Health as a Climate Change Priority at ACLA 2025!
ecoAmerica’s American Climate Leadership Awards (ACLA) announced the 2025 winners during a live broadcast on April 16th. Each year, ACLA honors schools, health organizations, faith institutions, everyday individuals, youth, and many others with outstanding climate engagement. Chosen from a competitive pool of applicants by a distinguished panel of nationally celebrated judges, these organizations and individuals exemplify leadership in driving local, state, and national climate solutions.
We are proud that a number of this year’s 10 finalists are working on climate change from a health perspective. Climate change is a public health issue and health professionals have a responsibility to lead on climate as trusted messengers. Read more about each of the health-focused individuals and groups below and be sure to watch the broadcast if you missed it!
As Director of CIRCLE at Stanford Psychiatry — a research and action initiative focused on climate change and mental health in the Stanford School of Medicine — Britt Wray leads work to develop and test interventions to support youth struggling with climate anxiety and frontline communities dealing with climate-related traumas. Congratulations to Britt Wray, this year’s 2025 Runner-Up!
Read about Britt and watch Britt’s feature in the awards broadcast.
Nurse Janice Evans Hawkins has worked as a climate activist and educator, mobilizing the nursing workforce for climate change advocacy. Using multiple platforms and established partnerships with national and international organizations to expand the reach to nurses everywhere, she educates and prepares nurses as climate activists. She equips nurses with replicable strategies, knowledge, skills, and resources to mitigate climate change as it relates to population health, health equity, and justice.
Read about Janice Evans Hawkins and watch Nurse Evans Hawkins’ feature in the awards broadcast.
Led by Dartmouth faculty, NH Healthy Climate volunteers, medical students, and pediatric residents, the project piloted an innovative intervention in seven pediatric clinics across New Hampshire. Key activities included developing and implementing a Climate Informed Care Toolkit, which provides clinicians with actionable resources to integrate climate-related health discussions into routine care, focusing on heat, extreme weather, mosquitos/ticks, air quality, and mental health.
Read about NH Healthy Climate and watch NH Healthy Climate’s feature in the awards broadcast.
The University of California Center for Climate, Health and Equity (CCHE) was founded in 2021 and builds its activities around four pillars of research, education, health systems sustainability and preparedness, and policy with an emphasis on trans-disciplinary collaborations. The Center’s numerous projects drive climate action. They also developed and led the University of California-wide Climate and Health Education Faculty Development initiative, which has trained over 100 faculty members to integrate climate and health into their ongoing teaching, reaching more than 7000 health professional and science students.
Read on about the University of California CCHE and watch the CCHE’s feature in the awards broadcast.
About the Author
Amanda Li is an APHA Kaiser Permanente Community Health Fellow placed with ecoAmerica’s Climate for Health program.
Additional Resources
Watch the American Climate Leadership Awards 2025
Mental Health and Our Changing Climate: Children and Youth Report 2023