Lay summary
Healthcare saves lives but does so in a way that is environmentally unsustainable. Greenhouse gas emissions, plastic waste, and water contamination are some of the harmful side-effects of the healthcare system. These, in turn, have impacts on human health. While many healthcare professionals care deeply about sustainability, they face obstacles to greening the healthcare system. They may feel isolated and lack the support, resources and access to management to make change. The purpose of this project is to create a people-focused sustainability network at Starship Children’s Hospital based on a model implemented in educational institutions (Harre et al. 2021). Using principles from complexity theory and community psychology, the network is aimed at generating projects and organisational change consistent with a ‘sustainability culture’. The funds requested will be used to conduct surveys of staff at the hospital, establish a Māori Advisory Board, set-up the network and develop measures for long-term research.