Like a garden, democracy needs tending: Re-blog from Health Professionals for a Healthy Climate
Advocates for Better Health (ABH) and our colleagues at Health Professional for a Healthy Climate (HPHC) recently tabled together at the 2025 Minnesota Rural Health conference to talk about the power of civic engagement on our health and communities. The following is a re-post from HPHC’s blog.
On June 9-10, Health Professionals for a Healthy Climate (HPHC) and Advocates for Better Health (ABH) connected with a variety of rural health stakeholders at the 2025 Minnesota Rural Health conference in Duluth, which is one of the largest state rural health conferences in the country.
HPHC and ABH co-tabled at the conference with a timely goal — to raise awareness about the intersections between democracy, health, climate change, and rural communities. “Like a garden, democracy needs tending,” was the tagline proudly displayed at ABH and HPHC’s table along with free flower and vegetable seed packets offered just in time for gardening season.
With Duluth’s air visibly hazy from lingering wildfire smoke and the conference immediately following a week of Minnesota’s worst air quality report ever recorded, there was ample curiosity about HPHC’s wildfire smoke and health posters displayed at the table. Many conference-goers shared they worried about visibly poor air quality in the past month, which served as a conversation starter for asking deeper questions about the impacts of climate change on public health in rural communities, and what steps we can begin to take together.
Interactive signage asking conference attendees what’s on their minds when it comes to health and democracy in their communities.
Conference attendees also shared their thoughts and future hopes for health and democracy. When asked the question: “What’s on your mind when it comes to health and democracy in your community?” responses included frustration around the current brokenness of the U.S. healthcare system, hope in the role of unions, and a deep desire for rural communities to be fully engaged and heard in decision-making.
The tabling conversations provided an opportunity to connect with new faces from hundreds of rural Minnesota communities, deepened existing Duluth area connections, and reinforced HPHC and ABH’s shared commitment to working towards a healthy, equitable, and climate-resilient future for all Minnesotans across the state.