November 10th, 2022

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This Remembrance Day 2022, let us remember all the brave men and women who volunteered, sacrificed, served, fought, and died, for our freedom. This is the day to give back love to those soldiers who loved our nation selflessly. May they always be in our thoughts and prayers. Happy Remembrance Day to everyone.

In November 2020, a project — Towards a Safe, Secure and Sustainable Reusable PPE System in Canadian Health Care — was initiated by the Canadian Coalition for Green Health Care with financial support from Environment and Climate Change Canada.

It set out to demonstrate that hospital-use of PPE and some medical single-use plastic (mSUP) materials could be successfully and safely managed by focusing on the preferred principles of a circular economy: reduction and reuse. 

As we begin to wrap up the project, we invite you to check out some of our findings in our latest media article thanks to CHES and the Canadian Healthcare Facilities magazine.

If you missed our latest webinar in partnership with PEACH Health Ontario and CASCADES, you can now watch the recording on our YouTube channel!

Watch as Dr. Shellyza Moledina Sajwani gives an overview of climate change's relevance to pharmacy, specifically focusing on tangible objectives that can be completed within a hospital pharmacy setting, using the example of the Ottawa Hospital Pharmacy Environmental Stewardship Committee.

Exhibit, promote, and connect with delegates and health leaders from around the world

This fall, CASCADES and the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment (CAPE) are collaborating with Lisa Larkin, RN and Ilona Hale, MD on a story campaign to showcase the efforts being made in primary care towards improving planetary health.

The stories collected will shape the Toolkit for Environmentally Sustainable Primary Care, which Ilona and Lisa are creating with the East Kootenay Division of Family Practice in BC, and will help inspire action for others working in primary care or in similar structured clinic settings.

CHES 2023 conference - Call for abstract submissions



Speaker abstracts are now being accepted for the 2023 CHES National Conference. This national conference attracts leaders from across Canada and around the world in the field of health care facilities design, engineering, operations and maintenance. The CHES 2023 conference theme is “Rejuvenating Healthcare Infrastructure”.

The CHES 2023 education program aims to give attendees the knowledge and expertise critical for success. Other topics of interest include the impact of engineering, design and maintenance on the health outcomes, as well as the expectation of delivering health care within our aging infrastructure.

Deadline for submission: November 18th, 2022

Abstract Submission: Annual Crossroads Interdisciplinary Health Research

The 19th annual Crossroads Interdisciplinary Health Research Conference is a student-led, academic health and wellness-focused research event taking place March 10-11, 2023 in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. Inspired by the Healthy Populations Journal (HPJ) and the artwork published in its recent issues, this year’s conference strives to provide new and unique perspectives on health.

Submitting an abstract for a poster or oral presentation at Crossroads provides student researchers with a valuable opportunity to connect with peers, receive expert feedback on their work, and engage in knowledge translation of their research.

All student researchers are encouraged to submit an abstract outlining their research project or proposal for peer-reviewed consideration.

Deadline: January 6th, 2023 @11:59pm

Green Procurement for Plastics Circularity Two Specialized Training Sessions

The circular procurement course being offered is a unique opportunity to learn about advancements in circularity and how it is being applied to procurement processes in European jurisdictions, the benefits of greening procurement, as well as guidance on how to integrate circularity principles into the procurement process.

Specific course elements will address challenges in the process, how to develop key performance indicators, and the tendering process.

This course is for Canadian procurement specialists with some knowledge of sustainable procurement looking to deepen their practices and acquire new tools and solutions to address plastic waste reduction objectives in their organisations.

Dates/times:

November 25th - 11:00am-2:00pm EST

December 2nd - 11:00am -2:00pm EST

Release of RETScreen^® Version 9.0

CLIMATE ACTION

Building a climate-resilient health care system

HealthCareCAN

The impact of climate change on our society and our health care system more specifically is no longer tomorrow’s problem, but one health care leaders are being forced to grapple with right now, even in this time of unprecedented upheaval exacerbated by COVID-19.

Health and wellbeing and the effects of a changing climate are intricately linked. If governments are serious about action to fight the climate crisis, they must urgently invest in the infrastructure necessary to build a climate-resilient health system.

A climate-resilient health system anticipates, plans, responds, and recovers from climate-related stresses and protects and strengthens population health. Building resilience means continuously adapting to the changing health risks caused by climate change that will affect the population and service delivery by a health system.

Mobilizing public health action on climate change in Canada

Public Health Agency of Canada

Climate change is the single biggest health threat facing humanity and the livability of the planet. In Canada and around the world, we are already feeling the health impacts and, if left unchecked, these will be considerably more serious and wider reaching.

When sufficiently resourced, public health systems are well positioned to play an important role in reducing these health risks and impacts. This includes helping communities adapt to a changing climate, protecting those who are vulnerable to climate-sensitive health outcomes, and preparing for climate-related emergencies.

Working with other sectors, public health can also promote policies and actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions that cause global warming in a way that benefits our collective health.

Environmentally sustainable health systems in Canada

Canadian Medical Association

The Canadian Medical Association’s advocacy for Sustainable Health Systems in Canada encompasses maximizing our health care systems resilience to the increasing health needs and other impacts of the escalating climate crisis, while minimizing negative impacts that our health care systems have on the environment and climate change.

This policy provides specific recommendations and pathways to help guide governments, physicians and other key stakeholders of our health systems to transition to environmentally sustainable, net-zero and climate-resilient health systems in Canada that supports the ecological foundations needed for populations to thrive and health care systems to function.

Taking a health-centred approach to climate change

Canadian Medical Association



The health impacts of climate change are rapidly intensifying all over the world, warns the latest Lancet Countdown on climate change and health.

Fossil fuel-related air pollution is implicated in one in five global deaths. Habitat loss is threatening biodiversity and putting humans in closer contact with wildlife and livestock, contributing to the spread of vector-born diseases and increasing the risk of future pandemics.

Even under the lowest-emission scenario by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), global heating due to climate change is expected to accelerate until at least 2050. The CMA partnered with The Lancet to produce a report with targeted recommendations to address the implications of climate change on human health in Canada.

Nine ways a circular economy can help avert the climate crisis

Platform for Accelerating the Circular Economy

The circular economy has been gaining increasing momentum as a compelling way to help meet the Paris climate goal.

This paper aims to synthesize current knowledge on the potential role of the circular economy in climate change management, including mitigation and adaptation.

Through review of prominent literature and extensive expert consultation, the paper identifies consensus, debates and critical knowledge gaps. It then suggests how the current knowledge landscape can be translated into actions, both for practitioners to adopt and accelerate circular economy strategies where they can most effectively contribute to climate goals, and for the research community to advance the knowledge base and close critical knowledge gaps.

Identifying opportunities for greenhouse gas reductions and cost savings in hospitals

Longwoods

Research has shown that the health care sector is among the least green sectors and constitutes one of the largest contributors to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, posing risks to human health.

This review discusses the development of a knowledge translation tool that aims to compare a range of interventions that can be applied in hospital settings to reduce the local GHG emissions and associated financial costs.

It further discusses several interventions that potentially have the most impact on GHG reduction and compares these to interventions that are commonly used in different hospital departments. The authors propose opportunities to advance the implementation of these interventions within hospital operations across many other geographic locations.

FOOD SYSTEMS

Equity: Traditional food as medicine

Nourish

Indigenous communities experience significant health inequalities with a higher prevalence of conditions such as diabetes, obesity, and heart disease, compared to non-Indigenous adults. This is part of an “Indigenous Health Gap'' where in almost every measure of health, Indigenous communities experience far worse outcomes than the rest of Canada.

This health gap is the result of an ongoing legacy of colonialism, which has attempted to assimilate Indigenous communities through forced displacement, residential schools, and systemic discrimination against Indigenous communities across many spheres of society. There is growing recognition that if we want to close the Indigenous health gap and make the promise of reconciliation a reality, it’s time for health care leadership to work alongside Indigenous communities.

Community wellbeing: Food prescriptions

Nourish

One in eight households in Canada experience food insecurity. Food insecurity has a direct impact on health outcomes, and is associated with poorer physical health, including chronic conditions such cardiovascular disease, hypertension, and diabetes. Those experiencing food insecurity also report poorer mental health, with an increased risk of anxiety, depression, and mood disorders.

The health care sector has an important leadership role to play to meet the urgent challenge and high cost of food insecurity. Health care leadership is needed to guide work across sectors with partners and government agencies to provide more comprehensive social and health support that wrap-around individuals, families, and communities.

NYC's public hospitals prioritize plant-based meals as science points to improved health outcomes

ELECTRIC VEHICLES

Hydro-Québec offering turnkey commercial fleet charging solutions through new subsidiary, Cleo

Electric Autonomy

Commercial fleet operators in Quebec have a new ally in the transition to electric vehicles: Hydro-Québec is now offering a dedicated brand for large-scale charging solutions, Cleo.

The utility’s new subsidiary provides commercial clients with supplier-agnostic turnkey charging solutions for light-, medium- and heavy-duty fleets in the province.



Hydro-Québec actually began offering charging solutions for fleets in province earlier this year. The widespread interest and adoption of the solution is what led to establishing Cleo.

Federal government tightens rules to limit state-owned foreign investments in Canada's critical minerals

Electric Autonomy

Canadian critical minerals are now subjected to more stringent foreign investment rules as the government looks to keep tighter control over the country’s resources.

The federal government announced late last week that is applying existing Investment Canada Act rules to the critical mineral sector.

The news comes against a backdrop of increasing foreign activity in Canada’s mineral sector as OEMs, battery makers around the world look to secure raw material supplies to feed battery manufacturing and the EV supply chain.

For OEMs and parts makers, EV retooling isn’t just about plants — it means replacing lost jobs and upskilling their workforce

Electric Autonomy

FACILITIES

Mount Saint Joseph Hospital goes solar

BC Green Care

Several weeks ago, Providence Health Care’s Mount Saint Joseph Hospital activated 102 solar panels. Each panel is rated at 540 watts and the array is expected to produce 53,750 kilowatt hours (kWh) a year.

For context, the average annual household usage in British Columbia (BC) is 10,000kWh, so this system will produce enough electricity to power the equivalent of approximately five BC houses.



Not only that, but the hospital is the first health care facility in the Lower Mainland using this type of solar panel. While standard panels are between 300-400W, these LONGi panels are 540W, allowing for lower installation costs because fewer panels produce more energy.

Measuring preparedness: Are public health systems ready for the next pandemic?

McKinsey & Company

When COVID-19 was declared a pandemic, many nations—including highly resourced ones—found themselves unprepared to deal with the rapidly unfolding public health crisis. Underlying vulnerabilities that had long predated the pandemic were brought to the fore.

Many response plans that had looked good on paper now failed to deliver in practice. The upshot: public health systems were not as resilient to acute threats as had been assumed.

Many governments are investing in strengthening their pandemic preparedness. But how will they know if those investments will prove effective when the next crisis strikes?

The new standard at Vancouver general hospital

BC Green Care

One of the biggest energy and environmental sustainability projects happening at Vancouver Coastal Health is one that most staff and patients won’t be able to see: the ISO 50001 Energy Management Systems Standard implementation at Vancouver General Hospital (VGH). The initiative was started in 2021, making VGH the first health facility in Canada to pursue ISO 50001 Energy Management System (EnMS) compliance.

Currently, hospitals and other health care facilities are a major source of carbon emissions. Achieving ISO 50001 compliance is one way that VGH and other health facilities can change that fact. Implementing the ISO 50001 Energy Management Systems Standard offers VGH a systematic approach to improving energy performance. It is an internationally recognized standard that gives organisations a framework to manage energy and utilities.

A compassionate eye: The advantages of live monitoring tech in health care

CHES

The health care community has a history of leveraging innovative tools to enhance patient outcomes. It’s little surprise, then, that the sector is now embracing the latest in live video monitoring solutions to deliver more proactive and responsive care.  

“Two-way video and audio tech isn’t new to the health care space, but the solutions we’re introducing now are far more intelligent, interactive, and integrated into the patient care system as a whole,” says Paul Baratta, Segment Development Manager for Healthcare at Axis Communications.



Examples of these solutions in action include:

• Patient monitoring
• Team coordination
• Medical training and research
• Visit management and monitoring

EVENTS, TRAINING AND WEBINARS

Leading climate resilient and low carbon, sustainable health systems

Hitchhiker's guide to climate action

Join Environmental Defence Canada for an entertaining evening filled with thought-provoking conversations from leaders, artists and change-makers who are steering the energy transition in Canada. Hear from experts in renewable energy, sustainable city planning, political economy, community organising and more!

Plus, the special guest moderator is Emma McIntosh, an award-winning reporter at The Narwhal. Learn how cleaner solutions are already up and running in Canadian neighbourhoods, how we can make this happen across the country and what’s stopping us. 

All event proceeds will go to support the work of Environmental Defence Canada in mobilizing government, industry and communities for ambitious climate action.

Date: November 16th, 2022 

Time: 7:00pm- 9:00pm EST

Plant-forward diets in health care

Reducing meat and increasing plants in the diet can be beneficial for preventing and treating diet-related diseases, and help reduce associated health care utilization and costs.

Moderated by Health Care Without Harm’s Chief Program Officer, this session features two physicians and the head of the Cool Food Pledge at the World Resources Institute.

Experts will discuss how shifting to a plant-forward diet benefits patients and the planet, and can help decrease health care emissions, as well as how you can take action in your health care facility.

Date: December 1st, 2022 

Time: 11:00am EST

REGISTER HERE

Behaviour change strategies for circular food solutions

Advancing a circular food system in Canada requires significant collaboration, strategic policy shifts, and changes in behaviour.

How do we measure behaviour change in a way that we can identify the impact of specific initiatives and select evidence-based interventions? How do we support culture shifts that support changes in behaviour change? Speakers will explore these questions during the webinar with knowledgeable and experienced behaviour change practitioners in Canada.

Date: November 24th, 2022 

Time: 9:00am PST

REGISTER HERE

Climate-conscious inhaler prescribing

Drs. Stoynova and Culley have been the recipients of a SIFEI grant, and their work on climate-conscious prescribing was recently selected as a national innovation in partnership with the CASCADES network to further develop, implement and study sustainable inpatient care.

Join them next week as they discuss  the impact of inhaler therapy on climate change and Identify three ways you can change your inhaler-prescribing practice to provide climate-conscious care.

Date: November 16th, 2022 

Time: 12:00pm- 1:00pm PST

REGISTER HERE

RETScreen® is a Clean Energy Management Software system for energy efficiency, renewable energy and cogeneration project feasibility analysis as well as ongoing energy performance analysis.

Have you registered as an organ donor?

Contact your local organ donation agency and speak to your family about your wishes. You have the power to save and transform lives.

The Canadian Coalition for Green Health Care is Canada’s premier green health care resource network, leading the evolution of green in Canada’s health sector as a national voice and catalyst for environmental change. www.greenhealthcare.ca