Supported by funding from NHS Tayside Charitable Foundation, the Climate Change and Sustainability Team launched the Green Health Champions Programme. The project focused on visibility and education to build a network of "eco-experts" on the frontline.

The funding supported:

• The "Badge of Honour": The procurement of specially designed Green Champion badges. These serve as a conversation starter and a point of pride for staff who have completed their sustainability training.

• Visibility Tools: High-impact pop-up banners with QR codes were placed across NHS sites to make signing up quick and easy during staff events.

• Knowledge Sharing: The creation of a dedicated network channel and a series of "Lunchtime Webinars" covering topics from sustainable travel to clinical waste management.

• Community Partnerships: Utilising resources to support annual membership for the John Muir Trust, allowing Occupational Therapy staff at Strathmartine Hospital to deliver John Muir Awards to inpatient and community groups.

Since its launch, the programme has successfully recruited over 60 Green Champions, with numbers rising after every staff communication.

Key achievements include:

• Capacity Building: Each champion provides roughly 15 minutes of leadership per week in their area. Collectively, this creates a massive increase in the organisation's capacity to tackle climate goals.

• Localised Impact: Champions have already launched "Gloves Off" projects (reducing unnecessary plastic glove use) and waste segregation reviews in their specific wards.

• Professional Development: Staff are undertaking national training modules via Turas to earn their badges, ensuring the advice they give their peers is high-quality and evidence-based.

• Engagement: Four major webinars have already been delivered, with upcoming sessions planned on Greenspace, Biodiversity, and Waste Management.

The true impact of the Green Champions is found in "peer support." By having a champion in each team, sustainable choices become the norm rather than the exception.

The small cost of badges and banners has delivered a significant "Return on Investment." By generating additional staff capacity to monitor waste and reduce emissions at a local level, the project is helping NHS Tayside move toward its net zero targets faster than a central team could do alone. Furthermore, the John Muir Trust collaboration is providing meaningful, climate-focused activities for patients, proving that "Green Health" benefits both the planet and patient wellbeing.