"I can't change the direction of the wind, but I can adjust my sails to always reach my destination". - Jimmy Dean
Ontario Green Health Care Award Winners Announced
Last week the Coalition held two webinars highlighting the successes of top performers from the 2017 Green Hospital Scorecard (GHS). These webinars included presentations from Providence Healthcare, St. Michael's Hospital, Kemptville District Hospital, Sinai Health System and Colchester East Hants Health Centre, which showcased their current environmental sustainability initiatives.

Awards were announced, listing top scoring sites from the following categories: Water, Energy, Waste and the Green Hospitals of the Year. A total of 16 awards were presented to sites varying from Community, Academic, Non-Acute and Small peer groups. Congratulations to the award recipients and all hospitals that participated in the 2017 Green Hospital Scorecard.

2017 Ontario Green Health Care Award Winners
Highest Overall Scores
Providence Healthcare                                
Michael Garron Hospital                              
St. Michael’s Hospital                                  
Kemptville District Hospital                          

Highest Energy Scores
Providence Healthcare                                
Michael Garron Hospital                             
Mount Sinai Hospital                                  
Strathroy Middlesex Hospital                       

Highest Water Scores
St. Joseph's Health Care London - South West Site           
Muskoka Algonquin Memorial Hospital        
Mount Sinai Hospital                                 
Four Counties Health Services                     

Highest Waste Scores
St. Joseph's Health Care London - Parkwood Institute       
Muskoka Algonquin Memorial Hospital         
Trillium Health Partners- Queensway Health Centre           
Kemptville District Hospital  
Peer Group
Non-Acute
Community
Academic
Small

Peer Group
Non-Acute
Community
Academic
Small

Peer Group
Non-Acute
Community
Academic
Small

Peer Group
Non-Acute
Community
Academic
Small
View the full webinars here .
Thank you to the sponsors of the Ontario Green Health Care Awards
Green Operating Room Survey
Are you a health care facility? If so, we want to hear from you! We are currently conducting a survey to find out what health care facilities in Ontario are doing to green their operating rooms. The goal of this survey is to get a baseline understanding of where you are on your greening journey so that we can support you with tools and resources that will facilitate your success!

We have selected a winner of the $25 Canadian Tire gift card. The winner will be notified on how to obtain their prize.

For more information and access to the survey, please contact Linxi at   linxi@greenhealthcare.ca.
Understudied PVC Chemical Linked to Prediabetes and Obesity
PVC plastic is present in our lives in a range of products, including piping, window blinds, and medical devices. Recent research links organotin dibutyltin (DBT), a chemical found in PVC, to a  higher incidence of obesity and prediabetes   in mice that were exposed to the chemical in utero. Given the widespread use of DBT, researchers believe most people are exposed to the chemical.

Click here to read the full article.
View a list of PVC free medical products here .
Hamilton General Hospital Plants Native Trees and Pollinator Garden
Hamilton General Hospital (HGH) is greening its grounds. The Hamilton Health Sciences (HHS) site recently planted a collection of native trees with  Trees for Hamilton  as well as a pollinator garden as part of an effort to make the space more welcoming and environmentally friendly. Both projects are part of an ongoing partnership with  Friendly Streets Hamilton , which aims to enhance walkability and bikeability in downtown Hamilton.

For more information, click here.
What Does China's Plastic Ban Mean for Health Care?
In July of 2017, China announced that they are  no longer accepting imports of 24 categories of consumer waste , including commonly recycled post-consumer plastics and paper products, due to environmental and health concerns posed by the waste’s contamination. They plan to expand this  ban to post-industrial materials in 2019 . Almost every country exported a portion of their recyclables to China – now there are shock waves being felt around the world as waste piles up and has nowhere to go.

Learn more about the plastic ban's impact on health care here.
New Study Links Air Pollution to Global Diabetes
A new research study links air pollution with an increased risk of global diabetes, even at pollution levels deemed safe by other governing bodies. 

A study from the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis collaborated with the Veterans Affairs (VA) St. Louis Health Care System. The findings could impact a global understanding of one of the fastest growing diseases. More than 420 million people are affected by diabetes worldwide, and roughly 30 million people in the United States alone.

Click here to read the full article.
UN Climate Change Annual Report 2017 Website Now Live

On June 27th, 2018, UN Climate Change launched a web version of its first-ever  Annual Report . The new website includes videos, photos and infographics illustrating the key 2017 achievements and pointing to the future of the climate change process. The report was initially launched on April 13th, 2018 at the UN Climate Change Conference in Bonn.

To visit the UN Climate Change Annual Report website, click here.
Health Care Climate Challenge

Launched in 2015 at the Paris Climate Conference, the Health Care Climate Challenge is a Health Care Without Harm initiative to mobilize health care institutions around the world to play a leadership role in addressing climate change.

We know that climate change is already exacerbating a  wide range of health problems the world over.  Health care is uniquely positioned to play a leading role in addressing climate change, which  The Lancet  has called the greatest health threat of the 21st century.

Click here to learn more.
Protect Your Hospital Dollars With Energy Efficiency

Hospitals consume significant amounts of energy. In fact, they have a higher energy intensity than any other activity in the commercial and institutional sector with the exception of food or beverage stores.

Their high energy consumption is largely due to the use of very energy-intensive equipment such as ventilation systems and specialized medical equipment, as well as extended operating hours.

The ENERGY STAR® Score for Hospitals in Canada applies to acute care and children’s hospitals and to all buildings in multi-building campus settings or stand-alone facilities that are designed to treat patients for short periods of time for any brief but severe medical condition, including emergency medical care, physician's office services, diagnostic care, ambulatory care, and surgical care.

Find out more on ENERGY STAR's application for certification here .
Pan-Canadian Framework on Clean Growth and Climate Change
Developed with the provinces and territories and in consultation with Indigenous peoples – to meet emissions reduction targets, grow the economy, and build resilience to a changing climate. The Pan-Canadian Framework on Clean Growth and Climate Change includes a pan-Canadian approach to pricing carbon pollution, and measures to achieve reductions across all sectors of the economy. It aims to drive innovation and growth by increasing technology development and adoption to ensure Canadian businesses are competitive in the global low-carbon economy. It also includes actions to advance climate change adaptation and build resilience to climate impacts across the country.

Click here t o read more about the Pan-Canadian Framework on Clean Growth and Climate Change.
CHES 2018 National Conference
Smarter Infrastructure for Enhanced Patient Outcomes
Date: September 16-18, 2018
Location: St. John's Convention Centre - St John's, Newfoundland
 

Don't forget to book your booth for the CHES 2018 National Conference in St. John's NL, September 16-18, 2018.  
Space is limited in 2018 so reserve your booth today (if you have not already done so)! 

Follow this link to submit contract for exhibit space

Monday Program Highlights:
  • Keynote Address - Team Broken Earth- Sponsored by Honeywell
  • Build it Right Now to Save Lives in the Future
  • When Risk becomes a Reality; Behind the scenes of an Aspergillus Investigation
  • The analysis, business case, and Implementation of District Cooling Solutions at Toronto General Hospital
  • Upping the Game- How the new edition of Z8000 is shaping health care design for the next decade 
  • Impacting Patient Care by Optimizing Operations & Reducing Energy Usage
  • Engineered Infection Prevention
  • How Smart Robots Improve Logistics for Better Patient Outcomes

Tuesday Program Highlights:
  • Maximizing Emergency Department Capacity By Design: New Workflow + Flexible Environments
  • Primary Healthcare Infrastructure Design Guide: Patient Focused Design Supporting Collaborative Care Teams
  • Operating Room Relative Humidity Control using Liquid Desicant Dehumidification Technology
  • 5 Steps to a Successful Hospital Construction Project
  • Intelligent Drains: Addressing HAI with Hand Hygiene Sink Drainset Technology
  • St. Michael's Hospital: The Application of Digital Healthcare Technology into an existing Health care Expansion Project.
  • Relationship Between Indoor Air Parameters and occupant health. Roles of the Microbiome of the built Environment
Clean Production Action 2018 Training Courses
Date: Tuesday September 11, 18, and October 2 from 11am – 12:15pm ET
Setting Goals and Measuring Chemical Footprints
  • Connect measurement & management: setting and advancing compelling goals provides an internal management tool and reveals intentions for making your organization and the world better for all stakeholders – learn how to set goals, measure chemical footprints, and assess progress to sustainability goals based on case studies from leading practitioners.

Date: Wednesdays October 10, 17, and 24 from 11am – 12:15pm ET 
Avoiding Regrettable Substitutes with GreenScreen
  • Reduce risks with safer alternatives: with regulatory and market demands rising rapidly to avoid chemicals of concern, now is the time to learn how to identify truly safer alternatives to chemicals of concern using rigorous and scientifically robust hazard assessment tools for Safer Chemicals.

Each course involves three live, online classes of 75 minutes, including hands-on exercises, and interactions with faculty.
Canadian Health Care Infrastructure East
Date: October 24-25, 2018
Location: Toronto Airport West Hotel (soon-to-be DoubleTree by Hilton), Toronto, ON

The 2nd Annual Canadian Health Care Infrastructure East provides you with the opportunity to connect with senior stakeholders in health care infrastructure design, build and management. Learn how to transition your hospital projects from concept to long-term successes.
First Nations Health Managers Association Conference
Date: November 5–7, 2018
Location: Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel

The FNHMA hosts an annual conference every fall focusing on current issues and best practices in health management. On a yearly basis, we have 500 participants join us at our conferences and we also host an accompanying trade show.
If you have inspirational greening stories or photos to share with Green Digest readers, please send them to Dan at dan@greenhealthcare.ca
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