Reducing Hospital Carbon emissions
The recent global healthcare industry developments have created a new benchmark for the carbon footprint of organisations. Hospital carbon footprint is the difference between the carbon emissions released into the atmosphere by people running businesses and the amount of carbon emissions saved by businesses when they use green facilities and practices to reduce their carbon footprint. Increasingly, healthcare organisations are realising that it is not only cost effective but simply sensible to adopt green principles to improve the environmental performance of their businesses. Carbon credits are one of the simplest ways of measuring the extent to which organisations are considering green practices.
One of the most significant aspects of implementing carbon credits is that it provides a direct link between the size of an organisation’s carbon emissions and its ability to mitigate those emissions. This is important in two areas: first, it provides the opportunity to hospitals and other health organisations to demonstrate responsibility and leadership; and second, it provides the necessary incentive for them to increase their efforts in order to preserve carbon at the lowest cost possible. While it may seem like an additional expense, carbon management is actually exceptionally cost effective. It saves a large portion of healthcare costs through direct reduction and enhances the sustainability of health services.
For example, direct reductions are maximised when organisations that operate from the point of service are focusing on reducing the carbon emissions per use of their facilities. Providing carbon reductions for specific waste or resource use, for example the use of paper or non-paper products, can help to ensure that a larger portion of carbon emissions is mitigated. In addition, ensuring that raw materials and consumables are recycled, minimising the need to use non-recycled or waste products, not only reduces the carbon footprint, but improves the health of those individuals who consume the consumables.
A carbon footprint is also created when organisations fail to provide an effective method of recycling raw materials and other waste. The majority of medical devices and pharmaceuticals produced in the health care industry, such as devices used in surgeries, dental units and laboratories utilise many toxic chemicals, in addition to a vast amount of waste products, including urine and excrement. This creates a high level of carbon emissions, both from personal consumption and as a byproduct of chemical processing. In addition, when these products are disposed of without being properly recyclable, they emit large amounts of carbon dioxide, creating a larger carbon footprint even further.
When these harmful emissions are reduced, healthcare providers have a duty of care to their patients and communities to reduce these carbon footprints, both in terms of direct reduction and through encouraging greater levels of carbon neutrality. At the Shore University Hospital in Newport News, Virginia, many of the hospital’s buildings are designed with a focus on a sustainable facility. In the five hundred thousand square feet of workspace alone, there are five to seven different types of green facilities. These green facilities utilise sustainable and renewable technologies in energy production, water consumption, building construction, and waste disposal. In addition, green facilities at the hospital utilise materials that are responsibly sourced, including wood from local sources and stone that are mined in an environmentally responsible way.
The goal of the hospital’s carbon footprint is to reduce one carbon emission every eighteen square feet of floor space – or about one tonne of carbon emissions every year. The strategy encourages the use of single-use medical devices in place of multiple disposable devices. For single-use devices, this means using technology that consumes significantly less power and contains no waste. Additionally, the single-use devices must be FDA approved and produced according to high quality standards to ensure compliance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).
As part of its efforts to reduce carbon emissions, the hospital has developed a policy called the Glen Cove Recycling initiative. Through this program, the hospital recycles paper, glass and metal, and also conducts scheduled pick-up and drop-off for its clients. As part of the initiative, the hospital has developed a network of local collectors and recyclers, as well as a partnership with the East Bay Recycling and Transport Initiative. This comprehensive program supports efforts by healthcare organizations to increase their carbon footprint.
As one of the California Health Facilities with the greatest number of beds for seniors, we are committed to reducing our carbon emissions. Our recyclers make every effort to conserve and reuse every piece of equipment, and when possible, to recycle whenever possible. In addition, the staff works diligently on a daily basis to ensure that each resident is serviced in a comfortable and efficient manner. In all, the goal is to maintain a high level of cleanliness and safety while reducing our carbon footprint. Through this initiative, we have demonstrated our commitment to a clean and green healthcare environment.
