November 29, 2021
by Dr. Vi Thuy Nguyen
SDPCA and I are honored to be nominated for the 2022 American Climate Leadership Award. We completed our proposal submission for a project entitled “Scriptorium for the Planet.”
Scriptorium for the Planet: Bringing together the Unicorns (Pediatric Environmental Health Specialists) and the Gazelles (Premedical Students) to Oregon’s Cows Creek Physician Rescue to Imagine and Refine Creative Climate Narratives
What are the project/initiative’s goals?
A scriptorium is “a place for writing” where writers evaluate our work. Creative projects will inspire. I established a program that links professional advising, advocacy training and climate projects. I leverage my prior work as a premedical advisor. We pair pediatricians with students to collaborate in climate health work. I seek to replicate this model in Kansas City and Southern Oregon with Dr. Elizabeth Friedman who is an pediatric environmental specialist by having a “Scriptorium.” The PEHSU pediatricians inspired me when I began my climate journey. From afar, they helped me find my voice by lending expertise. Bringing students and pediatric environmental health specialists together in a natural setting during a week-long “Scriptorium,” we can together work to refine our climate stories specifically in Kansas City and Southern Oregon. The project’s initiatives are to connect, inspire and amplify the climate and health work and bring our model to Southern Oregon and Kansas City.
Describe the project/initiative’s tactics and actions. (1,000 character limit)
This Scriptorium for the Planet will be the inaugural event for Cow’s Creek Physician Rescue (CPR). I am a physician personal finance blogger and coined the term “FISE” – Financial Independence to Save the Earth. I am frugal and bought a tree farm and ranch in Azalea, Oregon at the base of the Cascade Mountains. It adjoins Umpqua National Forest. I bought it to partly preserve it from logging. I will give of this place without cost and my time. The Scriptorium’s actions will bring together two of our most successful premedical students (Vivian Nguyen and Riley Gilbertson) with Dr. Elizabeth Friedman and her students and select other students that are local. This natural setting where they can hike along the restored Upper Cows Creek Riparian habitat, help plant native Oregon inoculated truffle trees, compost, and garden – can be the setting that will inspire. The goal will be to review our model in San Diego and how it can be replicated in Kansas City and Oregon. The emphasis will be on how to collaborate on writing op-eds, blog pieces, and presenting this work in academic conferences that will further not only climate work but weave it into professional development.
Please describe the results of your project/initiative, sharing any success metrics you may have. (No more than your top three.) *
(1) Number of premedical students who will join climate and health work in Kansas City and Southern Oregon
(2) Physician Wellness and Burn Out Scales for the physicians and students who participate before and 6 month afterwards
(3) Climate and Health Projects especially published op-eds, abstracts and posters resulting afterwards where a premedical student is at least a co-author
How do your project activities prioritize justice, diversity, equity, and inclusiveness? (800 character limit)
Similar to our San Diego program, this Scriptorium will be free to participants and the relationships established are non-transactional. The goal is to move the climate work forward. This is all voluntary. We recruit from BIPOC communities and students who traditionally would not have access to this level of pre-professional advising. The projects chosen are usually environmental justice projects, and those will be emphasized.
(1) Riley Gilbertson, Leaded AvGas Project at Montgomery Gibbs Executive Airport, Op-ed published in the San Diego Union Tribune https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/opinion/commentary/story/2021-11-12/leaded-airplane-fuel-aviation-pollution
(2) Vivian Nguyen, Co-Author on academic paper “Informing Policy on Built Environments to Safeguard Children in Environmental Justice Communities: Case Study of Five AAP Climate Advocates” https://digitalcommons.library.tmc.edu/childrenatrisk/vol12/iss1/1/
(3) Laisha Felix, “Rewild Your Child” collaboration with the Rewild Mission Bay project, San Diego Pediatricians for Clean Air, and Girl Scouts to involve youth in linking replanting native vegetation, litter removal, and advocacy writing during Feb 5, 2022 “Love Your Wetlands Day” led by the San Diego Audubon Society
We are hopeful that SDPCA will receive this award. We are thankful to Dr. Lori Byron from the AAP National Climate Advocate Program for nominating us. Just being nominated is an honor, and it helped us articulate our dreams for one of the next steps SDPCA will make to further the #fightfor1point5 and ensure clean air for our children.
