Sustain Dane presents the Badger Bioneer Conference, which highlights the work of Madisonians who are busy creating a sustainable future, whether by greening their businesses, imparting Earth knowledge in the classroom, or nurturing the people and places of their communities. This Plenary session features Kim Neuschel & Jessica Leclair, Nurses for Public Health, Madison & Dane County. Neuschel and Leclair have pieced together a new approach to public health, a holistic view of community well-being that addresses “health equity” based on the social conditions of the places where people live and work. Neuschel and Leclair’s work focuses on social justice, civic engagement, and sustainability. The overall goal is building social capital – place-based characteristics like beautiful neighborhoods, neighborly relations, cross-generational interaction, employment opportunities – to alleviate the stressors that are leading causes of death in urban communities today: heart disease and violence.