Silas: In ways big and small, we can all contribute to a greener healthier planet.
(CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I.) – The Canadian Federation of Nurses Unions (CFNU) marked World Environment Day and the opening of its biennial convention in Prince Edward Island’s capital with the symbolic planting of a red oak tree near the Charlottetown Harbour today.
Planting of the sapling at the south end of Queen Street, in front of the Prince Edward Island Convention Centre, is a small but powerful symbol of the impact we can all have as individuals on the environment, CFNU President Linda Silas said this morning.
“By planting a single tree, each of us can contribute to the fight against climate change and improve the quality of life for all Canadians – a powerful contributor to the determinants of health that concern all nurses,” Silas said.
It is also a reminder of the fires and storms that have disrupted lives in Eastern Canada, said Prince Edward Island Nurses’ Union President Barbara Brookins, who attended a short ceremony at the planting site with other CFNU National Executive Board members Monday afternoon.
Brookins said the CFNU Board was inspired by the word of the Congress of Union Retirees of Canada (CURC), which has encouraged members to join the Global Foundation for Social Harmony and Sustainable Development’s annual June tree-planting program.
The CURC asks its members to plant a tree every June at a place they call home.
World Environment Day provides a chance for people all around the world to create a greener and healthier planet and take an active role in safeguarding the environment for future generations.
More than 1,000 frontline nurses from across Canada are expected in P.E.I. for the biennial convention.
-30-
The CFNU is Canada’s largest nurses’ organization, representing Canada’s frontline nurses in every sector of health care – from home care, to LTC, community and acute care, including nursing students – and advocating on key health priorities and federal engagement in the future of public health care.
For more information or to arrange an interview with Linda Silas or Barbara Brookins, please contact: Adella Khan, media@nursesunions.ca, 613-807-2942.