May 2026 Green Practice News: Plastics, Allergy Season and Food Boxes

• Rethinking Single-Use Plastics in Research and Healthcare
• Treat Plastics Like Any Other Health Risk
• Allergy Season Is Lengthening and Worsening
• Food Boxes as Preventive Care: A Simple Step for Clinics

Author: Cindy Lu

During my time in college conducting research and working in clinical settings, one thing has consistently stood out to me: how much plastic is used and discarded in a single day.

Single-use plastics are everywhere in research. On a typical day in the lab, I use at least three pairs of gloves, multiple needles and syringes for injections, plastic tubes, petri dishes, media bottles, pipette tips, and layers of packaging. I was following experiments optimized many times over for sterility, accuracy, and reproducibility, even if they were at the expense of sustainability.

In the medical setting, I notice the same pattern: single-use plastics are deeply embedded in day-to-day operations. Syringes, IV bags, gloves, masks, specimen containers, disposable drapes, and countless other materials are essential to maintaining sterility and delivering safe treatment. As a hospital volunteer, my main job was restocking gloves, and I was always surprised by how quickly supplies depleted.

Recognizing how useful single-use plastics are in scientific research and patient care, I keep returning to the same question: how can we address the environmental cost of single-use plastics in spaces where they are so evidently tied to safety and quality?

Based on what I have seen, the answer is not to ask researchers, nurses, physicians, or technicians to compromise protocols that have been in place for years. Many of those protocols exist for good reason, especially to maintain sterility and safety. But we can begin identifying unnecessary single-use items, such as materials included in medical kits that a particular clinic or hospital does not actually use.

We should also focus on alternatives to conventional plastics by using biodegradable and bio-based materials. While working in a nanoscale engineering lab at Columbia, my main project involved synthesizing PLGA, a biodegradable polymer commonly used in biomedical applications like safe drug delivery. PLGA and its derivatives are currently being investigated for broader usages in green packaging and patient sutures. I am optimistic that we can do better in healthcare by creating better materials to begin with.

Medicine and science are fields built on problem-solving. We think about how to improve therapies and patient outcomes, and do not simply accept the status quo. Clinicians and researchers are always looking to innovate, and the same should be said for sustainability. Single-use plastics in healthcare may seem indispensable now, but that does not mean the current model is the right or only possible option.

As a future healthcare professional, I also think about who should carry these conversations forward. Clinicians have enormous influence within healthcare systems. Patients trust their physicians, and hospitals and clinics listen when clinicians advocate for better practices. Sustainability is often not grouped with patient care, but environmental health and human health are deeply connected. Air pollution, natural disasters, and other climate change events contribute to respiratory disease, cardiovascular illness, and other long-term health effects that eventually appear in patients.

If clincians and scientists have the creativity to innovate life-saving treatments, they also have the capacity to rethink the materials that make that work possible. Clinician leaders have an important role to play in the fight against single-use plastics, not necessarily by asking their frontline teams to work around plastics altogether, but by advocating for upstream solutions, such as reducing unnecessary waste or investing in sustainable plastic alternatives.

Sources:
1. Biodegradable Alternatives to Plastic in Medical Equipment: Current State, Challenges, and the Future
2. Greenhouse Gas Reduction Potential of Novel CO2-Derived Polylactic-co-glycolic Acid (PLGA) Plastics

About the Author: Cindy Lu is the Practice Support Specialist with My Green Doctor and a junior at Columbia University studying Neuroscience & Behavior and Business Management. She is also President Emeritus of the youth nonprofit Climate Change Task Force. After graduation, she will pursue her medical education at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City where she hopes to become a socially conscious physician and continue advancing sustainability in healthcare.

Healthcare professionals are trained to think upstream. We assess exposures, reduce risk factors, and intervene early—long before disease becomes unavoidable. This preventive mindset underpins modern medicine, from vaccination and tobacco control to toxics exposures and nutrition. A major new study published in The Lancet Planetary Health makes clear that plastics now deserve the same preventive approach.

Using a comprehensive lifecycle assessment, researchers examined the global plastics system from fossil fuel extraction and polymer production through transportation, waste management, and disposal. Their findings are striking: under business-as-usual projections, plastics will be associated with approximately 83 million disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) globally between 2016 and 2040.

A DALY represents one lost year of healthy life, combining years lost to premature death and years lived with illness or disability. This is the same metric used to quantify the burden of major public health risks such as air pollution, smoking, and unsafe water. Importantly, this figure does not mean 83 million deaths. Rather, it reflects millions of healthy years lost to porr health or death.

According to the study, plastics-related health burdens are driven primarily by:
• Air pollution contributing to cardiopulmonary disease
• Climate-related illness from heat, flooding, food insecurity, and displacement
• Exposure to toxic chemicals in plastics

The largest share of these harms occurs upstream, during fossil fuel extraction and primary plastic production. Emissions from these early stages in the life of a plastic drive greenhouse gas emissions, fine particulate air pollution, and chemical releases long before plastics ever reach a clinic, hospital, or patient. This challenges the common assumption that plastics-related harm occurs after a plastic product is discarded.

This finding has major implications for healthcare.

For decades, plastics have been framed primarily through the lens of waste management. Recycling and improved disposal are often presented as the primary solutions. Yet the Lancet analysis shows that even aggressive recycling scenarios deliver only modest reductions in overall health burden. The most effective single intervention—by far—is reducing unnecessary primary plastic production, paired with coordinated system-wide improvements.

Healthcare understands this logic intuitively. We do not wait for disease to advance before acting. We reduce exposures, eliminate unnecessary risks, and prioritize prevention. Plastics demand the same preventive mindset.

Healthcare organizations are uniquely positioned to lead. Clinical settings influence purchasing decisions, supply chains, daily workflows, staff culture, and patient education. Small, consistent choices—reducing avoidable single-use plastics, selecting safer alternatives where clinically appropriate, and engaging teams in evidence-based systems thinking—can collectively reduce exposure while maintaining quality of care.

Equally important, healthcare professionals are trusted messengers. Clinicians can offer patients teaching handouts that explain why plastics reduction matters for respiratory health, cardiovascular risk, and long-term disease prevention, patients understand that sustainability.

At My Green Doctor, we help healthcare teams translate complex research like this into practical, non-political actions that protect health, reduce costs, improve staff engagement, and strengthen patient trust. Our approach is grounded in prevention, evidence, and feasibility—meeting practices where they are and helping them move forward.

My Green Doctor’s one-on-one coaching for practice managers and clinicians provides customized money-saving solutions for all outpatient clinical settings. Contact us to learn more: member.services@mygreendoctor.org

Plastics are no longer just an environmental concern. They are a measurable driver of disease burden and a clear opportunity for preventive action within healthcare.

Source:
The full report (January 26, 2026)
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lanplh.2025.101406

For millions of patients, allergy season no longer follows a predictable pattern. What was once a defined window in spring or fall has become something far less reliable—starting earlier, lasting longer, and often bringing more intense symptoms.

This shift is not incidental. It is being driven by measurable changes in our environment.

New research from the Harvard University Salata Institute for Climate and Sustainability highlights how climate change and pollution are reshaping allergy patterns across the United States and beyond. As rising carbon dioxide levels stimulate plants to produce more pollen, and milder winters extend growing seasons, patients are being exposed to allergens for longer periods of time.

As Dr. Rebecca Saff, an allergist and immunologist at Massachusetts General Hospital, explains: “Seasons are starting earlier, lasting longer, and becoming less distinct, so patients who once had predictable spring or fall symptoms are often struggling for more of the year.”

This shift is already visible in clinical settings.

More than one in four U.S. adults experience seasonal allergies, and many are now reporting longer symptom duration, greater intensity, and reduced effectiveness of medications that previously worked well. Patients who once managed symptoms within a predictable timeframe are increasingly facing year-round or overlapping allergy triggers.

At the same time, environmental conditions are compounding the problem. Rising air pollution contributes to inflammation in the respiratory system, making individuals more susceptible to allergens. Urban environments, where pollution and elevated carbon dioxide levels often coincide, can amplify both pollen production and patient sensitivity.

For healthcare professionals, this represents a meaningful evolution in care.
Allergies are no longer simply a seasonal issue—they are becoming a year-round environmental health concern. This requires a shift from reactive treatment toward proactive, preventive strategies.

Clinics can begin by helping patients adjust the timing of their care. Starting allergy medications earlier—often weeks before traditional pollen seasons—can help reduce symptom severity. Encouraging patients to use reliable pollen and air quality data can also improve preparedness and daily decision-making.
Equally important is integrating environmental awareness into routine care conversations. Patients are increasingly aware that their symptoms are changing, but many do not yet understand why. Healthcare professionals have an opportunity to connect these changes to environmental factors and guide patients toward practical steps that support better outcomes.

This may include:

• Educating patients about the link between pollen, pollution, and inflammation
• Encouraging early and consistent management strategies
• Supporting awareness of local environmental conditions
• Preparing patients for longer and less predictable allergy seasons

There is also emerging evidence that the effects of increased pollen exposure may extend beyond respiratory conditions. Researchers are exploring links to other allergic diseases, including skin and gastrointestinal conditions, reinforcing the need for a broader, more integrated approach to care.

This is where structured support can accelerate progress.

With the My Green Doctor practice management coaching, environmental health topics such as climate-related allergy trends are integrated directly into clinical workflows and patient education strategies. This allows practice managers, clinic administrators and all healthcare professionals to move beyond awareness and implement practical, scalable solutions that improve both patient outcomes and operational efficiency. Join us today: https://www.mygreendoctor.org/

The reality is clear: allergy season is changing. And as it does, healthcare can evolve as well.

For further reading:
https://salatainstitute.harvard.edu/climate-change-and-pollution-are-worsening-your-allergies/

One of the most effective ways to improve patient health doesn’t come from a prescription but from a box of fresh, local food. As summer produce begins to peak, recommending a food box program is a timely and practical way for clinicians to support both patient well-being and more resilient local food systems.

Often known as Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) or produce subscription services, food box programs bring individuals and families fresh, seasonal, locally grown foods—delivered weekly to homes, workplaces, or convenient community pickup points. Patients sign up and pay for a foox box online themselves. The impacts can reach across nutrition, prevention, and environmental sustainability.

The health case is clear. According to the World Health Organization, unhealthy diets are among the leading risk factors for noncommunicable diseases, including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and certain cancers. Increasing access to fresh, nutrient-dense foods is one of the most direct ways to improve long-term health outcomes.

At the same time, food systems themselves play a critical role in both environmental and community health. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations highlights the importance of fruit and vegetable consumption in reducing the global burden of chronic disease, while the United Nations Environment Programme underscores that more localized, efficient food systems can reduce environmental impact and strengthen regional economies.

Food box programs bring these benefits together in a tangible way.
For patients, they provide:

• Consistent access to fresh, whole foods
• Seasonal variety that supports dietary diversity
• Practical tools like recipes that make healthy eating easier
• A stronger connection to where food comes from

For healthcare professionals, they offer a natural extension of care beyond the clinic walls.

A brief conversation during a patient visit—or a simple resource shared in the waiting room—can influence meaningful behavior change. Patients are far more likely to adopt healthier habits when guidance is practical, accessible, and reinforced by trusted providers.

Importantly, food box programs are flexible and fun for families. Patients can choose delivery frequency, customize preferences, and start at a level that fits their lifestyle. This makes them an inclusive and scalable option for a wide range of patient populations.

Healthcare practices are uniquely positioned to activate this opportunity.
Integrating food box programs into patient care does not require complex infrastructure. Instead, it begins with small, intentional steps:

• Introducing the concept during routine visits
• Sharing local CSA options or reputable national services
• Encouraging patients to explore seasonal, whole-food eating
• Piloting participation within the clinic community
• Leading by example through staff engagement

These actions help normalize preventive care in a way that feels achievable—not overwhelming.

This is where My Green Doctor’s coaching model plays a critical role. Through structured, step-by-step guidance, we help healthcare professionals, practice managers, and clinic administrators integrate patient education into everyday workflows, identify high-impact initiatives like food programs, and engage both staff and patients in meaningful, measurable ways. Patients are increasingly looking to their nurses and doctors not only for diagnosis and treatment, but for guidance on how to live healthier lives. Food box programs offer a clear, actionable way to meet that expectation.