August 29th, 2025

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COALITION SPOTLIGHT

Join the Healthy Capital Community of Practice

Hospital foundations across Canada are advancing sustainable investment practices –but progress is easier with peers! 

You’re invited to join the Healthy Capital Community of Practice, a collaborative series, funded by the Trottier Family Foundation, designed to support hospital foundation leaders to integrate environmental, social, and governance (ESG) considerations into their investment practices to better manage risks and capture value creation.



• Participate in four 90-minute virtual meetings between Fall 2025 and Winter 2026.
• Share practical approaches and lessons learned with peers.
• Co-create practical tools, including policy templates, due diligence frameworks, and case studies (English and French).
• Align investments with health missions while advancing sector-wide practices.

How to join: Express interest by September 20, or contact ari@greenhealthcare.ca for details. 

Call for Volunteer Videographers in the Greater Toronto Area

The Coalition is looking for a volunteer videographer to assist in capturing footage for 3-4 videos (2-4 minutes long) on decarbonization initiatives in hospitals in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area.

The videos will be a part of our Accelerating Decarbonization Implementation at Canadian Hospitals program, which aims to equip hospital teams with tools, knowledge, and partnerships to move from planning to implementation. 

The anticipated time requirement would be approximately 5 hours per video. The footage will be captured between September and December 2025, and could involve support during the work day, and/or evenings and weekends, to accommodate health care professionals' schedules. This is an example of the kind of video we hope to produce: Mitigating Nitrous Oxide Leaks with Dr Michelle Tan. 

Please reach out to deveney@greenhealthcare.ca if you are interested and/or if you have any questions!

Radiotherapy Mini-Guidebook

In honour of World Radiography Day on November 8th, 2024 we launched a comprehensive guide—funded by the Government of Canada’s Low Carbon Economy Implementation Readiness Fund—to provide practical resources and best practices for advancing sustainability in radiotherapy.

Building on this work, we are pleased to share a new mini-guide featuring the top 16 actions to make radiotherapy more sustainable. These resources offer a practical framework to help individuals and teams put meaningful initiatives into action.

Publication Summaries

Check out these one-page summaries of our latest publications - designed to highlight key insights and inspire action.

You can now access summaries for the following publications:

• Managing greenhouse gas emissions in the terminal year of life
• Journey of a Pill
• Low-Hanging PEACH Tree for Hospitals
• The environmental elephant in the office: medications
• What health care leadership can do in a climate crisis: Focus on long-term care
• Health care procurement for the race to net-zero: Practical steps for health care leadership

UPCOMING OPPORTUNITIES

Nursing on the frontlines of the climate crisis course: Strategies for advocacy and action

Dates: Tuesdays, September 30 - December 2, 2025

Time: 12:00pm - 1:00pm EST

This FREE 10-week virtual course equips nurses with knowledge, skills, and advocacy strategies to address climate-related health challenges. Developed by leading nursing and health organisations, it explores the health impacts of climate change, as well as adaptation, mitigation, and resilience strategies through case-based learning.

Participants build expertise in patient care, public health, communication, and policy while strengthening confidence to act as trusted messengers in their institutions and communities. The course fosters mentorship, collaboration, and global engagement, preparing nursing professionals to advance climate-informed care, education, and systems change to protect human health in a changing climate.

COURSE: Green Roofs 101

Kellog College

Date: September 6, 13 and 20, 2025

Time: 9:00am-4:00pm PST

Location: VanDusen Botanical Garden - Guides Classroom, Vancouver, B.C.

The Green Roof Infrastructure Network of BC (GRIN) is pleased to collaborate with Van Dusen Botanical Gardens to deliver Green Roofs 101 in September.

Delivered over three Saturdays by a number of subject matter experts, the 18-hour course provides students with a thorough understanding about green roofs as multi-functional tools that can support biodiversity, while also capturing stormwater runoff at source, insulating buildings, protecting the building envelope, cooling the urban heat island, and suppressing fire.

The course is evidence-based and draws from current research and case studies. Through a combination of lectures and discussions, students will integrate theoretical knowledge with practical hands-on design experience.

Introduction to the Planetary Health Alliance's North American Hub

Date: September 8, 2025

Time: 5:00pm - 6:30 pm EST

The global Planetary Health Alliance (PHA) was established a decade ago and is now leading an international movement to secure Earth's future through research, collaboration and transformative action. PHA envisions a world where all people thrive for generations to come and by protecting and regenerating Earth's natural systems.

PHA has 9 regional Planetary Health (PH) Hubs around the world. The North American (NNA) Hub has just been established with an 11-person Steering Council. Join us to meet the Council and learn more about the mission of the PH NA Hub.

CLIMATE & HEALTH

Integrating Ecofeminism Into Canadian Nursing to Tackle Climate Change and Health Issues

Nursing Inquiry

This paper presents an overview of the health impacts associated with climate change and examines the interconnection between human health and the environment.

Moreover, this paper supports a multidirectional approach to address climate change solutions, with a particular emphasis on both adaptation and mitigation strategies. Ecofeminism is proposed as a critical framework to address the shortcomings of the metaparadigm and the approaches to climate change solutions.

It examines the potential for integrating ecofeminism into nursing research and practice by reconceptualizing the concept of the environment, adopting an ethic of the environment, and critiquing oppressive social structures.

Wildfire smoke can harm your brain, not just your lungs

The Conversation

Wildfires are already burning in parts of Canada, and as they do, many communities are already facing the familiar thick haze as smoke drifts in. Smoke from wildfires has already led Environment Canada to issue air quality warnings for much of Ontario. In Toronto, smoke led to the city briefly having the worst air quality in the world.

Anyone who has experienced wildfire smoke knows how it can leave you with a scratchy throat, stinging eyes and impact your lungs. However, smoke can also affect your brain. Tiny airborne pollutants found in smoke have been linked to increased risk of stroke, dementia and flare-ups in neurological diseases like multiple sclerosis (MS).

These effects can disproportionately impact older adults, people with disabilities, Indigenous Peoples and those living in low-income communities. This isn’t just about climate. It’s about equity, and health systems need to catch up.

CLIMATE ACTION

Adaptation and mitigation for the planetary health crisis: A scoping review from the perspective of primary health care providers

The Journal of Climate Change and Health

Climate-related adverse health outcomes are on the rise worldwide, and primary health care providers are at the forefront of the growing climate-health crisis. There is an urgent need for a codification of solutions and strategies for adaptation, resilience, and transformation in primary health care.

This scoping review sought to answer the following research question: "What strategies are being implemented across all forms of primary health care to adapt to and address the climate crisis?”

It behooves primary health care practitioners, especially those within dominant systems, to advocate strategies that promote health in all systems and policies. The planetary health crisis is a health crisis. It is urgent, it is human-created, and it can be mitigated.

Planetary Health: Focusing on the Intersection of Human Health and the Earth System

Annual Review of Environment and Resources

Planetary Health examines the links between human health and Earth's natural systems. This review outlines key drivers of environmental degradation and how they lead to global environmental change, which is marked by the transgression of six Planetary Boundaries and causes severe health impacts such as malnutrition and the spread of diseases, with increased risks for vulnerable populations.

The review also discusses actions like sustainable food and energy systems, circular economies, governance changes, and collaboration across sectors. It also emphasizes the importance of Indigenous knowledges and building resilience for vulnerable populations. Aligning human well-being with the health of natural systems is necessary to address current challenges and ensure a livable future for all.

Pilot project: empowering health care institutions to carry out their greenhouse gas assessment

Synergie Santé Environnement

Synergie Santé Environnement (SSE), a non-profit organisation based in Quebec, Canada, is leading a three-year pilot project to carry out greenhouse gas emissions assessments on seven health care and social services institutions in Quebec.

The assessments will support these institutions in managing their decarbonization efforts.

“A weak treaty worse than no treaty” - Hope for next phase of Global Plastics Treaty

Health Care Without Harm

UN Plastics Treaty negotiations in Geneva collapsed after countries failed to agree on binding measures to cut plastic production, phase out toxic chemicals, and embed strong health protections—leaving only weak proposals. Health Care Without Harm emphasizes this is not the end, calling for stronger coalitions and continued action to eliminate harmful plastics in health care and beyond, reframing the plastics crisis as an urgent public health emergency.

NEW! RETScreen^® Expert Version 9.3

EVENTS

Health and Climate: Solutions to meet new risks in Canada

Globe and Mail

Date: October 6, 2025

Time: 12:00pm-5:00pm EST

Location: The Globe and Mail Centre, Toronto, ON

Climate change is widely considered to be the biggest threat to our health. From heat stress and poor air quality to eco-anxiety and the trauma of evacuations, physicians and care providers are treating a growing array of conditions caused or worsened by a changing climate. At the same time, the health care sector is tackling the issue from the source–working to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions.

Join The Globe and Mail on October 6, 2025 to hear about climate change impacts on health, and the solutions. The event will bring together care providers and consumers, community and sustainability leaders to share actions for healthier people and a healthier planet.

Planetary Health Emergency: The Health Benefits of Climate Action

Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment

Dates: October 25, 2025

Time: 8:10am-4:05pm PST

Location: Virtual

The planetary health emergency is at our doorstep - but so are the opportunities for action. As health professionals, we have a vital role to play in advancing both human and planetary health.

Join us at this annual conference to hear from experts leading local initiatives, connect with peers, and gain practical ideas for action in your own context. This conference is open to all health professionals. We hope you leave feeling inspired and equipped to support a healthier, more sustainable future for all.

Can't attend live on October 25? All lectures will be recorded and available to view on-demand for up to 3 months after the event.

Transforming Healthcare Together: Empowering Teams, Inspiring Creativity, Unleashing Knowledge

Canadian Healthcare Engineering Society

Dates: September 14th - 16th, 2025

Location: Calgary, Alberta

This national conference attracts leaders from across Canada and around the world in the field of health care facilities design, engineering, operations and maintenance. It also provides opportunities for supplier and corporate representatives to interact with delegates at an industry trade show and in more relaxed social settings at the Sunday Night Opening Reception and the Monday Night President’s reception, dinner, and awards banquet.

Event Highlights Include:

• Engaging keynotes from leading experts
• Concurrent sessions to tailor your experience
• Amazing networking events with fellow CHES members and professionals from across the country
• Full exhibit hall packed with innovative health education products and services

*Visit the CCGHC team in our booth on the trade show floor!

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.

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