environmental health

NSWNMA works towards zero emissions

June 1, 2022 by Madeline Lucre Leave a Comment

The Association has implemented new measures to reduce its carbon footprint.

In April this year, the NSWNMA began printing The Lamp on paper produced from sustainable forests and carbon-neutral production processes, and wrapping the magazine in recyclable and biodegradable film.

This change is just one of many the Association is implementing to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 75 per cent by 2030, with the aim of reaching net-zero emissions by 2035.

The Association has introduced a range of measures to meet the targets, including purchasing hybrid cars, trialling an electric car, progressively replacing office lighting with lower energy-consuming LEDs, and making videoconferencing a regular feature of organising.

Reducing the NSWNMA’s carbon footprint is in line with the target set by the Climate and Health Alliance (CAHA), a coalition of health-sector organisations working for climate action and sustainable health care.

General Secretary Brett Holmes said, “As an active member of CAHA, we should commit to achieving CAHA’s target for reducing GHG emissions.”

As part of its emission reduction strategy, the NSWNMA Council recently approved the purchase and installation of solar panels on the roof of its Waterloo headquarters. It is estimated the panels will supply 19 per cent of the building’s energy needs.

Brett said that the “estimated cost of solar panels will be recovered in reduced energy bills within 5.8 years”.

To meet the balance of the office’s energy usage, the NSWNMA Council also recently approved the purchase of carbon-offset power.

Leading by example

The green plan for the Association’s future was developed after an internal environmental committee conducted an environmental audit to assess the organisation’s carbon footprint. The committee began its work in 2019 and found that the Association reduced its emission of all gases by 33 per cent between 2019 and 2020.

Much of this reduction could be attributed to the impact of the pandemic, with Association staff and members taking fewer flights, and more staff working from home.

“Some of the changes introduced during the pandemic, such as video conferencing, will be incorporated into the way we work going forward,” Brett said. “The challenge for us will be making changes without disrupting services to members and/or negatively impacting staff.”

Brett said reducing emissions will need to be balanced with demands of strengthening the union, as staff need to travel to consult with members, and to meet with non-members.

“We need to make the Association more sustainable and closer to achieving carbon neutrality, but we can’t dispense with democracy. It is especially important that regional delegates can attend Association meetings in person.”

A motion recently approved by the NSWNMA Council will see the Association purchasing GHG offsets for all air travel.

To meet its targets, the Association is also moving its car fleet to more environmentally friendly vehicles, with the purchase of 12 hybrid vehicles in 2020, and the recent trial of an electric car.

“We will need to find ways of reducing our emissions and at the same time ensure our services to members and our democratic decision-making processes are at least maintained, if not enhanced,” Brett said.

“Adopting and vigorously pursuing these targets is consistent with our strategic plan, and our organisational values of leading by example and being a role model for sustainable health care.”

‘We need to make the Association more sustainable and closer to achieving carbon neutrality.’ – Brett Holmes, General Secretary

“It is important to practise what we preach”

Sarah Ellyard, secretary of the Macquarie Hospital NSWNMA branch and a climate movement activist, welcomes the Association’s commitment to reducing its environmental footprint.

“The Association is saying all the right things about climate change and climate action, and making the link between climate change and health, and I think it is really important that the union practises what it preaches. It is the right thing to do, but it also shows leadership by the union on the issue.

“There are so many ways that climate and health are connected. Climate change exacerbates chronic health conditions and, in addition, climate change is changing the spread of a range of infectious diseases.

“New pandemics can emerge as a result of climate change, and pre-existing diseases can spread further from the equator. Air pollution caused by burning fossil fuels, meanwhile, impacts health, food supply and water supply.

“The link between climate and health can’t be highlighted enough. The WHO recognises that climate change is the biggest threat to health this century. There is going to be massive pressure on the health system going forward, if the system isn’t strengthened and given the additional resources it needs, and I think there is a real need to raise awareness amongst the health profession and the wider public.”

Study finds green space alleviates PMS

February 3, 2022 by Madeline Lucre Leave a Comment

Another health benefit associated with natural environments.

Scientists from the Barcelona Institute for Global Health and the University of Bergen found that women living in neighbourhoods with more green space had fewer premenstrual syndrome (PMS) symptoms and were less likely to experience anxiety, depression, difficulty sleeping, breast tenderness or abdominal bloating.

The study, published in Environment International, adds to a growing body of evidence of the health benefits associated with natural environments.

Lead author Kai Triebner, a researcher at the University of Bergen, told The Guardian : “Three of the four symptoms that improved with exposure to green space were psychological, which is consistent with what we already knew: contact with nature helps to reduce stress and improve mental health.”

Triebner said green space lowered levels of cortisol.

“Stress can worsen PMS symptoms and increase levels of the hormone cortisol, and in turn could be associated with an increased release of progesterone, which has been linked to the occurrence of PMS symptoms,” he said.

The research is “another building block” in understanding of what the best conditions are to live healthily.

The research found that women needed to be exposed to green space for a long time to get the most benefits.

“Our research underscores the importance of long-term exposure to green space, which is where benefits against PMS symptoms were found,” said Payam Dadvand from the Barcelona Institute for Global Health, another researcher involved in the study.

Health Concerns over Westconnex

May 1, 2017 by Rayan Calimlim

Sydney’s WestConnex road and tunnel project is riddled with health issues, argue activists.

The $18.6 billion, 33 kilometre road and tunnel project will lead to greater traffic volume and increase harmful pollution in areas where schools, housing and businesses are concentrated, say critics.

Dr Sujata Allan, a Sydney-based GP registrar and a member of Doctors for the Environment Australia, says that although Australia has national standards to regulate maximum levels of air pollution, “there is no safe limit for particle pollution”.

“The current regulations aren’t protecting public health,” says Dr Allan, “In any case, particle pollution along many areas on the WestConnex route is already close to current standards.”

According to Dr Allan, the current level of air pollution in Sydney is roughly equivalent to smoking one cigarette a day, and in Sydney air pollutants such as ozone and fine particles at times exceed the national standards, and are predicted to increase by 2036. She said particulate matter is linked to asthma, lung disease, cancer and stroke and higher rates of doctor visits, along with many other health issues.

“It is the pollution that you can’t see that is the most dangerous. It’s the smaller particle pollution produced by traffic that can get into the lungs and bloodstream, causing increased heart and lung diseases. Particle pollution alone causes fifteen hundred deaths each year in Australia.”

The WestConnex project will widen the M4 between Parramatta and Homebush and connect to the M5 and Port Botany via a series of tunnels and road widenings. Major sections are already in construction, with land clearing, bulk earthworks and tunnel boring taking place along the M4 motorway from Haberfield to Silverwater, and similar work underway to the south-west around St Peters in preparation for a new M5 tunnel.

More inner city air pollution

Jennifer Aaron, a retired nurse and activist opposed to WestConnex, said the community can’t be confident that state government had put in place measures to deal with the pollution that will result from the development.

“The 55-plus emission stacks throughout the inner west will all be unfiltered and the majority are very close to schools, pre-schools, playgrounds and homes. The SMC has stated that it is too expensive to filter the stacks and that they will be high enough to carry the unfiltered air up.”

State member for Newtown, Jenny Leong, has also raised concerns about WestConnex.

“WestConnex will put unfiltered ventilation stacks less than 500 metres from public schools, child-care centres and nursing homes,” Leong said.

“Vehicle exhaust emissions will worsen inner city air pollution, releasing airborne particles known to cause premature mortality and have serious health impacts.”

Jenny Leong is also concerned about health and safety breaches during the project’s construction. “There have been issues at Kingsgrove and Haberfield, as well as major concerns around the former Alexandria Landfill site, in terms of remediation, asbestos and the lack of proper safety measures.”

NSWNMA Assistant General Secretary Judith Kiejda says there is overwhelming evidence that WestConnex will cause serious health problems.

“We know that a road project like this will encourage even more cars on to our roads. This is the exact opposite of what needs to happen.

“We need solutions that take cars off the road and that encourage and support Sydneysiders to walk, cycle and to use public transport.

“We need to think about how we protect and nourish the health of Sydneysiders and we don’t do that through the creation of such a massive, polluting roadway.”