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Sustainability solutions for health care

Practice Greenhealth is the leading membership and networking organization for sustainable health care, delivering environmental solutions to hospitals and health systems across the United States.

See how we can help you:

Buildings

Promote green and healthy health care facility design, construction, renovation and operations in order to minimize environmental impacts and foster restorative and sustainable healing environments.

Chemicals

Work with health care to eliminate harmful chemicals or substitute them with safer alternatives while minimizing chemical exposure of patients, health care workers, communities, and the environment.

Climate and Health

Health systems and health professionals are implementing business-smart initiatives that also protect their communities from increased diseases and more frequent extreme weather events caused by climate change.

Energy

Accelerate the implementation of energy efficiency while promoting clean, renewable energy in health care, mobilizing the sector as a leader for a healthy energy future for all.

Engaged Leadership

Almost 90 percent of the top-performing institutions in our sustainability benchmark report have an executive-level champion at the top of the reporting structure.

Food

Promote, purchase, and serve sustainably grown, healthy food to improve environmental health, build better food systems, and address the upstream social and economic determinants of non-communicable diseases.

Greening the OR

Though a tiny percentage of a hospital’s total physical footprint, operating rooms can drive big facilities’ cost savings and efficiency improvements through smart, incremental, sustainable practices.

Sustainable Procurement

Sustainability professionals and purchasing managers should work together to embed sustainability into purchasing processes and engage suppliers to provide innovative, sustainable products with a reduced impact on human health and the environment.

Transportation

Promote transportation strategies for patients, their families, and staff that support healthier local and regional transport systems while reducing health care's environmental impact.

Waste

Promote zero waste policies, reduce the volume and toxicity of waste produced by the health care sector, and implement safe, sustainable disposal options as alternatives to incineration.

Water

Reducing water consumption is a great place for hospitals and health systems to start improving their environmental impact and sustainability practices.

NEWS & ANNOUNCEMENTS

6 virtual sessions for health care, sustainability, and resilience

Gain inspiration from experts on how to stay focused on sustainability while incorporating resilience strategies into all facets of health care – from the food you serve, to the trees you plant, the supplies you purchase, and the teams you assemble.

Announcing the winner of the Health Care Culinary Contest

Adventist Health Chef Nina Curtis won the Health Care Culinary Contest with her Vitaliz haystack recipe. To honor her, Health Care Without Harm made a donation in Curtis’ name to Placer Food Bank.

Your new guide for sustainable procurement

A groundbreaking new guide, featuring stories from 25 health care organizations around the globe, offers a roadmap to develop a sustainable purchasing strategy that prioritizes community and environmental health and safety while reducing costs.

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News & Updates

Changes to Environmental Excellence Awards

2 October 2020

Practice Greenhealth revised our Environmental Excellence Awards process for the 2021 awards season. We look forward to celebrating hospitals that have continued their sustainability work in the face of incredible challenges.

Kaiser Permanente becomes first major health system to reach carbon neutrality

17 September 2020

The Practice Greenhealth member said the carbon neutrality offsets its estimated 800,000-ton annual carbon footprint, or the equivalent of 175,000 cars.

Meet the team: Kate Gottlieb

2 September 2020

Kate Gottlieb has served as a Practice Greenhealth member engagement manager since February. She lives in Yakima, Washington. Learn about what prompted her to work on environmental sustainability init...

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