This is an excerpt from a member-only article. To read the article in its entirety, please login or subscribe.

Many physicians are inherently driven to make the world a better place-it's often one of the top reasons behind their decision to enter medicine. This desire often compels physicians to take action on other social issues as well, one of which is protecting the environment. "A lot of physicians are interested in public health issues, and environmental issues are easily tied to public health," says Hope Ferdowsian, MD, MPH,1 with the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine.