Interviewee: Charlotte Wallace, MS, RN
Former Role: Sustainability Coordinator at Anne Arundel Health System
From Pediatric Nurse to Sustainability Trailblazer
Charlotte Wallace’s sustainability journey began unexpectedly when, as a pediatric nurse, she penned a bold letter to her hospital’s president challenging the institution’s environmental footprint. Her simple yet powerful argument—”We should do no harm, we deserve better as a hospital”—caught the attention of leadership during planning for a new LEED-certified South Tower. What started as a question (“Would patients and staff care about sustainability?”) evolved into Charlotte being asked to formalize the hospital’s first sustainability program in 2007, creating a model that would transform healthcare environmental practices across Maryland.
Building a Movement Through Strategic Partnerships
Charlotte’s success stemmed from her ability to unite stakeholders across hierarchies and disciplines. She formed the multidisciplinary E.A.R.T.H. (Environmental Action Relates to Health) advisors team while securing critical buy-in from the VP of Strategic Planning—a partnership that lent immediate credibility to her initiatives. Beyond the hospital walls, she collaborated with Dr. Barbara Sattler at the University of Maryland to develop statewide medical waste policies and leveraged networks like Maryland H2E and Healthcare Without Harm to share best practices. “The magic happened,” Charlotte recalls, “when we celebrated what departments were already doing well, then built from those successes.”
Overcoming Systemic Barriers
The path to sustainability faced formidable obstacles, particularly the 20-year Guaranteed Annual Tonnage (GAT) contract requiring Maryland hospitals to send specific waste volumes to Curtis Bay’s medical incinerator. Charlotte spent five years strategically reworking waste streams—implementing reprocessing programs, reusable sharps containers, and composting—to gradually reduce dependence on incineration while avoiding financial penalties. She navigated institutional resistance by reframing sustainability as both a health imperative and financial opportunity, famously telling skeptics: “If we understand how environmental quality affects patient outcomes, shouldn’t healthcare lead the change?”
Measurable Impact and Lasting Legacy
Charlotte’s decade of leadership yielded transformative results:
- Achieved LEED Gold certification for the South Tower, Maryland’s first acute care building to earn this distinction
- Reduced regulated medical waste incineration from 100% to 16% (2005-2015), saving $800,000 annually through reprocessing and recycling
- Launched the hospital’s first on-campus farmers market with SNAP matching, improving staff nutrition while supporting local agriculture
- Implemented toxin-reduction strategies including green cleaning protocols and hazardous medication handling policies
Perhaps most significantly, the Sustainability Coordinator position she established remains filled today, ensuring ongoing environmental stewardship. Her programs became embedded in the hospital’s community benefit reporting, demonstrating how sustainability initiatives contribute to organizational mission.
Blueprint for Nurse-Led Change
Charlotte offers actionable advice for nurses pursuing similar transformation:
- Leverage peer influence: “When NICU reduced waste, other units followed—not because of policy, but professional pride.”
- Tailor messaging: “Speak to leadership about cost savings and awards; help staff see the health connections.”
- Build networks: “My breakthroughs came from calling colleagues at other hospitals when hitting roadblocks.”
- Brand your work: The E.A.R.T.H. team’s recognizable identity increased engagement across departments.
- Pivot creatively: “When denied a farmers market, I shared that 7 Maryland hospitals already had one—approval came within a year.”
Her mantra—”Do with, not for”—reflects the participatory approach that sustained these initiatives beyond her tenure.
Conclusion: The Ripple Effect of Courageous Leadership
Charlotte Wallace’s story demonstrates how one nurse’s conviction can institutionalize environmental responsibility in healthcare. By combining clinical insight with business acumen and political savvy, she turned a letter of concern into a legacy of systemic change—proving that nurses belong at the forefront of sustainability leadership. Her work continues to inspire new generations of nurses to ask, as she often does: “What would you attempt to do if you knew you couldn’t fail?”
