Executive Director, CHASE - Canadian Health Association for Sustainability and Equity: The SustainabilityX® Magazine's Global 50 Women In Sustainability Awards™ 2024 Awardee
Listen to this and other articles from The SustainabilityX® Magazine on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and wherever you get your podcasts.
"We must boldly present our perspective on the actions needed to protect the planet for future generations. We need many different voices articulating the different reasons for action in order to win major shifts in public policy." - Kim Perrotta, Executive Director, CHASE - Canadian Health Association for Sustainability and Equity, Canada & The SustainabilityX® Magazine Global 50 Women In Sustainability Awards 2024 (#SustXGlobal50) Awardee
Kim Perrotta is a distinguished health and environmental advocate with four decades of experience in driving impactful policy changes at the intersection of public health, climate change, and equity. As the Executive Director of the Canadian Health Association for Sustainability and Equity (CHASE), Kim leads transformative initiatives that highlight the powerful links between health outcomes, climate change mitigation, and social equity. With a Master’s degree in Health Science, Kim has authored over 25 landmark reports on critical public health issues, ranging from coal plant and fracking emissions to the benefits of active travel, public transit, and sound land-use planning.
Throughout her career, Kim has run successful national campaigns tackling issues such as lawn-care pesticides, coal-fired power plants, and transportation strategies, helping to shift public discourse and government action. Notably, she led a major national campaign in 2019—Call to Action on Climate Change and Health—which garnered the support of 24 prominent health organizations across Canada. This initiative underscored her bold leadership in mobilizing the health sector in climate advocacy, reinforcing the message that climate change and public health are inseparable.
Kim’s most notable contributions include the development of the Climate Change Toolkit for Health Professionals, a 240-page comprehensive resource aimed at equipping health professionals with the tools needed to advocate for climate action. Her ability to craft a clear narrative on how climate mitigation directly impacts public health has shifted the debate on many controversial policies. One such project, her Beyond Coal: Power, Public Health, and the Environment report for the Ontario Public Health Association (OPHA), became a key piece of advocacy in the fight to phase out coal plants in Ontario, drawing extensive media coverage and public attention.
A hallmark of Kim’s career has been her ability to navigate significant challenges, often creating her own opportunities when few existed. Over the past 24 years, Kim has taken the initiative to identify unaddressed public health needs, secure funding, and bring impactful projects to fruition. This bold approach has led her to develop pioneering initiatives in public health and climate policy, often venturing into areas where few others had dared to go.
In her current role at CHASE, Kim continues to promote the integration of health and climate equity into public policy. She empowers others in the sustainability field by fostering collaboration, celebrating victories, and sharing practical strategies for driving systemic change. Kim's bold leadership philosophy emphasizes the need for courage in the face of opposition, particularly when challenging powerful industries or practices.
For Kim, receiving the Global 50 Women in Sustainability Award™ is a powerful affirmation of her lifelong dedication to advancing health and sustainability. The award recognizes her contributions to policy and advocacy, and it highlights the critical role of health professionals in the fight against climate change. Kim believes that women will continue to play a vital role in advancing sustainability goals, particularly by engaging communities and leveraging their skills in communication and organizing to build a healthier, more equitable future.
The SustainabilityX® Magazine Global 50 Women In Sustainability Awards™ 2024
The SustainabilityX® Magazine proudly presents its third edition of the Global 50 Women In Sustainability Awards™ for 2024. This annual recognition celebrates extraordinary female leaders who embrace boldness in their pursuit of groundbreaking sustainability initiatives, reshaping industries, and driving transformative change towards a more just, inclusive, and sustainable future.
This year also marks a broader strategic mission expansion for The SustainabilityX® Magazine, with a stronger focus on aligning with the Women's Empowerment Principles (WEPs) in addition to the original foundation of the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This evolutionary expansion reflects the magazine’s ongoing commitment to advancing women's leadership in sustainability while championing social equity, environmental stewardship, and inclusive growth.
“Empowering women to lead in sustainability is at the heart of our mission,” says Supriya Verma, founder of The SustainabilityX® Magazine and one of Corporate Knights' Canada’s Top 30 Under 30 in Sustainability Leadership and one of The Peak's Emerging Leaders. “These trailblazers are breaking barriers and redefining what sustainable leadership looks like—showing that it’s about more than policies and practices, but also about social justice, economic resilience, and a regenerative future.”
Rooted in the magazine's guiding pillars of environmental protection, economic prosperity, social inclusion, and ethical governance, The SustainabilityX® Magazine's Global 50 Women In Sustainability Awards™ showcases women from all sectors, industries, and regions, igniting crucial conversations on the intersection of gender equality and sustainable development.
Amidst global challenges and uncertainties, this year’s awards highlight the critical role of women in steering the world towards a more resilient, equitable future. With a continued digital format, the awards amplify voices across borders, bridging the gap between global sustainability efforts and local impact.
As Verma states, “The future of sustainability hinges on bold, inclusive leadership, and these women exemplify the courage and vision needed to transform our world. The SustainabilityX® Magazine remains steadfast in our mission to celebrate and elevate those who are shaping a future where every voice counts and every effort contributes to a thriving, sustainable world.”
View the full list: The SustainabilityX® Magazine Global 50 Women In Sustainability Awards 2024
Read the full press release: The SustainabilityX® Magazine Announces 3rd Annual Global 50 Women In Sustainability Awards™ Under the Theme "Embrace Boldness"
About The SustainabilityX® Magazine
The SustainabilityX® Magazine is an award-winning, digital, female-founded, and female-led non-profit initiative bringing the environment and economy together for a sustainable future through dialogue, and now transforming the environment and economy for a sustainable future through the power of women's leadership. Founded on May 8, 2016, and inspired by the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals by Canada's Top 30 Under 30 in Sustainability Leadership awardee, Supriya Verma, the digital media initiative focuses on approaching the world's most pressing challenges with a holistic, integrated, systems-based perspective as opposed to the traditional and ineffective siloed approach with a single lens on interdisciplinary topics like climate and energy. This initiative ultimately seeks to explore how to effectively bring the environment and economy together through intellectual, insightful dialogue and thought-provoking discussion amongst individuals across sectors taking an interdisciplinary and integrated approach to untangling the intricate web of sustainability while championing women's leadership in sustainability.
The SustainabilityX® Magazine is built upon the four foundational pillars of sustainability: Environmental Stewardship, which emphasizes the importance of improving environmental health; Economic Prosperity, which promotes sustainable economic growth that transcends traditional capitalist models; Social Inclusion, which focuses on equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) for BIPOC, LGBTQ, and other marginalized or vulnerable communities; and Just Governance, which highlights responsible leadership, the equal application of the rule of law, and the creation of fair systems for all.
As we expand our mission to align with the Women's Empowerment Principles (WEPs), we continue to explore the diverse and interconnected factors that influence sustainability. By recognizing how these elements interact across local, national, and international levels, we aim to accelerate progress toward sustainability goals. In essence, this aligns with The SustainabilityX® Magazine's vision of integrating environmental and economic progress for a more just, inclusive, and sustainable future through thoughtful dialogue.
Whether your background is in science, engineering, business, law, politics, media, entertainment, or beyond, your voice plays a crucial role in shaping this future.
Show your support for independent, high-impact publications by becoming a subscribing member and help power international conversations that matter.
The SustainabilityX® Magazine is a proud member of the Sustainable Journalism Partnership, serves as a cause-based media partner for various events such as WIRED Impact, and officially delivers remarks at international conferences such as UNESCO's annual World Press Freedom Day Conference.
SustainabilityX® is a brand of the non-profit social business SPSX Group.
®SUSTAINABILITYX AND SUSTAINABILITYX DESIGNS ARE REGISTERED TRADEMARKS.®
Comentarios