CommonSpirit Health partners with Practice Greenhealth to care for Earth.
Our CommonSpirit Health mission is directly linked to the health of the planet. Practice Greenhealth provides hospitals and health systems like ours with information and resources to help us care for Earth and achieve our sustainability goals. As a Practice Greenhealth partner, all CommonSpirit employees have access to this vital information.
First, get access to all Practice Greenhealth resources and experiences.
Register on the Practice Greenhealth website.
All CommonSpirit Health employees have access to exclusive Practice Greenhealth resources. The CommonSpirit Health partner access code is 165429. Learn how to register.
Sign up for a virtual cohort.
Learn from peers and experts in the field and grow your network. Join a group – or cohort – of sustainability and health care professionals from Practice Greenhealth hospital and health system partners. Learn more.
Learn more about your facility's Green Team.
Reach out to your facility eco-contact to learn about the work your facility and your Green Team is doing to improve the sustainability of your hospital and/or facility and develop actionable solutions for these opportunities. Examples of Green Team activities include organizing Earth Day celebrations, organizing recycling efforts, creating a bike-to-work and carpool incentive program and more. Find your Green Team eco-contact.
Next, start your journey and explore the following priority areas and resources.
Goals
In 2021, CommonSpirit announced an industry-leading commitment* to decarbonize our health care system and achieve net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2040 – with an interim goal of cutting operational emissions in half by 2030.
Achieving our goals takes a powerful community of colleagues and expert partners working together to meet these commitments. Access these resources to create the fundamentals of your local sustainability program and goals.
- Sustainability Program Fundamentals | Practice Greenhealth
- Organizational Structure for Sustainability
- Goal Setting for New Programs
- Delivering Community Benefit: Climate and Health Toolkit
Climate (greenhouse gas emissions & energy efficiency)
Health care institutions are among the largest contributors to climate change. Together, our commitment to environmentally responsible practices exemplifies our care and commitment to all we serve. Use the links below to measure energy usage and greenhouse emissions and to create solid solutions that connect our mission to actions.
Waste
U.S. hospitals produce more than 5.9 million tons of waste every year. As one of the largest nonprofit health systems in the nation, CommonSpirit Health recognizes our impact on the environment and our great responsibility to be leaders of change. Visit the “waste” page and tap into the resources below to help propel your department and team into action.
The related topics sidebar emphasizes waste reduction opportunities into other operational areas like food waste and composting. Don’t forget to connect with procurement staff to visit the “chemicals” page to determine alternatives in spending on cleaners and avoiding chemicals of concerns in the hospital through purchasing opportunities.
Facilities (operations, water consumption, built environment, etc).
Reducing emissions and improving energy efficiency in our CommonSpirit facilities are core strategies to achieve our climate goals. Visit the “buildings, energy, transportation, and water” pages and the resources below. Within, discover benchmarking guides and toolkits for conversation measures and campus strategies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Chemicals
More than 70% of health care’s greenhouse gas emissions come from the supply chain. What we buy matters. Supply chain managers can use the below guide and criteria for step-by-step guidance, tools and resources to develop a sustainable purchasing strategy.
Healthier, sustainable food
Visit the “food” page and use the resources below to learn more about practices to promote health food access and healthier food systems in our hospitals and the communities we serve.
As a nurse or physician working at a CommonSpirit Health facility, here are two other important resources and ways to get involved.
Join the Climate-smart Collective
Health Care Without Harm's Climate-smart Collective, and its Physician Network subgroup, provide a platform for U.S. health professionals to amplify their influence and advance the health care sustainability movement.
Join the Nurses Climate Challenge
As one of the most trusted professions worldwide, nurses are ideal advocates for increased climate action in the health care sector.
For more information:
Visit Earth Care,* our CommonSpirit sustainability site, to learn about our sustainability goals and efforts and how they help advance us toward a healthier future for all.
*Please note you must be logged into the CommonSpirit Google Workspace to access this link.
For Practice Greenhealth-specific questions or guidance not answered above, please reach out directly to CommonSpirit's sustainability strategy manager, Kate Gottlieb at [email protected].
