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Climate Solutions: Let's Get Motivated!
Dr. Myles Sergeant, joined the Specialty Matters podcast to discuss individual, clinical, and systems-level opportunities to help advance the planetary health agenda. He shares practical, low-hanging fruit strategies that align with patient care and promote sustainability.
Dr. Sergeant takes listeners on his journey to make health care more sustainable, sharing personal stories and insights. He recognizes the intersection between health and the environment and discusses the environmental impacts of home care vs. hospitalization, hospital food, end-of-life care, polypharmacy, patient education, and more.
Sustainability in health care is a collaborative space. Whatever steps you take… whether at home or at your place of work… these steps make an important difference.
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WE ARE HIRING - Join our Team Today!
Are you passionate about sustainability and making a difference in the health sector?
The Coalition is seeking a dedicated individual to fill a new position, Program Manager. The selected candidate will be working with the Coalition team in the development and facilitation of a hospital board sustainable investment campaign. They will manage the daily operations of this work and will support the project team members in board member engagement, educational material development, and data collection.
If you're committed to advancing sustainable and climate-resilient health care, we want to hear from you! Alternatively, if you know someone who might be interested in this position please forward them this email. The application deadline is September 9th, 2024.
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Welcome to our new series, Advisors' Corner, where we explore what inspires our advisors to champion sustainability in health care. They share their insights on the most impactful changes the sector can make, as well as the barriers and opportunities on the path to a greener future.
In July, the Canadian Coalition for Green Health Care’s Marketing Analyst, Mikayla Robinson sat down with Bob Willard, one of the Coalition’s growing cadre of volunteer advisors, to learn more about sustainable procurement in Canada’s health services sector.
Bob is a leading expert on sustainability justifications, sustainability reporting frameworks, and sustainable procurement.
Prior to founding Sustainability Advantage, Bob had a 34-year award-winning career at IBM Canada. Although his work there was not directly related to sustainability, it prepared him for how to appeal to hard-nosed business leaders to pay more attention to their company’s impacts on people and the planet. That experience helps him engage the business community in proactively avoiding risks and capturing opportunities by using smart environmental, social, and governance (ESG) practices.
Discover more about what inspires Bob by reading the full interview on our website.
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Nursing on the frontline of the climate crisis: Education for action
CANE
This course equips nursing professionals with knowledge and advocacy skills to address climate-related health issues. The first session covers basic climate science, greenhouse gas emissions, and the health impacts of environmental changes.
The course consists of ten weekly (Tuesday) live-virtual 60-minute sessions, combining theory and case studies, and is designed to enhance participants’ communication, emergency preparedness, and public health response skills.
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Call for submissions - Canadian Healthcare Facilities fall issue
CHES
The Fall 2024 issue of CHES's journal, Canadian Healthcare Facilities (CHF), is currently seeking article submissions related to the following topics: Facility Management & Design and Sustainable Healthcare.
If you are interested in submitting an article, please contact the journal's Editor, Clare Tattersall, at claret@mediaedge.ca with the proposed topic.
All topics must be pre-approved by the Editor prior to article submission. The deadline for final article submissions is October 7th, 2024.
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The untold story of LNG's impacts on healthcare in B.C.
Corporate Knights
The article explores the health impacts of liquefied natural gas (LNG) expansion in British Columbia, particularly on health care. It highlights the air pollution caused by LNG extraction, such as methane emissions and toxic chemicals, which have direct negative effects on respiratory health and can exacerbate chronic conditions like asthma.
The health care system in B.C. is burdened with treating these environmental health issues, even as the provincial government promotes LNG as a clean energy source. Additionally, the article discusses the social and economic costs of these environmental hazards.
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The Inhaler Guide
CASCADES
The article emphasizes the growing threat of wildfires, which pose significant health risks due to direct exposure and smoke-related hazards. It highlights the challenges in effectively responding to wildfires, including inadequate training, siloed disciplines, and insufficient coordination across various levels of governance.
The review suggests a comprehensive approach that integrates climate-resilient health care and disaster management frameworks to address key areas like air quality, mental health, and emergency management. It calls for breaking down silos, enhancing collaboration, and proactively planning for better health outcomes during wildfire seasons.
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Newfoundland hospital sets infrastructure precedent receiving LEED Silver Certification
Canadian Design and Construction Report
The new Western Memorial Regional Hospital in Corner Brook is home to Canada’s largest geothermal system, which has set a precedent for modern infrastructure for both Newfoundland and Labrador and North America.
The geothermal field is about 600 feet below the hospital’s parking lot and provides 100 per cent of the ground source geothermal heating for the hospital – the largest of its kind for a health care facility in North America.
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Financial assistance for ISO 50001 in commercial and institutional buildings
Natural Resources Canada
NRCan is accepting project proposals from organisations looking to improve the energy efficiency in their buildings (for the year 2025-26). Submit your project proposal by October 21, 2024.
Funding is available to help commercial and institutional building owners and operators implement the ISO 50001 energy management systems standard.
Organisations implementing ISO 50001 in their buildings save energy and money while reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
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Version 9.1 of the RETScreen® Clean Energy Management Software platform is now available for download from the RETScreen website. This update has arrived with a number of salient new features to enhance the RETScreen experience!
One of the latest features is an automated Net Zero Planning Tool which further enables portfolio-wide decarbonization planning, implementation, monitoring and reporting – all available within one single multilingual platform. Learn more about the new tool HERE.
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EVENTS, TRAINING AND WEBINARS | |
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From Pill to Planet: The Environmental Impact of Inappropriate Medication Use
Choosing Wisely Canada
Medications impact the environment across their lifecycle, spanning production, transportation, use, and disposal. With more than 30% of Choosing Wisely recommendations focusing on unnecessary medication use, there is a significant opportunity to improve patient care and reduce environmental harm.
Don’t miss Choosing Wisely Talks on September 18th at 12pm ET, featuring a panel discussion on medication use and its impact on the environment. Experts will address current climate challenges and explore how the health care sector can play a positive role in promoting both patient and planetary health.
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Lunch and Learn: Enhancing the Natural Environment at Fraser Health Sites
Nature loss has far-reaching consequences. Damaged ecosystems exacerbate climate change, undermine food security and put people and communities at risk. Fraser Health’s commitment to planetary health includes opportunities to enhance the natural environment on the many sites that we steward with co-benefits for well-being, climate resiliency and supporting our commitment to reconciliation.
Join UBC Landscape Architecture student Katie McPartlin on September 25th at 12pm PT as she discusses the results of her sustainability scholar project with Fraser Health. Katie will share case studies of how health systems are supporting nature and learnings for Fraser Health gained from her review of acute and long term care sites.
Contact Darryl Quantz at Darryl.quantz@fraserhealth.ca to express your interest and recieve the link.
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Is your health care pension healthy for the planet? | |
Date: September 19th, 2024
Time: 10am PT/1pm ET
The climate crisis is the greatest health threat we face. Are health care pensions part of the problem, or part of the solution?
In this webinar, Shift: Action for Pension Wealth and Planet Health will explain how health care pensions invest your retirement savings, why your pension is a powerful lever for climate action, and what you can do to ensure that the money you put into your pension is working for the good of the planet and your retirement.
You’ll hear firsthand from health care professionals in Ontario and BC who are working to push their pensions to stop investing in fossil fuels and start investing billions in the climate solutions that will give us a safe and livable planet, including remarks from Doris Grinspun, CEO of the Registered Nurses’ Association of Ontario.
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CHES 2024 National Conference - Sept. 8th-10th | |
The 2024 CHES National Chapter Conference & Trade Show will be held in Halifax Nova Scotia on September 8th-10th.
Join us in Halifax for a chance to gain CEU credits with a fantastic program, visit an exhibit hall full of new information and innovation and mix and mingle with delegates from across Canada during social events.
Visit us at the Coalition booth in the Green Park!
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Have you registered as an organ donor?
Contact your local organ donation agency and speak to your family about your wishes. You have the power to save and transform lives. Learn more and register to donate HERE.
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The Canadian Coalition for Green Health Care is Canada’s premier green health care resource network, leading the evolution of green in Canada’s health sector as a national voice and catalyst for environmental change. www.greenhealthcare.ca | |
Some articles referred to in the Digest make reference to services and/or product offerings from specific suppliers. The CCGHC recommends that readers research the service and product offerings available through a wider range of suppliers for comparison purposes and in keeping with public sector purchasing guidelines. These articles should not be interpreted as an endorsement of any product or service. | | | | |
