The Planetary Health Learning Garden is a collaborative initiative founded by the Public Health Association of BC (PHABC), RCCBC and UNBC, and aims to build a health workforce that understands and responds to the interconnected challenges of health, environmental, and social imperatives. The Learning Garden is co-led by Dr. Margot Parkes and PhD Candidate Sandra Harris, and it will serve as a 'proof of concept' to revolutionize workforce development in planetary health. Designed with a particular focus on rural, remote, and Indigenous communities, the Learning Garden offers a collection of accessible resources, including webinars, courses, and toolkits that explore topics such as climate resilience, ecosystem restoration, and culturally safe healthcare. An important aspect of this initiative is its emphasis on Indigenous knowledge systems which underscore values such as relationship building and connection to land.

The Learning Garden curriculum structure will be based on a Seasonal Rounds model with four stages across summer (grounding), fall (founding), winter (bounding), and spring (re-grounding). This model is Indigenous co-designed and anchored in land-based learning principles that are flexible and context-specific to match the learner needs and preferences.

The Learning Garden serves communities as a whole—including health professionals, environmental experts, educators, and members from other sectors—offering both free and paid content to accommodate a range of learning needs. By encouraging principles of systems thinking and transdisciplinarity, the Learning Garden not only supports immediate learning goals but also contributes to long-term capacity-building for sustainable, climate-ready healthcare and communities. It stands as a living, evolving space where diverse cultures, knowledges, and priorities come together to support the well-being of both people and place.

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