It isn’t always easy to take environmental action in a setting that can challenge waste reduction and mindful environmental practices. Sam Burwell, a nursing student at McMaster University and a passionate EcoTeam alumnus, strives to change this. Working and studying in the medical field is a passion of Sam’s, but she’s never let her field of study get in the way of her desire for environmental change.
Sam joined her school’s EcoTeam in the sixth grade at Centennial Public School in the Halton District School Board, and after the program disbanded due to a turnover in leadership, Sam took the EcoTeam’s survival into her own hands:“I still wanted to be able to make a difference in the school, so I re-founded the EcoTeam under the supervision of the librarian at lunch,” she recalls. “As a team, we sold metal water bottles to raise money for a water bottle filling station and we were also able to raise money for an outdoor classroom.” Needless to say, Sam has consistently taken a leadership role in environmental initiatives at school.
She finds herself faced with a new challenge in the workplace: hospitals are noted for their elevated levels of waste. “Green practices within a hospital are hard to come by – for good reason. The waste a hospital creates is mostly due to the importance of sterility.”
“The EcoTeam allowed me to make a difference when I was in grade 7 and empowered me to make change at a young age. This lesson has stayed with me into my personal life. Even though working in a controlled environment like a hospital can make it difficult to be ‘green’, I still have control over my personal life to be mindful of the environment.”
Despite this, Sam strives to promote waste reduction, while ensuring she maintains her workplace’s strict health and safety practices. Sam is in the hospital all year working in research, part-time during the school year and full-time during the summer. She encourages her department to reduce their waste wherever possible, from the use of paperless charts to bringing lunch from home in a reusable container. She takes every opportunity she can to avoid using and opening new supplies unless completely necessary when working in the hospital.
Sam’s experience on her EcoTeam has influenced her actions, beliefs, and studies beyond her time in school, allowing her to carry her environmental leadership role into the workplace. “The EcoTeam allowed me to make a difference when I was in grade 7 and empowered me to make change at a young age. This lesson has stayed with me into my personal life. Even though working in a controlled environment like a hospital can make it difficult to be ‘green’, I still have control over my personal life to be mindful of the environment.”
Sam recognizes that workplaces do not always make it easy to prioritize environmental action. Especially in a setting such as a hospital, where there are very strict regulations regarding disposal of materials and tools, it can be tough to be mindful of how much waste is being produced. Sam doesn’t let this make her feel less hopeful, however.
“You can still be environmentally friendly even if your work does not specifically outline it. If you can change rules and regulations within your workplace to be more green systemwide – that’s great. If not, you can still practice being green on your own.”
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