Welcome! We are so glad that you are here! We hope that you will be inspired to stay, to learn and to act.
Naturopathic Doctors for Environmental and Social Trust (NEST) is an organization dedicated to protecting and promoting the health of all living beings, communities and the natural environment through sustainable and socially conscious strategies. NEST grew from a group of NDs who felt passionately that the profession had a greater role to play in advocacy for planetary justice.
At our core, we are guided by naturopathic principles, and seek diverse ways of engaging in the world through that lens. Our oath has us vow to uphold the health of the planet for the health of future generations. Naturopathic Medicine recognizes the interconnection and interdependence of all living beings, the health and survival of which is dependent on a healthy planet.
Prioritizing financial profit for the few over the well-being of people and the planet deeply compromises the Earth’s ability to provide an environment for optimal health. A re-connection between people and the natural elements that surround them is key for establishing the conditions for health and wellness. Lack of access to the social and ecological determinants of health contribute profoundly to the major causes of human morbidity and mortality world-wide. Vulnerable individuals, communities, creatures, environments are first and most dramatically affected by system breakdown, whether ecological, political or economic. We see this play out again and again, resulting in food insecurity, severe weather events, mass migration, mass extinction, police brutality, and pandemics such as the one we are experiencing at this moment.
As naturopathic doctors, we have a specific skill set; effective pursuit of systemic change requires collaboration both within and beyond our profession. Collaboration also allows our work to be sustainable. We are mindful of our personal and collective balance and self-care, and act from a place of active hope. We seek to learn from the lived experience of others, we are informed by good quality evidence, and we aim to amplify the efforts of others who share our values. We recognize and honour Indigenous communities and the deeply holistic perspective of health from which we have so much to learn about stewardship of and connection to the land and other living beings.
We welcome your participation! Please explore our site to see what we have accomplished within the past year. We welcome proposals for advocacy opportunities and partnerships that fit within our mandate. And we need your engagement to do this successfully. What are you passionate about? What are your connections? What actions speak to your heart? Reach out to us to propose an initiative and to offer your services.
Naturopathic doctors are in a relative position of privilege. Let us leverage our privilege collectively as an act of service to the interdependent web of existence.