Background <p>Nursing leaders and nurses play a significant role in promoting green healthcare practices in healthcare organizations. Therefore, it is essential to understand the mechanism through which leadership can affect the green behavior and creativity of nurses.</p> Aims <p>To investigate the effects of transformational leadership and a green work climate on nurses’ behavioral intentions, actual green behavior, and green creativity.</p> Methods <p>Self-report questionnaires (nursing green transformational leadership, climate, behavior, and creativity) were used to gather data from 400 nurses.</p> Results <p>Nurses’ perceptions of nursing green transformational leadership, climate, behavior, and creativity were all at acceptable levels. Regression analysis indicated that nurses’ green behavioral intentions, actual green behavior, and green creativity, as well as the green work climate, were positively affected by nursing green transformational leadership. The Sobel results showed that nursing green transformational leadership indirectly affected nurses’ green behavioral intentions, actual green behavior and green creativity through the mediating role of the green work environment. There was a moderating influence of the green work climate on the association between nurses’ green behavioral intentions and actual green behavior.</p> Conclusion <p>A green work climate had a mediating effect on the relationships among nursing green transformational leadership, nurses’ green behavioral intentions, actual green behavior and green creativity. Nurses’ green behavioral intentions positively affect their actual green behavior through the moderating effects of a green work climate.</p> Implication <p>Nurse managers should be aware of the influence of leadership style and the green work climate as significant factors influencing the ability of nurses to engage in green behavior and foster their green creativity.</p> Clinical trial number <p>Not applicable.</p>