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By joining as an Industry Partner, we provide opportunities for organizations to access more in-depth information and resources, participate in higher-level opportunities, and obtain greater visibility in the health care sustainability space and the Practice Greenhealth network to meet their professional and business objectives.
If health care is everyone's business, then certainly transforming health care should be also. The challenges of environmental stewardship, climate health, and addressing the social determinants of health stand to benefit from the creativity and collective work of… Read More
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According to a survey of the KPMG International, 93% of the world’s 250 largest companies are embedding sustainability into their operations and procurement strategies. Within the health care sector, more than 43,000 hospitals and health systems are part of a global network committed to sustainable operations through Practice Greenhealth and Global Green and Healthy Hospitals.
As a resource-intensive industry with enormous buying power, health facilities are using sustainable procurement as a key action area for financial sustainability and for the benefit of patients, staff, the community,… Read More
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Sustainability made easy.
The HAN Impact Purchasing Commitment (HAN IPC) was developed by a design team of HAN members, in addition to Healthcare Anchor Network and Practice Greenhealth staff.
With more than 1,100 network partners, nationwide, many of which are already part of the Healthcare Anchor Network, Practice Greenhealth offers Commitment participants access to a suite of tools and resources to jumpstart any of the sustainability goals.
Watch this overview for more background and details about the sustainability goals.
Remote video URL… Read More
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Concerns over infection prevention, continued increase in the use of single-use, disposable plastics, and changes in international recycling markets and a lack of U.S.-based material recovery facilities have left operating rooms awash in single-use medical plastics. Additionally, a 0.5 percent contamination rate requirement on marketable medical plastics has challenged the compliance of many hospital recycling programs.
One ubiquitous medical plastic, ”blue wrap,” is estimated to make up almost 20 percent of all operating room waste. While these plastics do an excellent job of keeping… Read More
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Introduction to carbon offsets
A carbon offset is a project or activity that reduces emissions of greenhouse gases to compensate for emissions created elsewhere. The Clean Development Mechanism of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change offers the public and private sector in high-income nations the opportunity to purchase carbon credits from offset projects in low- or middle-income nations. Common types of offset projects include forestry and land use, renewable energy, energy efficiency, methane destruction, industrial gases, fuel switching, and clean cookstoves.
Carbon… Read More
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Practice Greenhealth is the nation's leading membership and networking organization for organizations in the health care community that has made a commitment to sustainable, environmentally preferable practices.
Health Care Without Harm partnered with the American Hospital Association, Environmental Protection Agency, and the American Nurses Association in September 2001 to create the Hospitals for a Healthy Environment (H2E) program. With funding from the EPA and assistance from HCWH, H2E hired core staff and began outreach efforts to the health care sector with a primary focus of getting… Read More
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Please visit our Guidance for health systems: Setting a net-zero emission goal page for more information.
Why are we changing our goal from carbon neutrality to net zero?
Climate science shows us there is an urgent need to substantially reduce emissions in the near future and offsets are not sufficient to meet that goal. To limit warming to 1.5°C (2.7°F), organizations need to focus on decarbonization so we can reduce global greenhouse gas emissions by half by 2030 and reach zero emissions by 2050. Carbon neutrality is defined by PAS 2060, the internationally recognized specification. PAS… Read More
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The imperative
The Lancet Commission characterized climate change as both the “biggest global health threat” and the “greatest global health opportunity” of the 21st century. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) 2018 report, we need to cut emissions in half by 2030 and get to net-zero emissions by 2050 to keep warming to 1.5°C and avoid the most catastrophic impacts of climate change.
Solving health problems always starts with setting a goal. Establishing a leadership-endorsed, ambitious target motivates staff and helps drive strategies and resources for success… Read More
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Join Practice Greenhealth
Practice Greenhealth is the health care sector’s go-to source for information, tools, data, resources, and expert technical support on sustainability initiatives that help hospitals and health systems meet their health, financial, and community goals.
Who We Are
Practice Greenhealth is the leading sustainable health care organization, delivering environmental solutions to more than 1,700 hospitals and health systems in the United States and Canada. Partnership opportunities include hospitals, health systems, community health organizations, NGOs, nonprofits, government, academic institutions, and the health care value chain.