SCHOOL-BASED

Sam, COTA/L (They/Them) is a non-binary, 42 year old, Jewish occupational therapy assistant living in an urban co-housing community in the Pacific Northwest, where they find deep joy and spiritual fulfillment through the concept of Tikkun Olam (repairing the world). Their sustainable lifestyle is a central part of their identity; they commute to various school sites on an electric cargo bike and spend their weekends participating in local "fix-it clinics" to extend the life of household goods. This commitment to "eco-occupations" carries directly into Sam’s clinical work, where they move therapy sessions outdoors to local parks to foster a socio-ecological vision of health. In the classroom, Sam replaces traditional plastic therapeutic tools with natural or second-hand materials, such as using dried seeds for fine motor tasks, to reduce the environmental footprint of their practice. By advocating for sustainably sourced equipment in sensory rooms and collaborating with school "Green Teams," Sam demonstrates how OTPs can act as change agents who bridge the gap between humanistic values, student development, and planetary health.

POST-ACUTE

Mateo, OTR/L (He/Him) is a gay, Latino occupational therapist who lives in a multi-generational household in a coastal community, where he practices intentional, "low-waste" living by composting and maintaining a native pollinator garden. In his personal life, he finds immense happiness in "occupational stewardship," choosing to invest his time in his LGBTQ+ local community and coastal conservation efforts rather than consumer goods. Professionally, Mateo brings this "eco-social" lens to his work in a post-acute rehabilitation center by scrutinizing the facility's supply chain. He successfully advocated for the department to switch to a minority-owned, sustainable vendor for therapy supplies and spearheaded a transition from plastic-based orthotics to compostable, biodegradable splinting materials. By framing sustainable equipment use as an urgent need within the clinical setting, Mateo demonstrates how OTPs can influence environmentally friendly organizational approaches while providing high-quality, culturally responsive care.

SKILLED NURSING FACILITY

Aamir, COTA/L (He/Him) is a dedicated Muslim practitioner and OTA working in a large skilled nursing facility in the Midwest. His commitment to sustainability is deeply rooted in his faith, particularly the Islamic principle of Khalifa (stewardship), which inspires him to live a life of moderation and care for the Earth. In his personal life, Aamir prioritizes a "low-carbon" lifestyle by using public transit for his commute and participating in a community-supported agriculture (CSA) program to provide fresh, seasonal produce for his wife and two children. He stays at the forefront of the field by actively following ecological developments and sustainability guidelines from his state OT association, AOTA, and World Federation of Occupational Therapists (WFOT). In his clinical practice, Aamir advocates for "intergenerational justice" by facilitating resident programs that focus on waste reduction, such as transitioning from disposable plastic dinnerware to compostable alternatives in the facility’s dining hall. By integrating these skills into daily routines, Aamir helps his residents find meaning in sustainable occupations while ensuring a healthier environment for the generations to follow.

HOME HEALTH

Elena, OTR/L (She/Her) is a Filipina occupational therapist whose practice is guided by her Catholic faith and the spiritual call to protect the environment for future generations. Living in the Southwest, she models a sustainable lifestyle by maintaining a drought-resistant garden and carefully planning her home health routes to reduce fuel consumption. In her clinical work, Elena views home modifications through the lens of "intergenerational justice," helping clients choose durable, energy-efficient, and non-toxic materials for grab bars and ramps that will last for decades. She actively educates her clients on the "bidirectional" benefits of a healthy home environment, such as improving indoor air quality and reducing energy costs, showing that what is good for the planet is often safer and more economical for the aging individual. Furthermore, she uses her role to perform environmental and outdoor pollution screenings during home visits, identifying how local climate risks—like extreme heat—impact her clients' ability to perform daily occupations safely.

PRACTICE PRACTICE OUTPATIENT

Alex, OTR/L (They/Them) is a non-binary, Buddhist practitioner living in a suburban neighborhood where they practice mindful consumption and maintain a home with high energy efficiency to minimize their ecological impact. In their outpatient clinic, Alex addresses the urgent need to mitigate medical waste by implementing a sustainable-equipment-use protocol. They educate clients on how to repair and reuse adaptive durable medical equipment rather than defaulting to new, profit-driven solutions, which aligns with the need to decrease reliance on profit-maximizing systems in healthcare. Alex also utilizes the "Model of Human Occupation" (MOHO) to explore how sustainable development can be integrated into a client's daily performance patterns and occupational choices. By promoting sustainable, occupation-based practices at the individual level, Alex shows that in outpatient settings, OTPs can lead the way in supporting communities toward more sustainable lifestyles.

CERTIFIED HAND THERAPY

Jordan, OTR/L, CHT (He/They) is a biracial, queer Certified Hand Therapist who integrates "eco-social" reasoning into their busy outpatient clinic. Outside of work, Jordan is an active member of a wind-energy cooperative, demonstrating that urban apartment living can still be deeply connected to renewable energy movements. In the clinic, Jordan addresses the "urgent need" to reduce medical waste by moving away from single-use plastics and high-temperature thermoplastics. They utilize "Modified Instrumentalism" by teaching clients to use sustainable, low-waste materials for home exercise programs and advocating for the use of biodegradable splinting scraps for smaller orthotic adjustments. Additionally, Jordan has redesigned the clinic’s splinting protocols to prioritize "occupational stewardship," ensuring that every orthosis fabricated is necessary, durable, and has a clear plan for end-of-life disposal or recycling.

PROFESSOR

Dr. Aaron Aris, PhD, OTR/L (He/Him) is a Greek-American professor and researcher living in a walkable college town where he supports local farmers' markets. His personal lifestyle is a reflection of his academic work; he prioritizes conferences and mentors his students on the ethical obligation to create a sustainable and resilient future. Professionally, Dr. Aris is a leading advocate for integrating planetary health into the OT curriculum, utilizing "bidirectional questioning" to help students examine the ecological impacts of traditional healthcare models. He works closely with state organizations and the AOTA to draft position papers that frame the climate emergency as an opportunity for an ecological transition. By conducting scoping reviews on environmental sustainability, Dr. Aris ensures that the next generation of OTPs has the skills necessary for cross-disciplinary advocacy and political engagement.

PSYCHIATRIC

Sun-Hee, OTR/L (She/Her) is a queer Korean-American occupational therapist who specializes in mental health and community-based entrepreneurship. Living in a high-density urban area, Sun-Hee finds joy in occupational stewardship by maintaining a balcony garden and volunteering with a local tool-lending library to reduce consumption. In her clinical practice at a mental health center, she addresses "eco-anxiety" and occupational deprivation by moving therapy sessions into natural contexts. Sun-Hee developed a horticulture-based vocational program that provides employment inclusion for individuals with disabilities while simultaneously restoring local urban biodiversity. By framing climate change from a health perspective, she helps her clients move from feelings of frustration and helplessness to empowerment through sustainable daily occupations. Her work demonstrates how the profession can address the structural and social barriers of the biomedical model through a transition toward collectivist, nature-based solutions.

COMMUNITY-BASED

Marcus, OTR/L (He/Him) is a Black, Christian occupational therapist living in a rural Midwestern community where he manages a community-supported vegetable garden that provides fresh produce to the community population. His lifestyle is built on humanistic principles and the belief that nature-based interventions can promote deep humanistic values and ecological awareness. In his clinical practice, Marcus facilitates skill development by helping clients with disabilities develop vocational skills through local conservation projects and sustainable agriculture. Marcus’s work proves that community-based OT can act as a powerful tool and reaffirm the OT professional vision of human occupation as a bridge between person and planet.

ADVOCACY

Priya, OTR/L (She/Her) is a South Asian OTP and a second-generation immigrant living in a dense, transit-oriented urban center where she maintains a "car-free" lifestyle to reduce her carbon footprint. Her advocacy work is deeply influenced by the concept of "occupational stewardship," as she views the protection of the environment as essential for the protection of human health and quality of life. Professionally, Priya serves on her state OT association’s legislative committee, where she advocates for occupational justice by pushing for policies that integrate resilience into healthcare infrastructure. She utilizes her platform to highlight that impoverished and vulnerable populations are at the greatest risk during natural disasters, making climate action an urgent matter of occupational justice. By framing climate change from a public health perspective, Priya demonstrates how OTPs can contribute to global efforts through political engagement and population-level health management.