Sustainabilty in the health sector to be discussed next month in Wangaratta

Environmental sustainability and its application in the health sector will be discussed in Wangaratta early next month.

Keynote speaker at the morning-long event will be the Director of Environmental Sustainability, Chris Hill, from Brisbane’s Mater Health Services.

The Friday, May 6, event is being organized by the North East Sustainability and Health Group, Northeast Health Wangaratta, the Rural Doctors Association of Victoria and Benalla Health.

Mr Hill is a certified environmental practitioner, and adjunct professor with the Griffiths University Centre for Sustainable Enterprise, he holds a Masters of Environment (with a specialization in the Education for Sustainability) and a graduate certificate in sustainability enterprise. He also holds diplomas in sustainability and management.

He believes senior management support and staff engagement are key to organizational uptake of sustainability.

Mr Hill worked as a part-time Sustainable Healthcare Project Officer with the Climate and Health Alliance of Australia for nine months in 2015-16 with the key focus to promote the Global Green and Healthy Hospitals network for the development and expansion of hospitals in Australia and New Zealand  engaged in sustainable healthcare.

The program will include presentations from local healthcare agencies and a Q&A panel session.

The forum will be held in the Margaret Boyd Education Centre at Northeast Health Wangaratta and those keen to attend should contact Kim Bennetts no later than midday on Friday, April 29.

More information is available from Dr Gerard Brownstein at 0427 545 262.

Watch the 10 minute Youtube clip of Mr Hill speaking at the Brisbane Lord Mayor’s Business Forum – “Lord Mayor's Business Forum - Chris Hill, Mater Health Services Brisbane.”

BSFG a link in the powerful, and important, NGO chain

N

on Government Organizations (NGO) have a powerful role to play in combatting climate change.

An example of that is the Benalla Sustainable Future Group (BSFG), established in 2010 by Benalla and District residents concerned about environmental sustainability and the lack of action on climate change, both locally and nationally.

The group recently launched its BSFG website, which was created by Peter Maddock and Bev Lee, with the support of Cath Marriott.

The group said in its latest newsletter that Peter, Bev and Cath had done an amazing job in designing and developing the website, explain that the website subcommittee used the free online Weebly platform to develop the current site replacing the original objective of having the website designed commercially.

In launching the site Peter Maddock commended the work done by Bev Lee in particular, in applying her many skills to the design and development of the website.

He said the outcome was a website which could be readily maintained and updated to reflect the group’s activities.

The Benalla group arose from a perceived need for people to come together to work towards a more sustainable future and a cleaner planet.

The group has involved itself in many environmental and sustainability processes and little by little, piece by piece is changing the public mindset in and around Benalla in emphasizing the need for their community to respond positively to climate change.