Joanna Law, RN, Seeking Sustainability in Nursing Practice
On this podcast, Joanna Law, RN discussed the impact of health care waste on community and planetary health , particularly for frontline communities, and how she is working to reduce waste in Canada. She emphasizes how nurses can be at the forefront of sustainability initiatives.
Joanna is a registered nurse with a background in critical care and addictions and mental health. It was during her shifts t
hat she started to notice the environmental implications of health care activities. This inspired her to seek further education in how nurses and other health care workers can help create sustainable changes. She is about to start her second year of graduate studies with the Faculty of Nursing at the University of Alberta. Her nursing experience is complemented by a Bachelor of Arts in sociology and eight years of experience with a community-based non-profit.
Dr. Robin Evans-Agnew , host of the inaugural episode of the Climate Justice Series
Dr. Evans-Agnew (He, Him, His) 
is an associate professor in the vibrant University of Washington Tacoma’s School of Nursing and Healthcare Leadership. He is co-leading ANHE’s Climate Justice in Nursing Steering Committee, and is the first host of the Climate Justice Series of the podcast. Our working definition of Climate Justice is:
“Climate justice nursing addresses the social, racial, economic, environmental, and multispecies justice issues of the climate crisis through centering the experiences and knowledges of frontline communities and safeguarding the rights of Nature to achieve planetary health.”
The Nurse Actions for Climate Justice Podcasts showcase actions nurses are taking around the globe to address and advance climate justice for people and our planet.The podcasts will form part of an anticipated virtual exhibit for the 2021 Congress of Parties meeting on Climate Change (November, Glasgow UK). In the interviews we discuss the interviewees opinions and attitudes towards addressing climate justice, and describe the actions or projects the interviewee is involved in. We summarize with suggestions for next steps and ways other nurses can get involved in similar actions in their own countries. Interviews are conducted in English, with Spanish language interpretation available (kindly provided by ANHE Latinoamérica members).
Beth Schenk
Elizabeth Schenk, PhD, RN, FAAN is a healthcare sustainability leader in Missoula, Montana. She has been working to reduce pollution from healthcare for over 3 decades. Schenk developed the “Nurses Environmental Awareness Tool”. She led the development of the CHANT: Climate, Health and Nursing Tool. She developed the WE ACT PLEASE framework for environmental stewardship. Schenk serves on the national board of the Alliance of Nurses for Healthy Environments, and on the boards of Montana Health Professionals for a Healthy Climate and Climate Smart Missoula. She has hosted the podcast for 4 seasons, and loves speaking with nurses around the world to highlight and celebrate their work at the intersection of health and environment.
A transcript of this podcast can be found here.
