| | Follow us on social media! | | |
You're Invited - Plant Rich Eating for Sustainability: Practical Approaches in Outpatient Care
Date: December 12, 2025
Time: 9:00am PST/12:00pm EST
Plant rich eating is one of the most impactful actions for both health and the planet. Join the Canadian Coalition for Green Health Care for our upcoming Cut the Carbon: Beyond the OR session to learn the evidence, and discuss practical strategies to support patients in making meaningful changes.
| | |
You're Invited - How Green is Green? Differentiating within the Bioplastics Palette
Date: December 10, 2025
Time: 9:00am PST/12:00pm EST
Plastic pollution poses risks throughout its lifecycle, from production to disposal, with potential harms to wildlife and human health from microplastics and toxic chemicals. As health care systems strive toward sustainability, bioplastics have emerged as a potential alternative to conventional plastics.
| | Holy Family Hospital Case Study - World Class Decarbonization Retrofit | | |
Holy Family Hospital (HFH), operated by Providence Health Care in Vancouver, BC, has undergone a series of retrofit initiatives guided by Providence’s commitments to exceptional care, sustainability, and innovation.
Upgrades completed between 2021 and 2023 cut carbon emissions by 75%, earning “Best in World” recognition from the International Federation of Healthcare Engineering (IFHE). Providence didn’t stop there, further upgrades are ongoing which have exceeded 85% carbon reduction. This case study outlines the strategies, challenges, and outcomes of these efforts to inform similar decarbonization initiatives.
This resource is part of the Coalition's Preparing Canada’s Health Care Buildings for Net-Zero project, made possible with investment from the Government of Canada's Low Carbon Economy Implementation Readiness Fund.
| | |
Help Us Build a Greener Health System - Donate Today!
The Coalition is now a registered charity—marking a major milestone in its 25-year mission to advance sustainability in health care. Donate today to help build a greener, healthier, and more climate-resilient Canada.
| | |
Community of Practice: Green Acts of Big Impact
Rural Coordination Centre of British Columbia
This Community of Practice is for rural and remote clinicians and care teams who are interested in environmentally sustainable, high-quality health care.
They meet virtually once every two months to share ideas, highlight innovations, build relationships, and problem-solve together. Whether you’re already working on green initiatives or just getting started, this is your space to learn, contribute, and help shape solutions that make sense for rural care. Each session is designed to facilitate peer-to-peer connection, learn practical strategies, and take action—together.
Next meeting: January 30, 2025 at 12:00 PM PST/ 3:00 PM EST
| | |
UK's Centre for Sustainable Healthcare's New SusQI Courses for Nurses and Midwives
The Centre for Sustainable Healthcare
The Centre for Sustainable Healthcare is partnering with The Burdett Trust for Nursing to launch a series of FREE to access courses for nurses and midwives.
These course offerings are available at no cost for registered nurses and midwives around the world. There are three different courses for: frontline nurses and midwives, service lead nurses and midwives, and for senior leadership.
Developed to support climate action in health and social care, these courses are designed to equip professionals at every level with the skills and confidence to lead meaningful, lasting sustainability change.
| | |
Research Opportunity: Climate Action Photovoice Participants Needed
Centre for Addition and Mental Health
The Centre for Addition and Mental Health (camh) wants to better understand climate distress and discover ways to care for ourselves through meaningful action and social change.
They are looking for youth between the ages of 12 and 25, living in Ontario, to participate in a photovoice project, where you can share your experiences and feelings about climate change and active hope using photos and stories.
This project will help shape future programs and policies to support youth well-being across Ontario. Compensation will be provided.
| | |
Call for Nominations: 2026 BC Rural Health Care Awards
Rural Coordination Centre of British Columbia
The BC Rural Health Awards honour rural physicians, communities and residents for their inspiring contributions to improving rural health across BC.
Do you know a rural physician who has dedicated their career to improving care in their community? Are you a resident who advocates for sustained interest in rural and remote medicine in BC? Or is there a rural BC community being recognized for the work being done to support local rural health care service delivery?
Nominate them for a BC Rural Health Award by January 5, 2026!
| | |
Time for Sustainable Transformation
Fertility and Sterility
The fertility sector is increasingly recognizing its environmental impact, particularly the high resource use and waste generated by IVF clinics and laboratories. As demand for fertility treatment grows, so does the urgency to address the sector’s carbon footprint while maintaining high-quality patient care.
This article highlights how sustainability in assisted reproduction is both achievable and essential. By integrating trauma-sensitive, patient-centred practices with environmentally conscious decision-making, clinics can reduce emissions without compromising outcomes.
Through collaborative efforts between staff, patients, suppliers, and professional networks, the fertility field can begin shifting toward a more sustainable model of care—one that safeguards the health of future generations and the planet they will inherit.
| | |
A Journey Towards Zero Waste in Dialysis
Sustainable Kidney Care
Dialysis Management Clinics (DMC) is reimagining how kidney care can be delivered with far less waste. By replacing thousands of single-use plastic jugs with a central delivery system that stores dialysis fluids in large refillable tanks, DMC has dramatically reduced plastic waste, cut down on unused medication, and improved day-to-day operations in the clinic.
This shift is part of DMC’s broader commitment to sustainability, from using renewable energy to reducing paper, reusing equipment, and choosing greener building materials. Their journey shows how practical changes in health care can protect both patients and the planet — and offers a promising model for the future of dialysis.
| | |
Nutritional Adequacy of the EAT-Lancet Planetary Health Diet: Cross-Sectional Analyses of the United Kingdom National Diet and Nutrition Survey
National Library of Medicine
| |
The EAT-Lancet planetary health diet (PHD) has been designed to benefit both human and planetary health, but questions remain regarding its nutritional adequacy. This study aimed to assess the nutritional adequacy of the PHD by evaluating diets in the United Kingdom population and comparing the PHD with the Mediterranean diet.
Authors concluded that nutritional adequacy was either better or unchanged with greater alignment to the PHD, suggesting that the PHD is unlikely to present concerns of nutritional inadequacy at the population level in the United Kingdom.
| | |
Nawh whu’nus’en - We See in Two Worlds: Trauma Sensitive Practices for Collectively Healing in Relationship (Level 1)
UBC CPD
| |
Date: January 19, 2025
Time: 5:30pm PST/8:30pm EST
Discover how the Nawh Whu’nus’en – We See in Two Worlds course blends Indigenous ways of knowing with western trauma theory to support culturally safe, trauma-sensitive care. Through teachings in ceremony, relationship-building, and self-reflection, participants gain powerful insights into healing, wellness, and providing care in a good way.
| | |
Eight great new webinars coming in 2026. These webinars are free when you login as a CHES Members. Non-members can access webinars for a nominal fee.
-
January 28, 2026 - Improving the Sustainability of Healthcare Humidification Systems
-
February 18, 2026 - Preventive Maintenance vs. Predictive Maintenance - Pros and Cons
-
March 18, 2026 - IPAC in Construction for LTC: Maneuvering the Complex Environment of LTC
-
April 22, 2026 - Energy and Sustainability
-
May 20, 2026 - Building Envelope: Maintenance and Upkeep Best Practices
-
June 17, 2026 - The Resilient Hospital: Future-Proofing Critical Healthcare Systems
-
October 21, 2026 - Time for an Air Change; Advancing Demand-Controlled Displacement Ventilation
-
November 18, 2026 - Reusables in Healthcare: Cutting Waste, Costs and Carbon Footprints
Listen in and strengthen your knowledge and professional impact.
| | |
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 leading network dedicated to advancing environmental sustainability in the health sector. Guided by our vision of a sustainable, resilient, and equitable health system for all, we mobilize change-makers, build capacity, and deliver practical tools and strategies that drive meaningful action. 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. | | | | |
