|
|
Follow us on social media! | |
|
2022 Green Hospital Scorecard Informational Webinar
As we prepare to announce the 2022 Green Hospital Scorecard (GHS) data call, we invite you to save the date and register for our informational GHS webinar.
This webinar will introduce the GHS for new participants, explain the GHS timeline, explore what is new on the survey, and provide guidance on how to complete the survey.
*The webinar will be recorded and sent to all registrants along with presentation slides
Date: Wednesday, March 9th, 2023
Time: 9:00am PST/ 12:00pm EST
| |
|
Pharmaceuticals in the Environment: Impacts on non-target options
Join the Canadian Coalition for Green Health Care, PEACH Health Ontario, and CASCADES for an interactive webinar with Dr. Gigi Wong.
In this one-hour session Gigi will describe how pharmaceuticals enter the environment; detail the environmental classification for pharmaceuticals and the properties of persistence, bioaccumulation and toxicity; as well as provide one example of wildlife that has been negatively impacted by the use of pharmaceuticals.
Date: March 28th, 2023
Time: 5:30pm PST/ 8:30pm EST
| |
Meet our newest Sustainability Champion** - Ecotex! | |
|
Ecotex Healthcare Linen Service, based near Vancouver, is a major North American provider of health care laundry and linen services, including reusable personal protective equipment (PPE) barrier garments to hospitals, sub-acute and medical facilities in Canada and across mid-western, and south-western regions in the United States.
As a Clean Green® certified laundry operator Ecotex demonstrates the use of best practices for reusing, reclaiming, and recycling resources.
Read their full biography HERE.
For more information on Ecotex, please visit: https://ecotex-hls.com/
**If your for-profit organisation has made a serious corporate commitment to making health care more sustainable, you too can become recognized as a green health 2023 Sustainability Champion by the Canadian Coalition for Green Health Care.
| |
Coming soon to the Coalition website | |
|
The ideal green community - an interactive resource webpage to help everyone on their journey to sustainability.
Pharmacy stewardship for sustainable health care - a resource page dedicated to sustainable pharmacy and prescribing practices.
| |
|
Pan American Climate Resilient Health Systems
April 4th through May 2nd, 2023 learn how to create climate resilient health systems by signing up for this FREE certificate-based course.
The goal of the course is to equip federal, regional and local health systems planners, hospital administrators, long-term care/community care professionals, emergency planners, sustainability officers, public health officials, health practitioners, and others with the knowledge and tools needed to prepare for climate change.
This includes how to apply best practices to assess health system vulnerabilities and adaptation options, measure and monitor the climate resilience and environmental sustainability of health systems, and undertake health system greening, all while integrating health equity and undertaking broad stakeholder engagement.
| |
|
Apply for Nourish's 3rd Anchor Cohort
Nourish is excited to announce that recruitment is now underway for their third national health care leadership and innovation Cohort! The next Anchor Cohort will bring together hospital and community partnerships united around the shared goal of applying the power of food to take action on the climate crisis, improve health equity, and promote community wellbeing.
Join this two-year program to benefit from new relationships and networks, mentorship and coaching, as well as focused support to track stories and key metrics related to local and national projects. Applications are due May 25th, with full details available on the Nourish website.
Interested in applying? Book a pre-application call with a member of the Nourish team here.
| |
Release of RETScreen® Version 9.0
| |
Version 9 of the RETScreen® Clean Energy Management Software platform was released on October 13th, 2022 and is now available for download from the RETScreen website. This update has arrived with a number of salient new features to enhance the RETScreen experience!
| |
|
Scotland first to ban environmentally harmful anaesthetic
BBC News
Scotland has become the first country in the world to stop its hospitals using the anaesthetic desflurane because of the threat it poses to the environment.
NHS data suggests the gas, used to keep people unconscious during surgery, has a global warming potential 2,500 times greater than carbon dioxide.
Banning it in Scotland - from its peak use in 2017 - would cut emissions equal to powering 1,700 homes a year.
| |
|
Ontario, Quebec, Nunavut among the 10% most vulnerable to climate risk
The Energy Mix
Ontario, Quebec, and Nunavut rank among the 10% most vulnerable places worldwide for climate risk, according to an independent analysis released this week that is geared towards investors.
Based on an “aggregated damage ratio” that looks at total risk to the built environment, Ontario placed 100th and Quebec held spot 191 out of 2,600 territories around the world assessed by climate risk specialists XDI.
| |
|
One way to trim your e-waste: Recycle electronics
David Suzuki Foundation
Hot new gadgets are released and marketed so fast, waste and recycling systems can’t keep up. Plus, improper electronics disposal is increasing, which disproportionally burdens developing nations.
You can play a vital role in the electronics life cycle journey. Start by asking yourself: Do I really need this new tech? Where did it come from? What will happen to it when I’m done with it?
| |
|
Canada's carbon emissions rose in 2021 but were still below pre-pandemic highs: report
CBC News
The independent Canadian Climate Institute says Canada's carbon emissions increased in 2021 over the previous year's amount but still remained below pre-pandemic norms.
The institute estimates Canada's emissions in 2021 at 691 megatonnes. That's up from the previous year but still below the pre-pandemic level of 738 megatonnes.
| |
|
This B.C. farm has diverted millions of ilograms of food waste from landfills
USDA
| |
Langley-based food waste processor ReFeed Farms says it’s hauled in roughly 4.5 million kilograms of produce that would have otherwise gone to landfills or industrial composters over the past year and turned it into edible food for people, livestock feed and soil.
Of those 4.5 million kilograms of produce, considered unsellable by grocers and warehouse suppliers, 2.8 million was sold back to local livestock farms, 1.36 million went to anaerobic digestion, or soil production, and 346,000 kilograms was sent to the Vancouver Food Bank and other small, local food charities.
| |
|
Brock Fahrini marks a BC first in energy efficiency
The Daily Scan
| |
Health care facilities like hospitals and long-term care homes are energy-intensive places. And their energy demands can get costly. But Providence Health Care is finding ways to care for its long-term care residents while lowering its environmental impact. In collaboration with FortisBC, it has implemented innovative and cost-effective energy-efficiency upgrades to its heating equipment at one of its long-term care homes in Vancouver.
| |
|
The ultra-white paint may someday replace air conditioning
Smithsonian Magazine
A new coat of paint is an easy way to freshen up your home’s curb appeal. Soon, it may also help keep your house cool.
Researchers at Purdue University have developed a new ultra-white paint that reflects 98.1 percent of sunlight and can keep surfaces up to 19 degrees Fahrenheit cooler than their ambient surroundings.
This new paint, which may become available for purchase in the next year or two [this article was written in 2021], could someday help combat global warming and reduce our reliance on air conditioners.
| |
|
Checklist for decarbonizing health care facilities
Greening Health Care
Sustainability remains a high priority for hospitals and other health care facilities as they integrate a growing number of environmentally friendly practices into their buildings' operational planning and objectives.
In recent years, decarbonization has drawn increasing attention from health care facilities managers seeking to achieve their organisations’ sustainability goals.
Managers can implement these checklist tactics to help facility team members identify opportunities for the hospital.
| |
|
Planning for planetary health
GreenCare
The health care system doesn’t work in isolation. To address the industry’s intersections with and impacts on environmental systems, VCH is the first health organisation in B.C. to integrate planetary health as a strategic priority.
The VCH Transformation Office team is spearheading the creation and execution of a robust roadmap to planetary health in partnership with the three key organisational pillars; Sustainable Clinical Services, Environmental Health Protection (Population Health), and Energy and Environmental Sustainability (Facilities and Real Estate).
| |
|
Worlds best hospitals 2023
Newsweek
These are challenging times for hospitals. COVID-19 put unprecedented stress on health systems, as have inflation and global financial uncertainty. In the U.S. and around the world, leading hospitals are dealing with rising costs, aging populations and a medical workforce exhausted from battling a global pandemic.
Among the hallmarks of great hospitals, however, are not just first-class care, first-class research and first-class innovation. The very best institutions also share another quality: consistency. The world's best hospitals consistently attract the best people and provide the best outcomes for patients as well as the most important new therapies and research.
Canadian hospitals ranked
Canadian hospital in world's top 10
| |
EVENTS, TRAINING AND WEBINARS | |
|
Online registration is open for the 2023 Webinar Series! Dates and topics are listed below.
-
March 22nd, 2023 - Decarbonization for health care buildings - The giant step forward
-
April 19th, 2023 - Barriers and enablers for the new IPAC technologies - What is the evidence?
-
May 17, 2023 - Leading EDI in organisations for non-EDI-experts
-
June 21, 2023 - Practicalities of [HVAC] electrification in health care facilities
-
October 18, 2023 - What's new within the 2022 Medical Gas Standard & the "Qualified Service Technician"
-
November 22, 2023 - Design of resilient bulk oxygen supply systems for health care facilities
| |
|
Webinar on values-based food procurement in health care
Join Nourish for a webinar to learn about sustainable procurement and Nourish’s Values-Based Procurement (VBP) Primer, a tool to support health care food service and procurement teams, by planning for and creating positive contributions to the health of patients, their organisation, and the planet.
Date: March 30th, 2023
Time: 11am - 12pm EST
| |
|
Canadian Healthcare Housekeepers Association tin'th (10th) annual conference & trade show
Dates: June 7-9, 2023
Location: Fern Resort, Ramara, ON
| |
|
What can we do when laws harm public health?
Join the Public Health Asscoiation of British Columbia (PHABC) online for this free and engaging webinar featuring Dr. Tim Takaro.
In this online webinar he will share some of his experience of the ethics of climate change and health action, including exploring an ethics framework for climate action in public health.
Date: March 14th, 2023
Time: 10:30am - 12:00pm PST
Learn more & register here
| |
|
Climate change & anxiety webinar
In this webinar, attendees will learn the difference between anxiety and fear and their relationship with reality to better understand what eco anxiety is.
McMaster University medical student, Max Silverman, academic nurse and filmmaker, Natania Abibi, and child psychiatrist specializing in anxiety, Dr. Gili Adler Nevo will lead the webinar sharing their varying perspectives.
Date: March 30th, 2023
Time: 8pm EST
Register HERE
| |
|
EV & charging expo 2023
Hosted in Canada’s largest exhibition and convention centre, Electric Autonomy’s EV & Charging Expo 2023 is an exceptional opportunity for fleet operators, building owners, and municipal planners to learn about and experience the latest technology in commercial electric vehicles and EV charging infrastructure all under one roof.
Dates: May 17-18, 2023
Location: Toronto, ON
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 | |
Some articles referred to in the Digest make reference to services and/or product offerings from specific suppliers. The CCGHC recommends that readers research the service and product offerings available through a wider range of suppliers for comparison purposes and in keeping with public sector purchasing guidelines. These articles should not be interpreted as an endorsement of any product or service. | | | | |
