Climate change. Biodiversity loss. Pollution. These are among the top planetary threats of the 21st century. Addressing these complex challenges requires creative and interdisciplinary approaches.
Planetary Health Conference 2024
Trinity Western University hosted its first conference on planetary health jointly organized by the School of Nursing and the Faculty of Natural and Applied Sciences on March 22–23, 2024. The event took place online and in person at the Langley campus DeVries Centre and was the pinnacle of TWU’s annual sustainability week that promotes environmental stewardship.
Planetary health, the conference co-chairs Dr. Barbara Astle and Dr. David Clements indicated, is a “solution-oriented transdisciplinary field and social movement for addressing the impacts of human disruptions to the Earth’s natural systems on human health and all life on earth.”
“We welcome diverse topics that explore the interconnectivity for the health of our planet,” they expressed.
'Protecting and sustaining the well-being of our ecosystems'
With its theme of "protecting and sustaining the well-being of our ecosystems," TWU's Planetary Health Conference provided a platform for multiple disciplines to engage with our planet’s health, inviting the perspectives of Indigenous ways of knowing, spirituality, faith traditions, global ethics, nursing practice, scientific research, and artistic expression to speak into the world's shared planetary concerns.
The co-chairs expressed, "Our shared conference goal is to foster global and transdisciplinary discussions for addressing the impacts of human disruptions to the Earth’s natural systems on human health and all life on earth."
Collaborating for planetary health
During the opening ceremony, Dean of the School of Nursing Dr. Sheryl Reimer-Kirkham emphasized how the conference's themes connect with TWU's overarching vision. She highlighted how the conference's explorations on planetary health are relevant to helping graduates be equipped to "think truthfully, act justly, and live faithfully for the good of the world the glory of God." She added that "‘the good of the world’ surely includes the health of our planet."
Dean of the Faculty of Natural and Applied Sciences Dr. Glen Van Brummelen pointed out the need to collaborate across disciplines, "More than ever we need to recognize that God’s creation, and humans and our cultures, are multi-faceted and intertwined. Whether it be issues of health, climate change, biodiversity, or pollution, we must address them in interdisciplinary ways. To solve them, we need to have diverse approaches."
Interdisciplinary scholars, TWU faculty and staff, and graduate and undergraduate students attended the conference, which featured three plenary sessions, multiple research presentations and discussions, as well as an outdoor art installation, and an exhibition by TWU Art + Design students.
TWU's Planetary Health Conference welcomed the perspectives of Indigenous ways of knowing, spirituality, faith traditions, global ethics, nursing practice, scientific research, and artistic expression to speak into the world's shared planetary concerns.
Plenary speakers
Dr. Teddie Potter presented the first plenary session of the conference. Dr. Potter is the inaugural director of the Center for Planetary Health and Environmental Justice at University of Minnesota’s School of Nursing, where she currently serves as a clinical professor. Dr. Potter is deeply committed to climate change and planetary health education, and she spoke on the topic of “Planetary Health: Creating a Great Transition For All.”
President & CEO of the Evangelical Environmental Network Rev. Dr. Jessica Moerman presented the second plenary session on “Climate and Health 101: What God’s Creation Is Telling Us.” A climate and environmental scientist, pastor, educator, and advocate, Dr. Moerman has held research positions at John Hopkins University, University of Michigan, and the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, where she researched how climate has changed throughout Earth’s history.
The third plenary session featured a talk by Rev. Mitchell C. Hescox on “An Overview of the Biblical and Physical Dimensions of Creation Care.” As President Emeritus of the Evangelical Environmental Network, Rev. Hescox serves as a climate and energy policy consultant. He has co-authored and contributed to several books on evangelical faith expressed through environmental stewardship.
Perspectives from many disciplines converge
Scholars of many disciplines led sessions throughout the conference. In addition to TWU researchers, presenters included health care, academic, and industry representatives from across Canada and internationally from U.S., U.K., Australia, Ukraine, and Finland. Many TWU students studying nursing or sciences presented their research as well.
One highlight of the conference was a transdisciplinary panel that featured plenary speaker Dr. Potter along with several TWU experts, including University Siya:m Patti Victor Switametelót, Professor of Mathematical Sciences and Glaciologist Dr. Sam Pimentel, and Professor of Art Dr. Erica Grimm.
In addition to academic and plenary presentations, the conference featured works of art that sparked deeper reflection and engagement on conference themes.
A living 'poetry generator'
An outdoor installation, The Poetree Project by Dr. Helma Sawatzky, was featured on a cluster of trees near the DeVries Centre. The project consists of thought-provoking words, individually etched on 75-100 recycled cedar fence slats. Hung with jute twine on the branches of the trees, the suspended words invited viewers to imagine poetic connections and verses. The artist describes her work as a “poetry generator” and “a form of participatory action research.”
“The work unfolds a contemplative space," Dr. Sawatzky expresses in her artist statement, "in which you find yourself, for a moment, in conversation with the ‘more than human world.’ It invites you to participate with the trees, the wind, the words, and movement among these parts to create short poems that reflect on our deep implication in—and participation with—the natural world.”
Organic connections and planetary health
An art exhibition at the DeVries Centre, Entangled Bodies, curated by Assistant Professor of Art + Design Alysha Creighton, featured the works of TWU students Zaeya Winter, De Tang, and Yihan Wang. Their collective works “reveal the interdependence and vulnerability of human bodies through references to viscera, delicate plant structures, interior spaces, and dystopian landscapes.”
While Winter’s drawings "entwine imagery of plant bodies with human bodies," Tang’s paintings reference landscapes and bodily interiors. Wang’s installation depicts a beating heart, which pulses with light and emits an audible heartbeat that echoes through the exhibition space.
As the artists describe, “Together these artworks foreground the reality that no real conversation of human health can take place outside the context of planetary health.”
Acknowledgements
The 2024 Planetary Health Conference is co-sponsored by Trinity Western University, the School of Nursing, and the Faculty of Natural and Applied Sciences, together with the Canadian Scientific and Christian Affiliation, Pacific-Northwest Health Equity Network, and the Scholarship and Christianity in Oxford Supporting Structures grant. Special thanks to the members of the conference's organizing committee, scientific review committee, and student volunteers.
About the School of Nursing
Caring for the health and well-being of individuals, families, and communities is both motivating and rewarding. We give you the knowledge and skills necessary for a nursing career in hospitals and community-based settings and the practical experience required to be highly sought after when you graduate. Learn more at TWU School of Nursing.
About the Faculty of Natural and Applied Sciences
At TWU, science education is delivered by capable, committed Christian educators who are not only experts in their fields but scholars who continually advance their disciplines through research. Mentorship is helped by our small class sizes—whether students choose to study biology, biotechnology, chemistry, computer science, geography and the environment, geology, mathematics, or physics. Learn more at the Faculty of Natural and Applied Sciences.
About Trinity Western University
Founded in 1962, Trinity Western University is a global Christian liberal arts university. We are dedicated to equipping students to discover meaningful connections between career, life, and the needs of the world. Drawing upon the riches of the Christian tradition, seeking to unite faith and reason through teaching and scholarship, Trinity Western University is a degree-granting research institution offering liberal arts and sciences as well as professional schools in business, nursing, education, human kinetics, graduate studies, and arts, media, and culture. It has four locations in Canada: Langley, Richmond-Lansdowne, Richmond-Minoru, and Ottawa. Learn more at www.twu.ca or follow us on Instagram @trinitywestern, Twitter @TrinityWestern, on Facebook and LinkedIn.
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