Changing waste to a commodity

• Identify your potential commodities (re-use, compost, recycling, take-back potential)

• Investigate community programs• Communicate with your colleagues• Negotiate with your suppliers / vendors

Staff Commuting FootprintStaff Commuting Footprint34,000,000 km/yr

4,278,450 liters of fuel10,097,142 kg CO2This is equivalent to ¼ of the CO2 associated with all the utilities consumed by LHSC

700,000 trees are needed to absorb this CO2 !

700,000 trees are needed to absorb this CO2 !

Transit• Alternatives to

Solo Drivers• Quebec: Allégo

subsidies for health institutions

• Car-pooling• Active

Transport• Car-sharing• Public

Transport• Combos!

Nutrition• Local produce commitments

– Kaiser Permanente’s farmers markets

• Increased vegetarian menu and focus

• Composting – pilot project at Douglas Psychiatric

hospital

• Organic agriculture commitments– Catholic Healthcare West

Ecological Practice• Low consumption medicine

– Nutrition– Exercise and physical therapies– smaller amounts of pharm at one time

(e.g NSAIDS.)

• Durable tools• Environmentally safe microbial

decontamination of surfaces– sodium hypochlorite)

Ecological Purchasing

• Looks at General Environmental Management of Suppliers (e.g. ISO 14000, Eco Logo Program)

• Product Composition (heavy metals, reusable, recyclable components, etc)

• Manufacturing Processes/Practices (hazardous wastes?)

• Packaging and Distribution• Use and Service (off-gasing, leaching,

durability)• End of Use (Cradle to cradle)

Toxics Reduction

• Mercury phase out• Lead and cadmium recycling and

ban• Computer reuse and recycling• Xylene, Formadehyde reduction • Low or Zero VOC finishes• Low toxicity, biodegradable

cleaning agents, microfibre systems

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Ecological Design: LEED created to accomplish the following:

* Define "green building" by establishing a common standard of measurement

* Promote integrated, whole-building design practices

* Recognize environmental leadership in the building industry

* Stimulate green competition

* Raise consumer awareness of green building benefits

* Transform the building market

10

10

AlexAlex’’s Butterfly Gardens Butterfly Garden

Ecological Design: LEED for Healthcare

system addresses six major areas:

* Sustainable sites

* Water efficiency

* Energy and atmosphere

* Materials and resources

* Indoor environmental quality

* Innovation and design process

LEED certified hospitals (Can):St. Paul's Hospital 9A Mental Health Unit (BC)Upper River Valley Hospital (NB)

Go Green! (BOMA Best)

• Resources (waste reduction and recycling; site)

• Emissions, Effluents and Other Impacts

– air emissions; ozone depletion; water effluents, hazardous materials, hazardous products, health & safety

• Indoor Environment (indoor air, lighting, noise)

• Environmental Management

• Energy – energy consumption,

features, management, transportation

• Water (efficiency)

ADVOCACY

Comprehensive EMS in hospitalsComprehensive EMS in hospitalsGreen purchasingGreen purchasing

Clean air measures/ IncentivesClean air measures/ IncentivesPhase-out of known/suspected toxicsPhase-out of known/suspected toxicsHealthy urban housing/communitiesHealthy urban housing/communitiesEcosystem/biodiversity preservationEcosystem/biodiversity preservationGreenhouse gas reduction measuresGreenhouse gas reduction measures

Renewable energy sourcesRenewable energy sources

Conservation/Restoration

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Common Tools

• Healthcare Without Harm (www.noharm.org)• Green Guide for Health Care (www.gghc.org)• Hospitals for Healthy Environment

(www.h2e.org)• Practice Greenhealth• Canadian Coalition for Green Health Care

(www.ccghc.ca)• Synergie Santé Environnement

(www.synergiesanteenvironnement.org)

Special thanks to the team at the the London Health Sciences

Centre

In a decade Green Healthcare:

• From Oddity to Advantage• From Unknown to Desired• From Laughed-at to Legislated• From Qualitative to +Quantitative• From Internal to Communal• From Isolation to Network• From Dream to Urgency• From Effective to Powerful