Climate crisis continues to affect humanity and our health. Many health care institutions are prioritizing ‘Green’ practice. The theme for Earth Day 2024 is "Planet and Plastics." This webinar will discuss the invisible plastics in our daily practice in health care, and how to be the leaders in advocating environmentally sustainable practice. 

After participating in this activity, participants will be able to: 

1. Recognize areas to reduce carbon footprint within health care 

2. Examine own practice and areas to promote environmentally sustainable practice in anesthesia 

3. Consider being a steward and leader in advocating environmentally sustainable practice in health care 

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This event is moderated by CAS Environmental Sustanability Secretary Dr Matthew Walker. (bio)  

Title: Plastic and Medical Waste
Speaker: Dr Carole Lin (bio)

After participating in this activity, participants will be able to:  

1. Discuss the scope of medical waste, particularly plastics, in healthcare.  
2. Review the AWISH: Addressing World Inequity via Sustainable Healthcare: a medical waste reduction program, highlighting its key components and the potential benefits to cost savings, carbon footprint reduction, and global medical inequity. 
3. ​Discuss best practices and strategies for reducing plastic and medical waste in healthcare settings and    consider implementing similar waste reduction programs, such as AWISH, in their organizations. 

Title: Political Advocacy for the Environment in Health Care
Speaker: Dr Anita Rao (bio)  

After participating in this round, participants will be able to: 

1. Review why physicians are ideal advocates and should partner with politicians to improve the Canadian health care system.
2. ​Discuss an approach to engaging with politicians and their policy experts, and how to get attention for a cause by collaborating with professional associations that have established government relationships.
3. Discuss how to overcome political barriers by anticipating resistance and providing solutions, strategies for risk mitigation and reassurance. 

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Moderator: Dr Matthew Walker
Vancouver General Hospital, Vancouver, BC

Dr Matthew Walker is an anesthesiologist at the Vancouver General Hospital (VGH) and a clinical assistant professor at the University of British Columbia (UBC). He completed medical school at Dalhousie University, residency at UBC and a fellowship in Trauma Anesthesiology at the Alfred Hospital in Melbourne. He is the medical director of the Post Anesthesia Care Unit and co-lead of the Sustainable Anesthesia group at VGH. He is the secretary of the Canadian Anesthesia Society Environmental Sustainability Section. His clinical and research interests are in anesthesia for trauma and burns, perioperative medicine, and sustainable anesthesia. He previously worked as a mechanical engineer and as a lawyer. 


Speaker: Dr Carole Lin
Stanford University, California, USA

Carole Lin is a Clinical Associate Professor of Anesthesiology at Stanford University, specializing in pediatric and regional anesthesiology. Her research interests focus on pediatric regional anesthesiology and healthcare sustainability. Dr. Lin has received recognition for her work, including the Stanford Health Care Sustainability Seed Grant for AWISH: Addressing World Inequity via Sustainable Healthcare. She is the current chair of the California Society of Anesthesiology Sustainability Task Force. Additionally, she is an active member of the sustainability communities of the Society of Pediatric Anesthesiology, the California Society of Anesthesiology, and the American Society of Regional Anesthesia and Pain Medicine. Dr. Lin completed the Yale Climate Change and Health Certificate Program and is the Perioperative Sustainability Lead at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital and a member of the Sustainability Team at Stanford Health Care Hospitals. 


Speaker: Dr Anita Rao 
Trillium Health Partners, Mississauga, ON 

Anita Rao is an anesthesiologist at Trillium Health Partners in Mississauga, Ontario.  She is the Physician Lead of Environmental Sustainability at THP and the Lead for Ontario’s Anesthesiologists Environmental Sustainability Working Group. She is chairing the 2023/2024 Sustainable Perioperative Care Pan-Canadian Network initiative for CASCADES and the 2023/2024 Toronto Academic Health Sciences Network Sustainable Operating Working Group.