ACEM Foundation Sustainability Award

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ACEM’s mission is to promote excellence in the delivery of quality emergency care to all of its communities through committed and expert members and is determined to ensuring the continued development of initiatives and activities to strengthen ACEM’s position as a socially responsible and environmentally sustainable organisation.

Established in August 2025, the Sustainable Emergency Medicine and Climate Health Pillar through the ACEM Foundation aims to encourage, support and promote the practice, research and education of sustainable emergency medicine and climate health.

The ACEM Foundation Sustainability Award recognises individuals and teams for initiatives that demonstrate leadership and innovation in advancing socially responsible, sustainable and environmentally conscious practice within emergency medicine. Awarded initiatives embed sustainable practices, improve equitable healthcare delivery, achieve measurable reductions in environmental impact, and enhance climate resilience across clinical and operational activities. These outcomes may be realised through clinical practice, education, research, or advocacy. By recognising excellence in this area, the award seeks to encourage ongoing action, innovation, and cultural change towards a more sustainable healthcare system, both now and into the future.

ACEM / the College

means the Australasian College for Emergency Medicine.

College member

means a person admitted as a member of the College pursuant to the provisions of the ACEM Constitution and associated regulations.

FACEM/Fellow

means an individual who has been admitted as a ‘Fellow’ of the College, pursuant to clause 2.1.1 of the ACEM Constitution and associated Regulations.

Emergency department (ED)

for the purposes of this policy means any department in a hospital in Australia or Aotearoa New Zealand that exists for the provision of emergency medical services, whether accredited for FACEM training or not.

Good standing

for the purposes of this policy means a member who is currently compliant with all relevant ACEM renewal of membership requirements and has no financial debts to the College, or a trainee who has no financial debts to the College and has fulfilled all training and assessment requirements applicable to their stage of training.

Trainee

an individual enrolled in the ACEM training program.

3.1 Eligibility Criteria – Nominee

To be eligible for nomination for the award, the nominee(s) must be one of the following:

• ACEM Fellow, Associate member or FACEM Trainee who is of good standing with the College
• A group comprised of ACEM members, not necessarily from the same ED
• An emergency department located in Australia or Aotearoa New Zealand

The ACEM Sustainability Award shall normally only be bestowed once to any individual, group or ED, except in circumstances where the ACEM Board considers it appropriate to make the award to a group of members or ED or a previous individual awardee involved in an initiative that is considered by the Board to be such that they be recognised through a second award.

Nominees may be eligible to be nominated for the Sustainability Award more than once, if the nominations are for different initiatives and/or initiatives within a different group or emergency department.

3.2 Eligibility Criteria – Nominator and seconder

To be eligible to submit a nomination for the award, the nominator and seconder must be an ACEM Fellow, Associate member or FACEM Trainee who is of good standing with the College.

Eligible nominees may self-nominate for an individual and/or group/ED award.

4.1 Selection criteria

Nominations for the ACEM Foundation Sustainability Award will be assessed according to the extent to which the initiative/s demonstrates evidence of:

• Development and implementation  - The extent to which an initiative has been effectively developed and implemented within an organisation to advance quality, socially responsible and environmentally conscious practice in emergency medicine. This may include initiatives delivered through clinical practice, education, research or advocacy and should demonstrate clear planning, stakeholder engagement, and integration into clinical, operational or organisational activities.
• Leadership and Innovation – The extent to which leadership and innovation are demonstrated in the conception, development, and implementation of the initiative, and the extent to which the initiative itself represents an innovative approach. Consideration may be given to originality and problem-solving and how the initiative contributes to advancing sustainable clinical practice and cultural change.
• Collaboration - The extent to which the initiative demonstrates effective partnerships with Indigenous leaders, communities, and healthcare teams across local, regional, and national levels. Consideration may be given to the integration of local knowledge and cultural values, collaborative problem-solving, and collective action to advance quality, sustainable, equitable, and resilient emergency care practices.
• Long term sustainability – The extent to which the initiative is viable and sustainable over the longer term, including its capacity to be scaled, replicated or embedded within standard practice. Consideration may be given to resource requirements, ongoing feasibility, and alignment with organisational priorities.
• Impact and outcomes – The extent to which the initiative has addressed challenges, achieved its intended outcomes, or created a positive impact. Include details of how the initiative was evaluated and the methods used to measure its impact.
• Alignment with ACEM Foundation purpose and ACEM publications: Environmental sustainability practices in emergency departments

4.2 Adjudication

A panel of three (3) or more assessors convened from the ACEM Sustainable Emergency Medicine and Climate Advocacy Network (SEMCAN) Executive shall adjudicate the submissions and recommend to the ACEM Foundation Committee the recipient(s) based on the applicable criteria, for consideration.

The panel may select more than one submission for the Honour.

The ACEM Board shall consider all recommendation(s) and determine the recipient(s) of the Honour.

At its discretion, the ACEM Board may choose not to award the Honour(s) if it sees fit. The decision of the ACEM Board will be final and is not subject to the processes and avenues outlined in the College’s Reconsideration, Review and Appeals Policy (COR355).

All parts of the selection process must be conducted in accordance with the College Conflict of Interest Policy (P139). 

5.1 Nature of Award

The ACEM Sustainability Award consists of a framed certificate attesting to the award.

• Conflict of Interest Policy (COR139)