Sustainability professionals struggle to engage clinicians, employees, and community members in efforts that feel directly connected to health outcomes. This session explores how a rural health system in Vail, Colorado used local environmental concerns as a catalyst for broader sustainability engagement.

Our journey was motivated by both concern and curiosity. We developed education for community events and translated complex environmental concepts into accessible messages for diverse audiences. This evolved into a clinician-centered educational Grand Rounds presentation, education events (17), and sparked dozens of structured conversations about environmental health within our organization.

We collaborated with municipalities, environmental nonprofits, and community partners to use environmental health education as a tool to build awareness. We discovered that these discussions extended beyond physical health impacts and into behavioral health. Community members increasingly expressed concern about climate-related anxiety driven by issues such as microplastic exposure, changing snowfall and precipitation patterns, increasing severe weather events, and a broader sense of environmental uncertainty.

Attendees will learn how to leverage emerging environmental health topics to engage clinicians, translate research into meaningful education, address climate-related behavioral health concerns, and use health-centered messaging to expand support for sustainability efforts within and beyond their organizations. Participants will leave with strategies for turning awareness into action and creating momentum for sustainability programs. For teams struggling to move beyond compliance-driven engagement, this session offers a replicable model.