Resources: Multimedia (Videos and Podcasts)

Tucker Annis, DNP, RN, Nurse Informaticists decided to start with a small change by biking to work instead of driving. Dr. Annis highlights how burning one gallon of gas, through driving, contributes to about 20 lbs of CO2 into the atmosphere. Increasing use of active transportation not only has physical and mental health benefits, but it’s also a great way to reduce carbon emissions. While biking might not be an option, people can carpool, take public transit, and choose fuel efficient vehicles to help reduce carbon emissions associated with work commutes.

Sarah E. Johnson, BSN, BA, RN-BC, Sustainability Program Manager at Providence Health & Services, along with the Providence food services team, shares how the hospital is integrating more plant-based menu items into their cafeteria menu and sending less food to the landfill. The hospital tries to feature 1 – 2 menu items that are plant-based or plant-forward a day for employees to enjoy. The hospital composts daily, and in the 2018 – 2019 year were done 37% in their food waste. The team is aiming to reduce that by 5% each year. The team is also using more local produce, which makes some of their plant-forward diets cheaper than their meat ones, especially if sourcing local produce. The team shares a recipe for roasted tomato and artichoke pesto pasta that is served for employees.

Hear from nurses Pamela Ramagano and Ashley Oncay, who work at Christiana Care in Newark, Delaware. They explain the different ways they have been able to reduce plastic waste in their workplace and provide valuable insights into how you can help make this happen too! Take action today!

Hear from Kylie and Sylvia, registered nurses in Flagstaff Arizona, as they share how they managed to get their hospital to cut back on plastic waste through innovative reuse of materials that otherwise would have been thrown in the trash. Join us to take action in your own community today

2025 marks the 8th season of the Nurses for Healthy Environments Podcast. Since 2017, Beth Schenk 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!