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New Guidebook - Environmental Stewardship in Emergency Medicine
The Canadian Coalition for Green Health Care and PEACH Health Ontario has launched “Environmental Stewardship in Emergency Medicine: A roadmap for a more sustainable practice,” a new guidebook to help ED teams lead on sustainability.
Practical, evidence-based actions to make emergency care more environmentally sustainable - without compromising patient outcomes. This guide explores how climate change and health equity intersect, and how vulnerable populations are often the most affected by climate-related health risks.
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Call for Speakers - We are hosting a program during Toronto Climate Week. Come join us!
Are you driving change at the intersection of health and climate? The Canadian Coalition for Green Health Care, in partnership with PEACH Health Ontario and the Hamilton Family Health Team, is hosting a dynamic program during Toronto Climate Week (Inaugural event: October 1–3, 2025) to spotlight innovation and climate action in the health care sector — and we’re looking for passionate speakers to join us. Whether you’re a clinician, policy advocate, researcher, or community leader, this is your opportunity to share how you're helping build a healthier, more sustainable future.
Interested in speaking? Fill out the form by August 16.
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New Article - Planting seeds of change: Highlights from the 2025 PEACH Conference
Synergy. Collaboration. Compassion. Change. These weren’t just buzzwords, they were the heartbeat of PEACH Health Ontario’s first-ever conference, held on May 21, 2025. Set against the vibrant room of the Royal Botanical Gardens in Burlington, the event gathered a room full of passionate professionals united by one mission: to push the boundaries of their disciplines and advocate for sustainability in health care.
The convergence of diverse fields like medicine, engineering, design, and more sparked inspiring dialogue and collective momentum. PEACH Health Ontario, whose mission is to cultivate and sustain partnerships across health care facilities in Ontario to support climate action, did more than host a conference. It nurtured the beginnings of a collective movement.
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Looking for participants - Experiences using PEACH Guidebook
Have you used CCGHC/PEACH Health Ontario’s Guidebooks? Researchers want to hear from you! Your insights will help shape future guidebook content and improve knowledge mobilization strategies to support sustainable health care practices.
If you’re a health care professional who has engaged with the guidebooks, you’re invited to participate in a 45–60 minute virtual interview to share your experiences, including how the strategies have been implemented, key barriers, and supports.
This study has been reviewed by the Hamilton Integrated Research Ethics Board (HiREB), Project Number: 17702.
If you’re interested or have questions about participation, please contact naqviy@mcmaster.ca.
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Help Us Build a Greener Health System
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.
| | Taking Action on Planetary Health | | |
Dates: September 12 - December 5, 2025
The Online Certificate Program offered through planetaryhealthaction.ca empowers health professionals to implement sustainable solutions in their clinical practice for improved health outcomes.
This collaborative program prepares participants to lead the transition toward climate-resilient and low-carbon health systems, offering expert guidance as they develop and implement a personalized action plan—whether it’s prescribing low-carbon alternatives or supporting youth experiencing climate anxiety.
Designed as a team-based learning experience, the program encourages colleagues to register and learn together, with a special group rate available for teams of three or more.
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3 health care sustainability trends to follow in 2025
Health Care Without Harm
New data from the 2025 Environmental Excellence Awards offers a powerful snapshot of the progress health care facilities are making on sustainability. In 2024, nearly 500 hospitals reported an impressive $203 million in savings from environmental programs—up 15% from the previous year—and avoided 185,000 metric tons of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions through climate mitigation projects.
Facilities saved enough water to fill 129 Olympic-sized swimming pools, diverted waste equivalent to the weight of 1,416 Boeing 747 jets, and avoided emissions comparable to taking 40,412 gas-powered vehicles off the road.
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Estimating greenhouse gas emissions from the health sector in Canada: Mind the gap
Sage Journal
Global commitments to achieve “net zero” health systems suggest a growing need to understand and mobilize capacity for GHG emissions estimation across Canada’s health sector. This analysis highlights efforts by public sector health care organisations in Canada to estimate an increasingly broad scope of GHG emissions, building on longstanding efforts to report or reduce energy-related emissions from facilities. It also identifies why such efforts will not be sufficient. Developing capacity for routine system-wide greenhouse gas emissions estimation can help Canada’s health systems to better understand their progress.
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Connecting planetary boundaries and planetary health: a resilient and stable Earth system is crucial for human health
The Lancet
Earth system scientists developed the planetary boundaries framework for measuring and tracking the stability and resilience of the Earth system. The framework quantifies safe boundary levels for nine processes that regulate the state of the Earth system and are increasingly affected by human activity.
Six of these planetary boundaries are now transgressed and most trend towards further transgression.
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Weaving Indigenous perspectives into pharmacy practice
CASCADES
This playbook provides background information, resources, and considerations for integrating vital Indigenous-led perspectives, values, and wisdom into the guidance for climate mitigation, adaptation, and resilience of pharmacy practice.
These considerations have been compiled from a review of key literature, Indigenous-led health advocacy movements, and the perspectives, values and experiences of pharmacy and other health professionals with Indigenous ancestry.
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Building momentum step by step
The Energy Managers Playbook
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Host Jay Mullin speaks with Katelyn Poyntz, Director of Project Engineering & Energy at Unity Health Toronto, about how she built momentum for energy management at Unity Health Toronto—one step at a time. Starting with a simple lighting upgrade, she uncovered opportunities to integrate sustainability into health care operations, even when the path forward was uncertain.
By focusing on what she could do next rather than waiting for the perfect roadmap, Katelyn successfully embedded energy management into long-term planning, secured executive buy-in and helped establish ambitious sustainability goals. Her journey is a powerful lesson in adaptability, persistence and the power of small steps leading to big change.
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Island Health's new gowns save on costs and carbon
Canadian Journal of Nursing Informatics
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Island Health’s new initiative is reducing waste by reusing gowns. The reusable gowns program at Island Health is helping protect staff and patients while supporting sustainable, cost-effective practices.
The program will bring a number of new hospital gowns, known as reusable isolation gowns, into use at Island Health care sites. The new reusable gowns are more than just sustainable – they also come with a number of new features. They will be equipped with radio frequency identification (RFID) tags, which allow Victoria Regional Laundry to track wash counts and remove gowns from circulation when they reach the end of their lifecycle. They’re expected to be washed and reused up to 100 times before being recycled.
| | NEW! RETScreen® Expert Version 9.3 | |
The RETScreen® Clean Energy Management Software Version 9.3 upgrades include a series of new energy efficient plus deep retrofit archetypes for the Virtual Energy Analyzer (VEA). In addition, key new capabilities have been added to the software to facilitate and automate the ongoing commissioning of facilities, and to help implement RETScreen as an Energy Management Information System (EMIS).
Version 9.3 of the RETScreen® Clean Energy Management Software platform is now available for download from the RETScreen website.
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Climate Emergency Virtual Conference
UBC CPD
Date: October 25, 2025
Time: TBD
The climate crisis 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 presented by the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment to explore the health benefits of climate action. 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.
Hosted by CAPE.
Conference details coming soon...
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Adapting Facilities and Services: Treating Heat-Related Illnesses in Women and Children
ATACH
Dates: July 29th, 2025
Time: 9:00am PT/12:00pm ET
Minimizing the impact of heat stress on populations more susceptible to experiencing it, such as pregnant women and young children, requires frontline workers and health care staff to become familiar with recognizing the symptoms, diagnosing the illness, taking effective and urgent action, and providing the right treatment in time.
In this webinar, we will learn from real-work examples of what the Government of India and the Government of Bangladesh are doing to establish the necessary structures for reducing the impact of heat. In addition, we will learn how organisations such as the Global Consortium on Climate and Health Education and Harvard University are supporting these efforts through critical training and research initiatives.
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2nd Forum on Healthcare Infrastructure, Atlantic Canada
Canadian Institute
Dates: July 14th – 15th, 2025
Seize the opportunity to connect with leaders in health care facilities planning, construction, design, and clinical operations at the Canadian Institute’s Forum on Healthcare Infrastructure, Atlantic Canada.
This essential event will provide critical insights into project delivery best practices, national and regional trends, and the status of major developments across Nova Scotia, PEI, and Newfoundland and Labrador.
Save 10% with the CCGHC promo code: D10-999-CCGHC25
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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. They also provide 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.
Member Rates and Early Bird Discount available (deadline July 31st).
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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.
| | 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. | | | | |
