Building critical mass for health and sustainability
Sustainability is arguably the greatest challenge ever faced by the humankind. There is no “Plan B”. We simply cannot afford to get it wrong. So, while the task of mitigating the damage already done and preventing further degradation is formidable in its magnitude and complexity, knowing where to start is easy. The first task must be to build critical intellectual capacity and mass to ask the right questions and find the right answers to tackling the overwhelming problems of mental, physical and social health: energy, water, and food shortage; population growth; excessive and poorly planned urbanisation; ambient temperature increases; and over-consumption, waste and economic stability. The task commenced in 2008 with:
Medicine Dean’s Sustainability Roundtable
Organised by The Health and Sustainability Unit (incorporating The Diabetes Unit) in August 2008 on behalf of the Dean of Medicine, Professor Bruce Robinson to explore and scope the parameters of health and sustainability with senior staff from the Faculties of Health.
Faculties of Health Conference 2008
During the plenary session of the ‘From Cell to Society – Faculties of Health Research Conference’ Renee Slade facilitated a panel discussion with the Deans of each Health Faculty around the question of what sustainability means to their area.
Hosted by the Medicine Dean, Professor Bruce Robinson, for the Faculties of Health and organised by The Health and Sustainability Unit, the Health and Sustainability Forum held on December 5 2008 bought staff, students and associates together to:
Develop a shared understanding of the centrality of health to sustainability
Showcase sustainability related research and projects across the Faculties of Health
Identify opportunities for the Faculties of Health to advance the University’s strategic directions and set the foundation for future activities
Foster a ‘united front’ across the Faculties of Health in relation to sustainability
The program was built around the University’s strategic priority areas:
Research and innovation
Teaching and learning
Community engagement and outreach
The student experience
The Forum highlighted a diverse range of innovative sustainability research and projects already underway across the Faculties of Health and identified priority actions for early 2009 including:
Convene a small group from the Faculties of Health to undertake a formal planning exercise to maximise critical mass in addressing sustainability and health issues
Explore the development of a USISS communication strategy in collaboration with other theme leaders
Use existing mechanisms to reach and engage interested Alumni members
Sustainability & Health Forum Possibilities & Priorities for the Faculties of Health: presentation slides
Climate and Health Council Pledge
The Climate and Health Council is an international organisation and part of a registered charity, Knowledge into Action. Their aim is to mobilise health professionals across the world to take action to limit climate change, a serious threat to human health.
The Council has mounted an international campaign aimed at enabling the ‘health voice’ to be properly heard in the lead up to the United Nations Climate Change Conference in December 2009, where a new agreement to replace the Kyoto Protocol will hopefully be negotiated.
By March 2009 they aim to have gathered at least 10,000 health professional signatories to a pledge...To protect health through active engagement to limit the causes of human-caused climate change...
It is critical to engage all levels, facets, and structures of society in finding solutions to the complex problems of sustainability.
Oxford Dialogue on Advertising & Sustainability
In October 2008, the University of Sydney Institute for Sustainable Solutions (USISS) and Oxford Health Alliance (OxHA) – Asia-Pacific Centre, in conjunction with the Australian Association of National Advertisers (AANA) conducted a roundtable meeting with representatives from advertising and marketing to discuss the meaning and challenges of sustainability to advertisers.
This preliminary Oxford Dialogue on Sustainability and Advertising was exploratory in nature and raised a variety of issues and ideas and identified barriers and dilemmas which pave the way for continuing discussion and future action to address this critical area of sustainability.
Making submissions on topical health policy, chronic disease prevention and environmental issues is an important function of The Health and Sustainability Unit as both an awareness raising and advocacy strategy. Submissions are frequently made jointly by the Oxford Health Alliance and USISS Health Theme.
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