Tag - Education

Sustainability efforts are a long game. As we teach students about the many environmental challenges we face, we must pair this with capacity-building that will allow sustained action over the long term. Utilizing sensory cues, story-telling, and shared experience, we can support students to develop not only environmental health knowledge, but also community, resilience, and even joy. Megan Czerwinski will present findings from her research on sustainability competence in nursing education, along with insights from work developing an open-access learning platform for sustainability (learngala.com) and the campus culture recommendations for the University of Michigan Commission for Carbon Neutrality.

PFAS are commonly known as ‘forever chemicals’ due to their extreme persistence in the environment and human body. PFAS cross the placental barrier, accumulate in the growing fetus, are excreted in breast milk, and have been linked with a wide range of health effects including high cholesterol, several cancers, infertility, and low birth weight. This webinar discusses the scope of PFAS exposure in Michigan as well as resources for the clinician, including ANHE’s PFAS Toolkit, as well as advocacy opportunities.

In this webinar, Everything, Everywhere, All at Once, Barb Sattler, RN, DrPH, FAAN explores how nurses are on the frontlines of multiple, intersecting threats to health—from climate change, racism, and gun violence to addiction, food insecurity, isolation, attacks on immigrants, LGBTQ+ rights, and reproductive health.

Climate impacts are striking at an alarming rate within the United States. Fires and Maui, Burning Man in Nevada with rain and sheltering in pace, Hurricane Idalia, and those left in her wake are the tip of the iceberg, so to speak. Nurses can be pivotal in preparation long before the event or disaster strikes. Understanding the risks your patient population may encounter is the first step. Tools such as the ones published by Americares are just one example of timely patient education. This session discusses how one primary care nurse practitioner approaches climate change and the changes necessary in primary care.

he Alliance of Nurses for Healthy Environments gathered on June 4, 2025, at the Emory Conference Center in Atlanta, GA, for a half-day, in-person symposium for health professionals exploring how historic investments in clean energy and climate action are already creating healthier, more sustainable communities—right here in Georgia.

Investments in clean energy, climate resilience, and pollution reduction are directly improving air quality, expanding access to zero-emission transportation, and strengthening public health. At this symposium, expert speakers highlighted how these initiatives are already making an impact in local Georgia communities and shared real-world case studies and success stories. Attendees gained valuable insights into how nurses and health professionals can support and amplify this progress at the state and community level.

Designed to empower and inspire, this event provides the knowledge, tools, and connections needed to lead in advancing health-centered climate solutions and shaping a more equitable, sustainable future for all.

Planetary health challenges such as climate change and vector-borne diseases threaten human health and well-being. Health care professionals such as registered nurses play an integral role in supporting populations affected by planetary health challenges. The purpose of the cross-sectional study was to investigate the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of registered nurses in Canada related to climate-sensitive vector-borne diseases. A national self-administered digital survey was distributed to practicing registered nurses in Canada. Of the 382 survey respondents, 35 respondents self-declared as Indigenous. Research findings suggest that nurses’ knowledge on climate change and vector-borne diseases was limited, especially among frontline nurses and those in Western and Northern regions of Canada. Indigenous participants also reported greater knowledge, confidence, and preparedness regarding climate change and vector-borne diseases than nurses who did not report Indigeneity. This may be linked to intergenerational knowledge transfer, which supports the ability to observe and adapt to environmental changes, including shifting patterns of disease. The study validates that while climate-related issues are important for nurses, nurses must be better prepared to address vector-borne diseases in practice and assume a greater role in leading change. Indigenous nurses are uniquely positioned to lead the decolonization of the nursing profession by integrating Indigenous knowledge to prepare nurses for planetary health challenges and to advocate for a climate resilient future.

Steve Cairns is a nurse educator who recently completed research into the lived experience of nurses who are actively engaged in planetary health initiatives. Dr. Cairns conducted a focused ethnographic study using semi-structured interviews, participant observations, and arts-informed self-reflections identified themes related to fourteen nurses’ journeys, approaches, activities, and priorities in support of planetary health. The results of this research have the potential to inform practice, policy, education, and research within the nursing profession. Additionally, this research serves to highlight an awareness that human health and well-being in relation to planetary health is essential to the role of care providers.

This webinar is part 9 of the series Nursing on the Frontlines of the Climate Crisis: Education for Action, developed through a collaboration between the Global Consortium on Climate and Health Education, Nursing - Climate Resources for Health Education, the Alliance of Nurses for Healthy Environments, the Canadian Association of Nurses for the Environment, and Climate Action Nurses. This presentation discusses climate change mitigation, adaptation, and resilience strategies. Nurses will learn how healthcare systems can reduce their greenhouse gas footprint and adapt to changing climate conditions.