Tag - Environmental Justice

The Alliance of Nurses for Healthy Environments (ANHE) and Bluebird Cultural Initiative presents a powerful two-part webinar series centered on Indigenous leadership, environmental justice, and the role of nurses in advancing health equity. Through community-led storytelling, participants will explore how historical and ongoing environmental injustice impacts Indigenous health—and how nurses can meaningfully support Indigenous communities in their own practice.

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.

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.

This education and professional practice change webinar is designed to empower nurse practitioners and nurses to integrate environmental health into clinical care by incorporating education, early screening, and prevention strategies that reduce the adverse impacts of environmental exposures on chronic kidney disease (CKD). In this session, participants will explore the significance of environmental exposures in CKD and gain actionable strategies and resources to enhance practice, advance prevention, and improve community health outcomes.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.