and vegetables through the Harvest to Home program, developed a trail in neighborhoods that creates an environment supportive of physical activity, and is working to utilize open space for community and neighborhood gardens.

Strategies like these work to make choosing positive health behaviors and physical activity a natural part of everyday living.  The obesity epidemic and the medical costs associated with preventable health issues are the driving force behind these initiatives.

In July of this year, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and The Trust for America’s Health released their “F as in Fat” report which tracks trends in obesity rates and policies aimed at addressing the epidemic.

A letter from the directors of both foundations reported that cost, convenience, and cultural preferences influence what we eat. Safety, proximity, and affordability affect how active we are. Competing requirements in our daily lives, from commuting time to family commitments, can add stress and limit how much time we have to focus on our health. Because of all these factors, it’s important to look at policy as a way to help people choose health — by strengthening their ability to make healthy decisions, by removing obstacles to healthy choices, and by creating more opportunities to be healthy — particularly for those groups of people whose options have been most limited.

Opportunities to be active and choose healthy food are abundant this time of year and should be a family priority as school starts. Have you visited one of the four Cortland County Farmers’ Markets? Hiked on the Finger Lakes Trail? Walked on the new Lehigh Valley Trail at Lime Hollow?  Could you bike or walk to work?  If you need an incentive to try something, all of these activities will be part of MOVING CORTLAND, a week to move beyond fossil fuels.

September 24^th has been designated as a global day to move beyond fossil fuels as part of www.moving-planet.org.  The local initiative for this event will be a week of activities and presentations featured on a bingo card. During the week of September 18^th -24^th, participants choose activities that are completed in a row, column or diagonally in order to be entered into drawing for prizes. 

The week-long event includes activities such as a presentation on our use of fossil fuels and our dependence on them.  The presentation, “Use Less Energy – Be More Green”, will include demonstrations and information on ways to conserve energy and weatherize your home.  Films like Gasland and End of Suburbia will be shown as part of the Green Earth Film Festival at the Beard Building, and if you have never taken advantage of public transportation you will have an incentive to try it out. 

New bus riders will have an opportunity to request an RSVP volunteer to show them the ropes. As the sun starts to set a little earlier, remember that we have year round opportunities to be active and it’s important to do this as a family.

Part of CACTC’s vision is to provide a healthy environment for the youth in our community. Being more active as a family and becoming involved in community activities are two of the many ways to promote a healthy lifestyle.

 Encourage your child to participate in some of the MOVING CORTLAND activities and get in the game! For more information, contact Christella Yonta (607) 756-4198 ext. 223.

Christella Yonta is the Project Coordinator of MOVING CORTLAND.