Alberta Health Professionals for the Environment

Take action on our 2 campaigns -

Coal & Green Electric Capacity

1) Demand a ban on coal mining activity: Send a letter to your government & join call to action

Stand with Health Professionals, Organizations & Albertans Calling for an End to Coal Mining in Alberta

Albertans, it’s time to demand action.

Send a letter to the Premier of Alberta, Ministers, and your Member of Legislative Assembly demanding they act now to implement a complete ban on new coal mines and expansions, ensuring Alberta’s landscapes, waterways, and public and environmental health are protected for current and future generations.

Send a Letter

Are you a professional individual or organization?

Tell your government that you stand with individual Albertans, Alberta organizations, and the Alberta Health Professionals for the Environment in our united call. 

Read Our Call to Action &  View Signatories

Sign on to Our Call to Action

2) Demand green electricity: Send a letter to your government & join call to action

Stand with Health Professionals, Organizations & Albertans Calling for an Urgent and Rapid Increase in Alberta’s Green Electric Capacity

Albertans, it’s time to demand action.

Send a letter to the Premier of Alberta, Ministers, and your Member of Legislative Assembly demanding they act now to urgently and rapidly increase Alberta's green electric capacity.

Send a Letter

Are you a professional individual or organization?

Tell your government that you stand with individual Albertans, Alberta organizations, and the Alberta Health Professionals for the Environment in our united call. 

Read Our Call to Action & View Signatories 

 Sign On to Our Call to Action

AHPE

Alberta Health Professionals for the Environment (AHPE) is a working group of the Alberta Environmental Network. We are dedicated to advancing environmental health awareness and advocacy by activating Alberta's health community.

Comprised of health organizations from various health fields, we strive to promote sustainable practices and policies to safeguard both public health and the environment for our and future generations of Albertans.

Currently the triple planetary crisis of pollution causing climate change, biodiversity loss, and harm to the air, water and soil is believed to be the greatest long-term threat to the future and current generations of humans and all other life forms on Earth (planetary health).

Our Mission

Our mission is to raise awareness about the interconnections between environmental pollution and human health, and the health of the planet, by empowering health professionals, patients and the public to activate, advocate for and implement practices to reduce environmental pollution in their workplaces, communities and broader society.

Who Are We?

Members of the Alberta Health Professionals for the Environment Working Group are drawn from a diverse range of organizations within the health sector. These organizations represent nursing, pharmacy, medicine, public health, health-related charities, and allied health professions and workers. Comprised of dedicated health and healthcare professionals, academics, and subject matter experts, AHPE brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to this much needed space. Take a look at our AHPE Working Group Member's Directory.

AHPE Group Member's Directory

What We Do

  • Education and Awareness: We work with our member organizations to provide resources for health professionals, patients and the public about the environmental pollution's impact on planetary health, how to integrate sustainability into their daily life, and how to advocate for broader societal policies to reduce our pollution and sustain the planet.
  • Advocacy: We work with health professional organizations to build consensus and unify advocacy from the health sector for societal policies and initiatives that reduce environmental pollution and for our organizations and members to be internally consistent with these policies. The AHPE is empowering Albertans to advocate for meaningful action on environmental issues that impact our health and the planet, starting with two key Call to Actions relating to coal mining and green electricity capacity in Alberta.
  • Collaboration: We collaborate with other provincial, national, and international organizations, within the health sector, the environmental advocacy community and broader society to amplify our impact and effect positive change.

The AHPE is dedicated to providing health professionals, patients and the public with access to reliable resources to help  understand the connections between environmental pollution and planetary health. We believe that informed health sector, patients and public are empowered to make changes. Our resources are designed to outline the known connections between pollution harming the environment and health, and to provide guidance on how you can protect your well-being, that of future generations and the planet.

As health professionals, we have a unique opportunity to influence both individual health outcomes and broader environmental sustainability efforts. The Alberta Environmental Network (AEN), which links Alberta based organizations committed to preserving and protecting the environment, has formed a planetary health working group – “Alberta Health Professionals for the Environment (AHPE)” – to help mobilize and coordinate the health sector towards addressing environmental risks to planetary health, including the health of humans and all species.

This Health Working Group offers resources and support to help build awareness and consensus within the health community and provide resources for health practitioners on how to effectively communicate with patients and the public about the interconnectedness of planetary and human health.  We will work towards a unified health sector approach to advocate for reductions in pollution and loss of biodiversity that threaten our and future generations health and wellbeing.

Who Are We?

Members of the AHPE Working Group are drawn from a diverse range of organizations within the health sector which represent nursing, pharmacy, medicine, public health, environmental educators, health-related charities, and allied health professions and workers. Comprised of dedicated health and healthcare professionals, academics, and subject matter experts, AHPE brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to this much needed space. Take a look at our AHPE Working Group Member's Directory.

AHPE Group Member's Directory

What We Offer:

  • Building Awareness and Consensus: Access resources and participate in initiatives aimed at raising awareness within the health community about the connections between environmental factors, human health and planetary health. Join us in promoting reduction in pollution within the health sector and the broader society (including patients, the public, governments and the private sector).
  • Practitioner Education: Gain practical guidance and tools for effectively learning about the triple environmental threat and educational resources for patients and the public. Learn how to link environmental factors to health outcomes and empower patients to take action for their own health and the health of the planet.
  • Networking Opportunities: Connect with like-minded practitioners who share your commitment to advancing environmental health awareness and advocacy. Collaborate on AHPE and AEN projects and initiatives aimed at promoting sustainable health practices and policies.
  • Advocacy Tools: Access resources and toolkits to help you advocate for environmentally sustainable health solutions within your organization and community. Join us in advocating for policies and practices that prioritize both human health and environmental stewardship.

 

Get Involved:

Join our network of health professionals dedicated to advancing environmental health awareness and advocacy. Together, we can drive positive change in health delivery and promote a healthier planet for all. Please use the contact form to get in touch with us. 

“Climate change is the greatest global health threat facing the world in the 21st century” – The Lancet Countdown (Nov. 5, 2022)

Resources:

Practitioner ResourcesAll resources, included archived versions. The newest versions of documents (2025) will be released soon, please check in later. In the mean time, sign up for to get updated by the AHPE. 

Find resources, including: 

  • AHPE's Terms of Reference outline the Working Group's background, vision and mission, goals, activities, and information about it's membership and meetings.
  • Call to Action on Climate Change provides high level recommendations needed to mitigate climate change and to identify potential contributions specific to health sector organizations and their members. 
  • Fact Sheet is appended resources on the impact of human induced climate change and pollution (i.e., greenhouse gasses) causing climate change from the health sector perspective. 
  • Key Messages
  • "What Health Organizations Can Do To Help Reduce Climate Change" 
  • Practitioner Brochures 

Opportunity to Field Test:

Interested in providing feedback on our resources? We are committed to ensuring that our communications are clear, effective, and useful to all members. To achieve this, we need your valuable feedback and insights. Please share your thoughts with us.

Coming Soon:

Stay tuned for the launch of our resource database, more downloadable materials, and an events calendar. We need to work together to make informed decisions about our health, that of future generations and the planet.

Get updates from AHPE

Sign up to receive communications from the Alberta Health Professionals for the Environment, including: resources, relevant news, AHPE progress highlights, and information on opportunities for direct action (volunteering, petitions, and more).

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Truth & Reconciliation at AEN

Learn more about our process and progress, and share your thoughts with us, on our Decolonization and Indigenization page.

It is our understanding at the Alberta Environmental Network that Reconciliation starts with the land, and there is no Reconciliation until we have faced the Truth. While Truth is held collectively, we recognize everyone is on their own learning journey, at their own pace. Our work at AEN focuses on the lands outlined by the Province of Alberta, lands with which we are learning to be in kinship relationship, in the nêhiyaw (Cree) spirit of treaty-making. The lands we work for are described in Treaties 4, 6, 7, 8, and 10. The traditional keepers of this land are Anishinabe, Nêhiyawak (Cree), Dené, Dane-zaa, Nakota, Îyârhe Nakoda (Stoney Nakoda), Tsuut’ina, and Siksikaitsitapi (Blackfoot Confederacy); this land is also the homeland of the Métis. We are committed to building meaningful reciprocal relationships, to be of service particularly to those directly experiencing the effects of oppression, genocide, and exploitation.