Topics and initiatives

Practice Greenhealth offers information, best practices, and solutions for greening the many facets of the health care industry. Click on the pages below to learn more about how to move your health care organization along the sustainability spectrum.

Fundamentals

Lay the foundation for new program development or enhance an existing program to make it stronger and more effective.

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.

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.

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