Just Another Nurse with a Passion and a Purpose...

Throughout this class we have learned so much about the environment and where are role should be as a nurse. Much of what we have discussed is shocking, disturbing, terrifying and leaves us feeling like there is nothing we can REALLY do. Policy, corporations and corrupt government seem to rule on environmental issues and nurses have seemingly no credit to make a difference. Once this darkness and depression sets in, and we cant find anything to eat, products to put on our bodies or clean our house with that does not violate someones health....we need to stand up, gather our evidence and start making changes. These can be small as a single consumer- and lead to larger change in our homes, communities, schools, churches and hospitals. I have already begun to make small changes in my own home. We switched over to reusable beeswax paper to wrap up leftover foods. We use only EWG approved care & cleaning products. We have always been privileged to choose organic over conventional-bu...

When I opened by phone and looked at the "legal" tab under settings- I was shocked. Quite a bit of information is held there. However, it says that my iphone "has been tested and maintains and meets applicable limits for radio frequency (RF) exposure" But How do I know? What does the evidence say about this? Most reading I could find came from the EU. What does America have to hide? Well it seems this a race to technology , and not about human health. Every article I searched talked more about how we need to "win" 5G and "beat out China" in our sprint to the finish to get 5G networks up and running... Should we be concerned that 5G is headed our way ? The industry tells us it is "the next great thing" "Will give us more speed"...But is this good for our health? Do we care about RF exposure in this country. Here is what our commission on   Federal Communications has to say about it: The  FDA maintains a...

How do we GREEN healthcare? This industry relies on single use efficiency for both safety and convenience. So how do we ever really go Green? This is going to take real initiative and change from the inside-out. We need the providers and delivery agents to change their practice. And demonstrate that this CAN be done and still be safe and efficient. The team at Harvard is on this march towards more sustainability. We can also change the narrative of WHY this is so important. If providers do not believe in Climate change or how a zip code influences genetic code- then we have a real problem. At UCSF they are hitting it from all angles. Educating providers, patients and the the administration about why this movement is needed and critical. Nurses can lead this change at the forefront. I was on the green committe at my local hospital. This was HARD work. No one really wanted to have to deposit meds, sharps, waste into multiple bins. We got pushback from leadership saying it was ...

Renewable Energy is critical to the health of our planet. How we continue to be swept up in the current of disbelief surrounding climate change and use of non-renewable energy sources boggles my mind. I was encouraged by the readings on how the U.S. has goals for reaching certain levels of renewable resources. I just hope this is not yet another cloud.. Choosing solar, wind, biomass, efficiency standards remains a privilege in this country. We need to recognize that not all people get the opportunity to choose their source of power. The cost remains high and is limited to those who own their own homes. Living in a LEED or other certified green home is also not a choice for the masses. New properties are beginning to adopt these standards more readily- but the technology, the efficiency exists and we should be promoting this further through government subsidy. In California we have more ability to do this- but many states do not. This local CA fact sheets provides great informati...