Dr. Trevor Hancock receives Canadian Public Health Association's 2017 R.D. Defries Award.
Each year, the Canadian Public Health Association honours individuals or organizations who provide outstanding service to their community and profession. The Coalition is pleased to acknowledge long-time Coalition supporter Dr. Trevor Hancock on receiving the Canadian Public Health Association’s 2017 R. D. Defries Award for his outstanding service to Canadian health care.

Trevor is one of the original co-founders of the Coalition and remains active as a medical advisor to our staff and Board.  A physician by training, Trevor’s interests turned to public health and ways to improve the well-being of our entire population. Today, as Professor and Senior Scholar in the University of Victoria’s School of Public Health & Social Policy, Trevor’s research interests include public health systems and services research, health promotion, healthy cities and communities; health and nature, healthy public policy, and community development and health.

CONGRATULATIONS Trevor and thank you for providing sound guidance to the Coalition these past seventeen years. Read more here. 
Input sought for Food and Organic Waste Framework. Globally, food waste represents more greenhouse gas emissions than any country in the world except for China and the United States. In Ontario, 3.6 million tonnes of food and organic waste is generated annually and more than 60 per cent of it is lost to disposal. 
The Government of Ontario's Strategy for a Waste-Free Ontario: Building the Circular Economy commits the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change to a Food and Organic Waste Action Plan, which may include banning of food waste from disposal. The strategy also proposes that the first policy statement under the Resource Recovery and Circular Economy Act, 2016  focus on food and organic waste. As a result, the discussion paper Addressing Food and Organic Waste in Ontario (PDF) serves as the basis for preliminary discussions with stakeholders to inform the development of the Food and Organic Waste Framework, which aims to:
  • Reduce the amount of food that becomes waste
  • Remove food and organic waste from the disposal stream
  • Reduce greenhouse gas emissions that result from food and organic waste
  • Support and stimulate end markets that recover the value from food and organic wastes
  • Increase accountability of responsible parties
  • Improve data on food and organic waste
  • Enhance promotion and education regarding food and organic waste

The discussion paper is posted for a 60-day public review and comment period starting May 31, 2017. All comments received prior to July 30, 2017 will be considered as part of the decision-making process by the Ministry if they are submitted in writing or electronically. 
Interior Health publishes 2016 Carbon Neutral Action Report. All health authorities and public sector organisations in British Columbia are required to report on GHG emissions from energy, fleet fuel, and paper use, reduce emissions through projects and investments, and thereafter pay carbon offsets on remaining GHG emissions. Interior Health has creatively chosen to fulfill their reporting requirements by developing a corporate social responsibility report. The report documents GHG emissions, carbon offsets, and highlight plans for future, and engages senior management, the Board of Directors, as well as patients and staff. Congratulations Interior Health! Click here to read the report.
UK Breaks Solar Record; Generates 24 Percent of Power from Solar. On Friday, May 26, on what was expected to be one of the hottest days of the year, solar panels in the UK generated a record amount of power - enough to meet almost 25 percent of demand. This is according to data compiled by National Grid Plc and Sheffield University. At noon London-time, 8.75 GW of power was being generated by the solar PV, breaking a previous record of 8.49 GW, overtaking nuclear power in the country. Read more.
UHN Celebrates World Environment Day with Stop, Drop & Swap Event. On June 5th, 2017, in celebration of World Environment Day (WED), the UHN Research Green Team held its second  Stop, Drop & Swap event! The event took place in the Princess Margaret Cancer Research Tower and called members of the building to “drop” any new or gently used items they had for a chance to “swap” those items for others of their choosing. The event was intended to promote environmental sustainability, re-purpose items, and celebrate WED in a fun and creative way while promoting internal collaboration and cooperation among UHN staff. Read more.
Climate Change Engagement: Narrative Frameworks for Public Health Promotion.  Rachel Malena-Chan, PhD candidate, shared her research at Public Health 2017 conference held on June 6-8 at the World trade and Convention Centre in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Her work emphasizes that while climate change action is urgently needed and health promoters are uniquely positioned to provide engagement leadership, research suggests that knowledge of climate change alone does not lead to activation. Check out her conference poster here.
Proposed bill on mercury-containing lamps debated at Senate committee.  The Standing Senate Committee on Energy, the Environment and Natural Resources met on June 1 to debate Bill C-238, which calls for a robust national strategy for the safe and environmentally sound disposal of mercury-containing lamps. According to Darren Fisher, Member of Parliament for Dartmouth-Cole Harbour and sponsor of the bill, little has been done to protect Canadians from toxic mercury-bearing light bulbs that are tossed into landfills, which then contaminate land and water every day. Read more.
Registration for HealthAchieve 2017 Now Open!
Global health care and business leaders come to HealthAchieve to be empowered by the potential that change holds. They seek new ways to push boundaries that move the health care system forward, to learn from and collaborate with industry leaders and innovators, and, ultimately, to change lives by helping to create a high-performing health system that is truly focused on putting patients first.

This year, HealthAchieve will be in the South Building of the Metro Toronto Convention Centre over two days, November 6 and 7.

Register today and save with early bird rates!

www.healthachieve.com

CAEM Conference and Trade Show 2017 Registration is Now Open
Join your peers to expand networks, discover new products and techniques, hear the best speakers, and learn about the very important future of environmental management.

Occupational Infections: AIDS to Zika
Dr. Murray Cohen, Consultants in Disease and Injury Control

The mounting threat of infectious agents on our health
Dr. Syed Sattar, CremCo Labs


Register HERE.

Register before July 15th and be entered to WIN:
One Free Weekend @ Blue Mountain Resort
Includes Lodging for Two

Recycling Council of Alberta Waste Reduction Conference 2017 
It Takes A Village
October 11-13, 2017
The Fairmont Chateau Lake Louise
Lake Louise, Alberta

Join your waste reduction peers in Lake Louise to learn and discuss the latest recycling and resource conservation issues and developments. This conference will deliver technical content through topics and speakers that promise to generate lively discussion, combined with ample networking opportunities and social events, to make this the premier waste reduction event in Canada. Sing along with the "It Takes A Village" intro video, and find program updates, registration information, and other details on the conference web site. Be sure to come back to this site often – the program will continue to be updated as speakers, sessions, and other feature events are confirmed. Register HERE.

The RCA promotes and facilitates waste reduction, recycling and
resource conservation in the Province of Alberta.
Webinar Presents New Report on Climate-Smart Health Care: Low-Carbon and Resilience Strategies for the Health Sector

Join Global Green and Healthy Hospitals on this upcoming webinar to learn about the new report published by the World Bank and co-authored by Health Care Without Harm, Climate-Smart Health Care, Low Carbon and Resilience Strategies for the Health Sector. The report establishes a new framework for the health sector to become leaders in addressing climate change and protecting human and environmental health. 

Authors of the report from the World Bank and Health Care Without Harm will discuss this framework as well as share tools, resources, and opportunities for on the ground implementation of climate-smart health care by hospitals, health systems, and health care facilities around the globe.


GGHH will be hosting two sessions to accommodate a variety of time zones. Both sessions will be recorded and require registration prior to the event.


Session 1- June 27: 6 pm San Francisco (PDT), 9 pm New York, Washington DC (EDT). June 28: 9 am Manila (PHT), China (CST).
To register for session 1, click here.

Session 2- June 28: 7 am San Francisco (PDT); 10 am New York, Washington DC (EDT); 11 am Buenos Aires (ART), São Paulo (BRT); 4 pm Brussels (CEST), Cape Town (SAST); 7.30 pm New Delhi (IST); and 10 pm Manila (PHT), China (CST).
To register for session 2, click here.
Do you have a photo or story for The Green Digest? Send to samantha@greenhealthcare.ca.
Facebook   Twitter