Nurses Drawdown: Building a Nurse-Led, Solutions-Based Quality Improvement Project to Address Climate Change

Background: Climate change is one of the most significant threats to public health we currently face. While the link between climate change and health is clear, many nurses have not received education on climate change, as it may not routinely be included in nursing curricula. This lack of knowledge can prevent nurses from engaging in climate solutions, incorporating climate change into their practice or research, or participating in climate advocacy within their institutions or with policymakers. Methods: Nurses Drawdown is a web-based platform that builds on the work of Project Drawdown, which identifies and quantifies effective, evidence-based climate solutions. Nurses Drawdown utilizes evidence-based techniques for web design and movement building to engage a global nursing audience on five areas of action that have clear links to health: Energy, Food, Gender Equity, Mobility, and Nature-Based Solutions. Results: Sixteen nursing organizations signed on with Nurses Drawdown as official partners; within 1 month of going live, nurses from 16 countries had committed to take action. Web-based movement building can effectively engage a global nursing audience. However, new partnerships with nursing organizations may not form until there is proof of nursing engagement.