Healing the Planet: Nurses and Green Teams in Action
National Nursing Week Webinar # 3
In celebration of National Nursing Week (May 11–15) and this year’s theme, The Power of Nurses to Transform Health, the Canadian Coalition for Green Health Care (CCGHC), the Canadian Association of Nurses for the Environment (CANE), and the Ontario Nurses’ for the Environment (ONE) are proud to present a special webinar series highlighting nursing leadership in planetary health and sustainability.
May 13, 2026 from 12 to 1 pm EST
This session will present the growing role of nurses in starting, leading and expanding green teams across health care settings.
Highlights:
- Emerging research on Green Teams in Canada
- Real-world insights from nursing leaders who have successfully launched and scaled initiatives
- Practical advice on getting started, advancing initiatives and overcoming challenges
Join us to learn how nurses are driving environmental sustainability through green teams. This session will highlight the growing role of nurses in starting, leading, and expanding green teams across health care settings. Hear a brief overview of emerging research on green teams in Canada, followed by real-world insights from nursing leaders who have successfully launched and scaled initiatives—from early-stage teams to established programs. Speakers will share practical advice on getting started, engaging colleagues, and advancing impactful sustainability initiatives in your own workplace.
This webinar is being delivered as part of the Coalition’s “Preparing Health Care Buildings for Net-Zero” project, made possible with an investment from the Government of Canada’s Low Carbon Economy Implementation Readiness Fund.
Speakers
Maya Kalogirou, Raheal Ghirmay & Katie North
Maya Kalogirou, CANE Past President
Raheal Ghirmay
Raheal Ghirmay is a registered nurse with over a decade of experience across acute care, community health, and rural practice. Her career includes bedside nursing, quality improvement, professional practice, and healthcare management. She currently works in health informatics, supporting the use of data and digital systems to strengthen clinical practice and care delivery. She also consults in program development and evaluation, partnering with teams to design and assess initiatives that improve quality and performance. Her interests sit at the intersection of digital health, planetary health, and clinical practice. As a green team leader, she contributes to organizational efforts aimed at reducing environmental impact and advancing the integration of sustainable practices within healthcare settings. She is particularly interested in how nurses can use data, systems thinking, and clinical insight to advance both patient and planetary health.
Katie North
Katie North is a registered nurse based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. She graduated from the RN program at Université Saint Boniface in 2011 and completed her Bachelor of Nursing in 2012 at the University of Ottawa. In 2021, she returned to school and completed a Master of Nursing with a focus in healthcare leadership with Athabasca University and Université d’ Ottawa and a graduate studies degree in Environmental sustainability with University of Saskatchewan in 2023. Katie is currently enrolled in the PhD Nursing program with the University of Saskatchewan and is completing an environmentally focused research project aimed at large-scale healthcare systems and cultural changes. She worked for nearly a decade in a variety of clinical roles, including front-line care and as a clinical resource nurse, in acute care head, neck, and abdominal surgery units. Katie is the manager of health services for medicine at St. Boniface Hospital (SBGH) in Winnipeg since 2022 and teaches courses for the BN program with Université de Saint Boniface (USB). She also serves on a number of committees, including the Sustainability Development Committee for USB, CANE as the Sustainability Director, the Manitoba Nurses for Health and Environment Collective, capital planning advisor for the Canadian Coalition of Green Healthcare, the Association of Regulated Nurses of Manitoba Governance Committee, and the St. Boniface Hospital Environmental Sustainability Chair. Today, Katie will be talking about her work in tertiary care green teams.
More Information
Go to our CANE Nursing Week page at:
Registration
https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_oDb-zNaRQ7etqqHnCu0MZg#/registration
Dr. Kalogirou was born and raised in Edmonton, Alberta. She is a Registered Nurse with a clinical background in emergency room nursing, and is a doctoral graduate from the University of Alberta. Maya is a planetary health nursing researcher who is specifically interested in 1) the decarbonization of the Canadian healthcare system; and 2) exploring the intersection between climate change and health. She is passionate about engaging nurses and other healthcare professionals in addressing the climate crisis, as well as finding ways to work together to advocate for a health sector that promotes the health of people and the planet. Maya was the President for the Canadian Association of Nurses for the Environment/Association canadienne des infirmières et infirmiers pour l’environnement (CANE/ACIIE) from 2023-2025. She is currently an Assistant Professor at the University of Alberta.