Environmental Justice
Courses tagged with "Environmental Justice"
The Farm Bill proposal was released in the House in February. As written, the proposal would undermine public health, environmental protection and food security, while handing sweeping new protections to pesticide manufacturers at the expense of children and communities. Of note, the current text includes an alarming and controversial provision that would erase state and local pesticide safety laws that protect people, especially children, from exposure to toxic chemicals at schools, playgrounds and parks. More than 40 states, including Florida, Georgia, Illinois, New York, North Carolina and Texas, have adopted commonsense rules governing when and how pesticides can be sprayed near parks, playgrounds and schools. These safeguards reflect local conditions, public health science, and the voices of parents, educators and communities. The proposal threatens these protections nationwide.
This presentation provides the preliminary findings of the scoping review titled, "The Health Benefits of Indigenous Cultural Practices Involving Human Interconnection Within Nature For Indigenous Peoples In The United States." The presentation will also elaborate on key concepts such as Cultural Practices of Human Interconnection (CP HIWN), and Collective Continuance.
This session explores the development and implementation of a three-part, interactive, case-based learning activity designed to integrate the Political Determinants of Health (PdoH), Planetary Health (PH), and Climate Justice (CJ) through the lens of the exposome model and local context. Developed at Vanderbilt University School of Nursing, this initiative served as a scaffold for future coursework and deeper integration of planetary health and climate justice across the curriculum.
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.
This interactive webinar will discuss how we can use our universities and school of nursing's mission statements, and accrediting bodies recommendations to integrate climate change and planetary health into the nursing curriculum.
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.
This webinar explores how our food systems shape both human and planetary health—and the role nurses can play in leading change. Featuring speaker Christina Vollbrecht MA, MS, RDN, Community Culinary Dietitian at Boston Medical Center, this webinar examines the connections between nutrition, environmental sustainability, and public health through topics such as the One Health approach, the parallels between soil and gut microbiomes, and the environmental impact of food production. Our speaker highlights practical, culturally sensitive strategies for promoting environmentally responsible nutrition, advocating for sustainable food sourcing, and strengthening local food system resilience.
Toxic chemicals in plastics have been linked to cancers, damage to the immune and reproductive systems, impaired intellectual functions, developmental delays, and other serious health conditions. With more than 4,200 of these chemicals being identified as substances of concern, plastic additives and substances in food packaging and the capacity of chemical additives to migrate into food and drinks is a growing concern. This webinar will also discuss opportunities for nursing action at the federal level and, if applicable, the state level.
Alarmingly, as much as 50% of all plastic products produced (380 million tonnes annually) are only used once, and only 9% of plastics are recycled globally. Join the ANHE Practice Forum for this timely webinar, “Reducing Plastic Use in the Health Sector and Beyond." This webinar focuses on how nurses can engage at the health systems, community, and advocacy levels to help reduce plastic pollution in the health sector and beyond. We also discuss the opportunities available for nurses from various practice settings to support initiatives and activities aimed at reducing plastic pollution.
The ANHE Practice Forum presents the webinar “Medical Waste Incineration, Impact on Human Health, and Opportunities for Nursing Action.” In the United States (US), the number of operating medical waste incinerators has declined greatly, from more than 6,200 in 1988 to 33 in 2013. Remaining medical waste incinerators have been linked to a range of adverse health effects and environmental justice concerns. Featuring speakers Greg Sawtell, Carlos Sanchez, Deanna Benner, and Jeremy Greene, this webinar provides an overview of the health impacts of medical waste incineration and discusses opportunities for nursing action. We hear from members of the Curtis Bay Community Land Trust, a group that is creating communications with hospital systems that transport waste to Curtis Bay medical waste incinerator (the largest medical waste incinerator in the US!) and health professionals who are taking action on medical waste incineration at their hospital.
Join the Alliance of Nurses for Healthy Environments (ANHE) for an overview of PFAS, human health impacts from PFAS, and actionable steps to reduce PFAS exposure.
Speakers include Emily Donovan, co-founder of Clean Cape Fear, Stephanie Schweickert, Environmental Health Campaigns Manager of North Carolina Conservation Network and Dr. Katie Huffling, Executive Director of the Alliance of Nurses for Healthy Environments (ANHE).
ANHE shares our recently released PFAS Toolkit which provides guidance on how health care providers can educate patients, perform risk assessments and provide practical clinical guidance. Our speakers also share current opportunities for engagement.
In this seminar, we introduce a new program that addresses climate, health and equity, Green Cars for Kids. This Florida-based nonprofit works to create a world where every child and pregnant person reaches their full health potential unhampered by transportation barriers. Our program coordinates transportation for low-income expectant mothers and children to healthcare visits using electric vehicles. The goals of the program are to improve the health of pregnant women and children by breaking down transportation barriers. By using electric vehicles, we contribute to reducing air pollution and carbon emissions that impact the health of frontline communities most.
This webinar presents information on noise as a public health hazard. It describes sources of noise, the physiological mechanisms it activates in the body, and its contributions to numerous diseases, health problems, and learning disorders. We summarize the results of numerous studies in the US and around the world documenting these effects of noise. We also discuss noise exposure as an environmental justice issue; low income and minority populations are disproportionately affected by noise due to road, train, and air traffic, as well as nearby industrial areas, predisposing them to poorer health and learning outcomes. The webinar concludes with a discussion of actions to be taken to reduce noise exposures, in order to prevent disease and promote health.
Concerns are rising among Indigenous Peoples, frontline communities, scientists, and other representatives of civil society about the involvement of the fossil fuel and chemical industries, whose interests are in direct conflict with Global Plastic Treaty treaty objectives. In Alaska and the circumpolar Arctic, the combined effects of destructive extraction of fossil fuels, releases of oil and toxic chemicals associated with exploration and production of fossil fuels, and climate change are harming the health and well-being of communities. This webinar discusses the Global Plastic Treaty and how groups like Alaska Community Action on Toxics (ACAT) are participating in these negotiations. This webinar also discusses opportunities for nursing action where nurses can work strategically at the local, state and federal level.
Pennsylvania stands at a crossroads when it comes to jobs, health, and climate. The IRA has brought historic investments in clean energy and climate resilience - creating opportunities for healthier communities and stronger local economies. However, H.R. 1, the so-called “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” now threatens to rollback these gains by reducing or eliminating the clean energy tax credits that families and businesses count on to lower costs, create jobs, and improve health. This educational event unpacks what the IRA means for Pennsylvania’s communities, highlight the risks posed by H. R. 1, and explores how state level action can help protect and maintain clean energy progress. Attendees will leave with knowledge and tools to understand what’s at stake, how federal and state policies shape our future, and how Pennsylvanians can take action to advance climate and health opportunities across the Commonwealth.
This webinar discusses the importance of pesticide elimination and advancement of organic agriculture and land management for public health and human health. Max Sano will provide updates on the latest developments Beyond Pesticides has tracked in terms of Appropriations and Farm Bill developments, including attempts from chemical corporations to strip a legal right and protections away from cancer victims and permit them to hide behind weak product labels based on previous human health risk assessments and carcinogenicity classifications (a.k.a. failure-to-warn and pesticide preemption).
Di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate, otherwise known as “DEHP,” is a chemical that makes plastics more flexible. Di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate is also a known endocrine-disrupting compound for which there is no safe level of exposure. Despite decades of research demonstrating that exposure to phthalates, such as DEHP, can increase cancer risk, reproductive and developmental risks, and other endocrine abnormalities, DEHP remains in IV bags and tubing and is still legal in 49 states. This webinar covers successful state legislation in California and current efforts in North Carolina to ban DEHP in IV tubing and bags.
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.
ANHE and speaker, Gretchen Salter discuss per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) or “forever chemicals” and policy implications for nurses. This webinar will underscore the importance of state level action, the need for a science based PFAS definition and the need to regulate the nearly 12,000 PFAS chemicals as a class. Participants will leave the webinar understanding the need for ongoing clinician education and advocacy regarding PFAS policy along with the need to adopt upstream measures to address the ongoing PFAS crisis. This webinar will feature Gretchen Salter, the Policy Director for Safer States.
While heavy duty vehicles contribute to air pollution, less attention is often given to the ports where these vehicles originate. Join ANHE for a discussion about ports, emissions and health outcomes, especially as they relate to the potential policies and actions of the new administration.
Join speaker Regina Hsu, Senior Attorney in Earthjustice’s California Regional Office, where she works on the Right to Zero campaign. Regina primarily works to accelerate transportation electrification in California and nationwide. Much of her work centers on electrifying the goods movement industry and reducing pollution at the San Pedro Bay Ports, the largest port complex in the United States and single largest stationary source of pollution in the Los Angeles region.