Healthcare Without Harm is an NGO dedicated to promoting environmental justice inside of hospitals and healthcare facilities. They are an international coalition of hospitals and health care systems, community groups, labor unions, environmental organizations, and religious groups that first came together over dioxin emissions from incinerated medical waste. They are also the central group leading the charge to get harmful chemicals that leach from plastics, such as phthalates, out of medical devices. They have been part of framing climate change as an environmental health issue, and have a Divestment White Paper on Financial, Theological, and Health Arguments against Coal. They tackle indoor air quality, medical waste, and green building materials. And they are co-hosting CleanMed, a conference on environmental sustainability in healthcare, in Portland, Oregon, from May 12-14, 2015. It’s mainly a conference for practitioners and administrators, but some of the presentations will be of interest to a wide range of people. Registration is open (though pricey).

CleanMed, THE premier national environmental conference for leaders in health care sustainability, will be held in Portland, Oregon on May 12-14, 2015.

It’s the one time each year for businesses with environmentally preferable products and services or nutritious, sustainable foods to connect with the health care leaders who make purchasing decisions for their facilities. No other conference will connect you with the leaders at the forefront of implementing sustainability projects, green building design and environmentally preferable purchasing. CleanMed is presented each year by Practice Greenhealth, the leading membership association for hospitals and businesses engaged in sustainable health care, and Health Care Without Harm, the campaign for environmentally responsible health care and advocate for environmental health and justice across the globe.