When you drink champagne on a beach - it’s tattoo day

I devote this blogarticle to HEALTH as a sustainable development parameter. Health is our everyday living and we can approach health in many ways. Today I will cover with observations from my current workplace: La Côte d’Azur – in the Nice area.

Good Health is the UN 3rd Sustainable Development Goal (SDG): "Ensure healthy lives and promote well being for all at all ages". Health is so very broad and covers issues from nutrious food, to physical activity, social security, mental health and much more. The SDGs of 2030 target basic health issues especially in South Asian countries and African countries Sub-Saraha. We speak of access to midwifes and doctors in general, HIV, TB and Malaria prevention. But also of improving everybody’s general health. 

”It’s photo time – when you drink champagne on a beach, it’s tattoo day”, some noisy american tourist shouted out on the beach in front of me yesterday – on the same spot that right now makes my office for writing this blogpost.
 
This place is full of beauty, warm sun, happy middle-and top class people on their holidays from all over the world – yet mostly europeans and americans at the moment.
 
I chose to go here out of a choice of settle a stressfree worklife – which for many middle-class people actually is a main health issue today. Being here is a little piece of luxury living each day – like champagne. That makes your everyday living worth making a tattoo of.

​This place is also full of contrasts between wealth and poverty. Photos from my way to the local supermarkets that have most of my prefered organic food tell it all. In the port in Nice you find these huge boats lined up. Now the boating season is even over. The ocean road is packed with the most expensive sport cars – you meet so many people here that want to signal status and wealth…
 
On the flipside – you meet poverty. Along the Promenade Des Anglais homeless people hang on benches and someone from an African country will try to sell you selfie-sticks, so you can send nice shots from your day at the beach on Facebook!
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​The other day I went to a suburb to take care of some administrative issue in a public office – as soon as you move a bit away from the beach and the flashing promenade – you meet plenty of people who signal stress or little hope for their future. I did not make any tattoo-photo shots here, as I do not like to pose and take photos in these areas – my vanity probably.
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​Wealth is huge in this world - for some – as many people do, I really like finding myself in a place where wealth enables you to have a stressfree living, nutrious food and lots of opportunities to have a sporty lifestyle. But we must remember that sharing is caring in order to make healthy livings for more people and reach the targets for 2030.
 
The UN SDG on health remind us that basic health needs are at stake for millions of people worldwide. It is easy to forget when you live in a rich area and your need seems to be having champagne on a beach.

When I am on the beach, ​I presently read a novel about a midwife in the States who helps local women doing homebirths. Yet, one woman dies while giving birth to her son - and the midwife is set to trial.

​One of the UN targets is reducing the number of women dying while in labor. On the UN webpage, I found this very nice video about a retired midwife who helps refugees in the camps in Jordan. This one speaks into the current migrant crisis that Europe is facing.

The UN countries soon gather in 2015 Paris Climate Conference (COP21). Country leaders speak loudly of securing national funds to climate change prevention initiatives. I am a great fan of renewable energy and of protection of the environment. Still, facing the differences of rich and poor here - I tend to agree on Bjørn Lomborg's points in his article in The Wall Street Journal: "This child doesn't need a solar panel"

​We must remember spending to meet basic needs and healthy lives first: In what other ways can those children become strong and educated to help develop societies and remain the natural ressources?