ANMF (Vic Branch) Environmental Health Officer Ros Morgan at the 2023 Health and Environmentla Sustainability Conference. Photo: Christopher Hopkins
The healthcare system is constantly confronting new challenges, not just in how we deliver care, but in how we protect the environment that underpins human health. The 2025 Health and Environmental Sustainability Conference, hosted by ANMF (Vic Branch) on Thursday 28 August, brings together clinicians, researchers and advocates to show that leadership on climate action can, and must, happen from within healthcare.
Ros Morgan, the Branch’s Environmental Health Officer and a nurse with over 30 years of clinical experience in ICU, is again leading this year’s event. Her journey from bedside nurse to policy influencer shows what’s possible when nurses and midwives bring climate leadership into their professional practice.
‘The whole climate change space can be overwhelming,’ says Ros.
‘But there’s so much we can do, both personally and at work. I try to retain a mindset of knowing what we want for the future, then taking actions now to bring that into the present. That’s what you will see in the conference: ideas and actions that members can learn from and take back into their clinical practice.’
The 2025 Health and Environmental Sustainability Conference aims to empower members by building on your knowledge and transitioning ideas into action. The conference showcases initiatives and projects that will equip nurses and midwives with the tools for climate action, and to become clinical changemakers.
Keynote: Osher Günsberg on finding purpose
Broadcaster and mental health advocate Osher Günsberg will deliver this year’s keynote address: ‘Better than yesterday: a life worth living – for ourselves, our children, our planet.’ His talk will explore his emotional journey as he confronted climate change, and how he framed that into action, as a parent and as someone committed to a better, shared future.
From side project to system priority
Sustainability work in healthcare was once seen as a ‘nice to have’, a passion project for a few motivated individuals. That perception has now shifted.
‘There has been a real transition in healthcare,’ Ros says. ‘Once upon a time it was regarded almost like a hobby if staff wanted to participate in activities that reduced the environmental footprint of their practice. Today, the public sector EBA protects staff who are doing this work, with time and recognition for up to two people in every ward or department in the role of sustainable nurse/midwife representative.’
Maddy Harradence, ANMF (Vic Branch) Secretary, will walk attendees through what these rights mean in practice and how to use them.
As Ros puts it, ‘If your organisation is not leading in this space then they are behind the times, and it’s not good for their public profile. It’s in our code of ethics, standards for practice, and it is included in the Victorian Government’s Policy and Funding Guidelines that every public hospital must agree to.’
Evidence-based, professionally led
The conference also delivers the latest updates on sustainability research and policy. This year’s program includes:
- An update on the National Health and Climate Strategy, setting out Australia’s five-year plan to build a climate-resilient, net zero health system.
- A not-to-be-missed presentation from Dr Gemma Saravanos – epidemiologist, infection prevention and control (IPC) expert, RN and lecturer – who will explain where the evidence base sits and how sustainability goals can align with IPC.
The program also features a session with Catherine O’Shea, former nurse and sustainability officer at Western Health, now a researcher at Melbourne University’s Healthcare Carbon Lab. She works alongside leading experts Forbes McGain and Scott McAlister to conduct life cycle assessments that inform evidence-based decisions on healthcare products and procedures.
Clinical change makers: leading by example
Perhaps the most anticipated part of the conference each year is the lineup of clinical presenters, nurses and midwives who saw opportunities for change in their own workplaces and took action.
Some ofthe most positive feedback we receive relates to our clinical presenters – nurses and midwifery members and other clinicians who have looked in their workspace and said: “We can do better than this”, then set about making change,’ says Ros. ‘They show us how it is done!’
This year’s presenters include:
- Kylie Feely (Western Health), who is using research to support the reduction of low-value care. Kylie will share her ideas and interventions with us, such as transitioning to sustainable linen and launching a virtual stockroom to cut down on expired stock, saving thousands of dollars.
- Vanessa Harker (Mercy Health) on sustainability initiatives any ward can replicate, like green team boards, recycling systems and staff engagement.
- Melissa Markos (Alfred Health) on tackling the environmental impact of clinical trials, and what both industry and hospitals need to change.
Creativity and collective power
Environmental action isn’t just about data and policy. This year’s creativity and innovation parade showcases the artistic side of sustainability, with surgical wrap fashion, pharmaceutical cap mosaics, and community artworks made by school students in regional Victoria.
‘I am in awe of the creativity of some of our ANMF members,’ says Ros. ‘Art connects people emotionally; it communicates complexity in a way that’s inspiring and engaging, and it brings joy to the work.’
