Massachusetts Health and Sustainability

Northeastern, with its on-campus farmers market, sourcing local produce
and individual recycling containers, received top marks for being a
sustainable, green campus.

Someone mentioned something the other day about Massachusetts being a great place to write and talk about health because its kind of an amalgam, what with the mandated health insurance and the high number of intellectuals.

And with "hippie" neighborhoods like Harvard and Allston, where eating organic is almost expected, the state is bound to be very green. So I did a little research. Turns out Massachusetts is incredibly environmentally conscious. We're not the healthiest of states (Colorado beats us by a long shot) and there are some cons to the reformed health care, but there are initiatives here that may contribute to nation-wide trends.

Some interesting statistics and articles:

• In a money-related article, CNN points out the negative impacts of Massachusetts 2006 health care reform. Above all, they argue that the reforms will lead to increased costs, and that they support individuals who want to work less.
• The Health Care for All site presents press release-esque articles and updates on the reforms and the (mostly positive) affects their having on the Massachusetts community. Though it's obviously biased, it's interesting to see the view from the inside.
• According to the New York Times, Massachusetts beat out my home state of California for green efficiency rankings.
• Northeastern University and Harvard were both named to Princeton Review's Green Honor Roll for receiving the highest score possible (99).
• GreenReportCard.com grades schools based on sustainability. Northeastern and Harvard both received A-. MIT was awarded a B+. Boston College and Boston University both received B.