Hello Ontario Nurses for the Environment!
Please read the winter edition of our newsletter. We're sorry for being a bit late in distributing it, but Ottawa had some great snow this week, so it is still sort of winter...
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Partner event: Energy for the People - Not Profit - Stop Bill 165 - Webinar: April 10 at 7 p.m. ET
The Ontario Energy Board (OEB) historically ruled in the public interest to end massive ratepayer funded fossil fuel subsidies to Enbridge Gas, but within hours, the Ford government promised to overturn the OEB decision, and have now delivered Bill 165. This Bill would continue subsidies to Enbridge with our money, forcing ongoing fossil gas infrastructure across Ontario.
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Greening Nursing School Community of Practice: April 26 at 11 a.m. ET
On Friday, April 26 from 11 a.m. - 12 p.m. (noon) ET, the Ontario Nurses for the Environment - Infirmiers/Infirmières de l'Ontario pour l'Environnement (ONE-IIOE) will be hosting the first meeting for the Greening Nursing School Community of Practice. This is a place for nursing educators and those interested in nursing education.
The goal is to collaboratively find ways to make nursing school both environmentally sustainable operationally as well as find ways to weave planetary health into an already jam-packed entry to practice curriculum. If you are already working on such projects, please share them at the meeting as they will inspire others. If you are looking for ways to start something, but unsure where to start, come looking for inspiration. Through networking we can all support each other in our initiatives.
The hope is to meet bimonthly so that we can build momentum.
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ONE-IIOE Quarterly Meeting: April 29 at 7:30 p.m. ET
The ONE-IIOE Quarterly Meeting is on Monday, April 29 from 7:30 - 9 p.m. ET. The meeting will begin with a quick discussion on business items before we turn to our feature presentation: “Looking into the future by learning from the past, reducing waste in nursing”.
Our guest speakers from the Retired Nurses' Interest Group will discuss how nursing practice has changed over the decades with the increase of single-use plastics. We explore the following questions: How did they perform quality patient care that met infection control standards before single-use plastics? How can we learn from these past practices to make nursing practice more sustainable in today and in the future?
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Collaborative Nursing Week event: May 8 at 12 p.m. ET
On Wednesday, May 8 at 12 p.m. (noon) ET, ONE-IIOE will participate in a collaborative event with the Canadian Association of Nurses for the Environment (CANE) and the Canadian Coalition for Green Healthcare for National Nursing Week. Nurses doing planetary health work will be the featured panelists.
Stay tuned for registration details.
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Webinar with Sacred Earth Solar: May 27 at 7 p.m. ET
On Monday, May 27 at 7 p.m. ET, ONE-IIOE will be hosting a webinar with Sacred Earth Solar, an Indigneous, women-led clean energy organization.
More details to come.
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Join webinar with ONE-IIOE, CANE and Shift Action: Sept. 19 at 1 p.m. ET
On Thursday, Sept. 19 at 1 p.m. ET, ONE-IIOE will participate in a joint webinar with CANE and Shift Action to discuss decarbonizing pension plans including HOOPP. The fossil fuel companies, who are largely responsible for climate change and the destruction of many ecosystems, are able to operate because they receive financing from the banks and investment portfolios including pension plans.
Stay tuned for registration details.
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Partner Initiative: National Health Care Forest
With the help of our partners, the Canadian Coalition for Green Healthcare is helping to create a national health-care forest.
Trees and plants are essential for human health and well-being, as well as climate change adaptation and mitigation. They also bring beauty into surrounding neighbourhoods and communities. Health-care facilities can take the lead in creating carbon sinks, bringing back biodiversity, and improving health and well-being simply by re-wilding their facilities with trees and various plants. These plantings can include trees, shrubs, pollinator plants, natural grasses, rain gardens, healing gardens and more. Staff, clinicians and patients would be able to enjoy the restorative benefits of viewing and, when possible, walking through healthcare forests - a natural landscape meant for regeneration, relaxation and healing.The coalition has worked with several tree charities over the past two years and have collectively planted 2,400 trees at over 20 different sites.
If you are interested in planting trees or shrubs at your facility, please reach out to the coalition.
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Sign CAPE’s petition: Big Oil’s Lies Cost Lives – Support Bill C-372
Like big tobacco used to, oil and gas companies spend millions of dollars every year blanketing the airwaves and social media making false claims to protect their profits at our expense. But now we have the opportunity to stop the disinformation and greenwashing in its tracks. Bill C-372, a private member's bill tabled by NDP MP Charlie Angus, would ban the promotion and advertising of fossil fuels just like tobacco advertising is banned.
Fossil fuels are driving climate change and causing skyrocketing levels of deadly pollution – Fossil-fuel pollution is directly linked to up to 34,000 premature deaths in Canada per year and over eight million globally.
Support this important legislation and ensure its speedy passage into law by signing the petition.