Description:
In this wide-ranging discussion, Deanna shares her philosophy and strategies for advancing environmental sustainability in busy hospital settings. Her infectious energy and determination is apparent as she describes projects, teams, and collaboration resulting in many successes. She shares her simple 3-step priorities in spreading the word and inviting others to join her efforts.
Deanna Benner MSN, APRN, WHNP-BC
Deanna Benner is the Environmental Health and Sustainability Manager at ChristianaCare and has served as a Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner for more than 20 years. She is also the Vice-President of the Mid-Atlantic Alliance for Climate and Health (MAACH) A recognized leader in healthcare sustainability, Deanna has built numerous initiatives from the ground up, including the Medical Supply Donation Program, the Landfill Diversion Project, and ChristianaCare’s annual Climate and Health Conference. Through these efforts, she has helped divert thousands of pounds of waste from landfills and rescued and redistributed more than $1.5 million worth of medical supplies to communities in need over the past 2.5 years. In April 2026, Deanna’s efforts to establish and grow sustainability initiatives across the health system led to her appointment as ChristianaCare’s first Environmental Health and Sustainability Manager. In recognition of her innovative leadership and impact, Deanna was honored as the 2025 ANCC Magnet Nurse of the Year for Structural Empowerment. A former Navy Nurse Corps Officer, she holds degrees from Villanova University and the University of Pennsylvania.
Nurses for Healthy Environments Podcast Host: Elizabeth Schenk, PhD, RN, FAAN
Elizabeth Schenk, PhD, RN, FAAN, is a leader of environmental stewardship in healthcare, where she has been working to reduce pollution from healthcare for 3 decades. Schenk is a former board member of the Alliance of Nurses for Healthy Environments, and serves on the boards of Montana Climate and Health and Climate Smart Missoula.
RESOURCES MENTIONED:
Deanna Benner, MSN, Named Magnet Nurse of the Year
About the Nurses for Healthy Environments Podcast
2026 marks the 9th season of the Nurses for Healthy Environments Podcast. Since 2017, Beth and other hosts have interviewed dozens nurses across the globe, all of whom are working at the intersection of health and environment. The goals of the podcast are to highlight and share the amazing and leading work nurses around the world are doing to help protect our natural world in order to support health and healing, and to spread the word about the fabulous work of the Alliance of Nurses for Healthy Environments. We’re glad you found us!
Again and again, nurses are spearheading social change, climate action, environmental justice, and improving health for vulnerable populations, while using their valuable clinical skills, teaching, and caring. Nurses’ work can seem overlooked or taken for granted, and we are here to tell their important stories. We hope you enjoy meeting the nurses in the Nurses for Healthy Environments podcast!
