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.
Read moreChemicals
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.
Read moreClimate 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.
Read MoreEnergy
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.
Read moreEngaged 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.
Read moreFood
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.
Read MoreGreening 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.
Read MoreSustainable 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.
Read MoreTransportation
Promote transportation strategies for patients, their families, and staff that support healthier local and regional transport systems while reducing health care's environmental impact.
Read MoreWaste
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.
Read MoreWater
Reducing water consumption is a great place for hospitals and health systems to start improving their environmental impact and sustainability practices.
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NEWS & ANNOUNCEMENTS
Free Destination CleanMed webinar series
The Destination CleanMed series features discussions building momentum that will culminate in Pittsburgh, May 23-25 for CleanMed 2023. Register now and invite your colleagues, collaborators, and partners to these free events.
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Practice Greenhealth releases latest sustainability benchmark data
We are pleased to share Practice Greenhealth’s latest sustainability benchmark report, based on data from the 2021 calendar year. The 345 hospitals that submitted data demonstrated that a focus on environmental stewardship can help health care organizations better protect the health of their communities and make progress on sustainability goals, while saving money and building resilience. The 2022 Environmental Excellence Awards applicants reported aggregate annual savings of more than $157 million on environmental programs – an increase of more than 50% since last year. Hospitals also reported avoiding 331,000 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions through climate mitigation projects, more than four times higher than the previous year. Reporting hospitals: Saved enough water to fill 27 Olympic-sized swimming pools Diverted waste equivalent to the weight of 908 Boeing 747 jets Avoided GHG emissions equivalent to 71,282 gas-powered vehicles Learn more about the current state of sustainability in the health care sector, and help your facility get the data it needs to develop a business case for new initiatives, compare progress, and benchmark performance. See the data
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Use Earth Day to take steps toward building a culture of sustainability
I grew up in a temperate rainforest on the boundary of the Olympic National Park and the Quinault Indian Reservation in Washington. I have witnessed and experienced the effects of climate change. The melting of our local glacier has impacted salmon runs, rising sea levels and storms have threatened tribal villages along the coastline, and wildfires are becoming increasingly frequent.
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News & Updates
7 inspiring films & stories of hospital-community collaboration
Health Care Without Harm's new film and story series, "Partners in promoting health and equity: Stories of health care and community," explores how health care organizations can drive community collaboration and enrich the health and well-being of the people they serve. From recovering hospital food for people in need to ending forced labor in supply chains to preventative approaches to address the root causes of illness, these stories showcase how hospitals and community organizations can lead the way to a thriving and sustainable society. Learn how hospitals and health systems – some of which are Practice Greenhealth partners – are working with local nonprofits to implement innovative initiatives and foster conditions that support community health, equity, and resilience. Explore the stories.
Read MoreUse Earth Day to take steps toward building a culture of sustainability
I grew up in a temperate rainforest on the boundary of the Olympic National Park and the Quinault Indian Reservation in Washington. I have witnessed and experienced the effects of climate change. The ...
Read MoreFirst industry partner forum of 2023
Join Practice Greenhealth on March 1 at 11:00 a.m. ET for our first partner forum of the year featuring 3M and Accenture.
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