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“Often when you think you’re at the end of something, you’re at the beginning of something else.”
– Fred Rogers
The Coalition Announces NEW Energy Management Case Studies
The Canadian Coalition for Green Health Care and our HealthCare Energy Leaders Ontario (HELO) Team are pleased to release our latest series of Energy Management Best Practice Case Studies based upon our collaboration with the Weeneebayko Area Health Authority along the western shore of James Bay. Below, you may find the following case studies available for download: 
 
  1. Assessment of Window Replacement Project, Weeneebayko General Hospital. Download HERE. 
  2. First Nations Health Care Staff Graduate Building Operator Certification - Training Improving Technical Skills in James Bay Communities. Download HERE. 
  3. Building Operator Training in First Nations Communities Delivers Infrastructure Improvements, Energy Savings and Enhanced Technical Skills. Download HERE. 
The Coalition welcomes new Sustainable Health Care Programs Manager, Linxi Mytkolli!

Linxi recently graduated from the University of Ottawa with a Honours Bachelor of Science in Biopharmaceuticals, specializing in Genomics. Throughout her undergraduate degree in Biopharmaceutical Sciences, she was able to sharpen her perception of the health care sector as well as enhance her quantitative and communication skills. Through her various experiences she has realized the many persistent challenges that remain in directing the healthcare sector to commit to sustainability goals. However, she believes the biggest challenge is the lack of engaged leadership that personifies the sustainability goals. This led Linxi to purse an MSc. in Sustainability Management from the University of Toronto, from which she will graduate in less than a year.  

This past summer, Linxi supported the Coalition as a Greening the OR Research Student. She enjoyed working with hospitals and operating room staff from across the country, gathering data about greening health care efforts in Canadian operating rooms. Linxi looks forward to continuing to support health care facilities across the country in their sustainability efforts and is excited for her new role has in store! 
Congratulations Neil on presenting about the Green Health Leaders Initiative at CleanMed!

Neil Ritchie, Principal for the Coalition’s Green Health Leaders Initiative (GHLI), delivered his talk at CleanMed Europe in Nijmegen, Netherlands last week in the session dealing with Sustainable Health Care Leadership and Management. As a past senior leader in a number of Canadian hospitals, Neil spoke about the GHLI and how it speaks to senior health leaders on why green actions are the wave of the future and how partnership can make things happen. European participants were impressed with the climate change resiliency projects the Coalition has developed, including the Resiliency Mentoring project funding by the Ontario Trillium Foundation and the Health Care Climate Change Resiliency toolkit . The Green Hospital Scorecard was also of high interest.

Congratulations Kady Cowan on winning Energy Innovator of the Year!

Kady Cowan, the previous chair of the Coalition has been awarded the Energy Innovator of the Year Award from The Association of Energy Engineers. The award was given at the AEE Regional Awards Ceremony on Tuesday, October 16 TH  at the Charlotte Convention Center in Charlotte, NC, in conjunction with the 41 ST  World Energy Engineering Congress (WEEC). Please join us in congratulating Kady and wishing her the best with her new position with the IESO!

The Association of Energy Engineers (AEE), a nonprofit professional society of over 18,000 members, is presenting over 60 regional awards to individuals and organisations around the world. It is important to recognize these individuals and companies for their dedication and performance in the energy efficiency and renewable energy industry. 

For more information on the awards, click HERE.
Health Care Without Harm Call to Action at Health and Climate Global Forum

Pledge your support today for the ten priority actions outline below to protect health and advance human well-being in the era of climate change!

Health Action for Climate: A growing number of health organisations around the world are taking action on climate change. If we are to achieve the ambitions of the Paris Agreement and Sustainable Development Goals, the health sector must do more.

With the right policies and investments today, we have the opportunity to realize our vision of healthy people in healthy places on a healthy planet. The following ten priority actions are essential steps to protect health and advance human well-being in the era of climate change.

  1. Meet and strengthen the commitments under the Paris Agreement
  2. Transition away from the use of coal, oil and natural gas to clean, safe, and renewable energy.
  3. Transition to zero-carbon transportation systems with an emphasis on active transportation.
  4. Build local, healthy, and sustainable food and agricultural systems.
  5. Invest in policies that support a just transition for workers and communities adversely impacted by the move to a low-carbon economy
  6. Ensure that gender equality is central to climate action.
  7. Raise the health sector voice in the call for climate action.
  8. Incorporate climate solutions into all health care and public health systems.
  9. Build resilient communities in the face of climate change.
  10. Invest in climate and health.

These ten priority areas provide a roadmap for strong, coordinated, and urgent collective action to protect our health and that of future generations. To find out more information and to add your organisational endorsement, click HERE.
New IPCC report issues stark warning

The UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change released its latest global analysis earlier last week. In the report, the IPCC urges policy makers around the world to take "rapid, far-reaching and unprecedented changes in all aspects of society" in order to avoid disastrous levels of climate change.

Click HERE to access The 1.5 Health Report, which provides a summary of all the implications of global warming on human health and lives, as described in the latest IPCC Special Report on 1.5°.
ECO SJRH first health care facility in Canada to be ENERGY STAR ® certified

Congratulations to Horizon’s Saint John Regional Hospital (SJRH), who has earned Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) ENERGY STAR certification label for 2018 for its superior energy performance.

This is the first year NRCan has officially certified buildings in Canada, and SJRH is the
first health care facility in Canada to receive ENERGY STAR certification. ENERGY STAR certified buildings are verified to perform in the top 25 per cent of buildings nationwide, based on weather-normalized source energy use that takes into account occupancy, hours of operation, and other key metrics. 

“We’re honoured to earn the ENERGY STAR for superior energy performance at SJRH and appreciate the efforts of everyone who has been involved in its efficient operation,” said Ralph Mayfield, Horizon’s Director of Facilities, Engineering and Property Management for the Saint John area. “Saving energy is just one of the ways we show our community we care and that we’re committed to doing our part to protect the environment and provide safe and quality care to our patients and staff.” 

To read more on this story, please CLICK here.
Hamilton Health Science publishes first corporate sustainability report
    
Each day, staff, physicians and volunteers at Hamilton Health Sciences (HHS) work hard to reduce waste, improve energy efficiency, recycle and use resources responsibly.
“We’re committed to reducing our environmental impact,” says  Victoria Brzozowski , waste management coordinator at HHS. “By holding ourselves to a high standard, we hope to help make Hamilton a healthier place to live.”

In 2017, they implemented two successful programs to reduce their environmental footprint, recycling in  operating rooms  (OR) and recycling and reduction of food waste in Nutrition Services.

Their commitment to sustainable environmental practices has been recognized as a sector success by  Sustainable Hamilton Burlington  with two awards – the Best First Time Sustainability Report Award and the Environmental Initiative Award, which they received based on the programs implemented in the OR and Nutrition Services.

To read more about HHS' sustainability efforts, read their sustainability report HERE.
ECO releases 2018 Greenhouse Gas Report

The E nvironmental Commissioner of Ontario, Dianne Saxe, released  Climate Action in Ontario: What's Next? , her 2018 Greenhouse Gas Progress Report, to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario.

The report calls on the provincial government to create a climate change law that drives down emissions while funding sensible solutions. A meaningful climate law needs science-based emissions budgets, a legal obligation to stay within those budgets, and credible, transparent progress reporting.

To read the report, click HERE.
Quebec senior home is first in Canada to achieve LEED silver

The CALÉO residential retirement complex has attained LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Silver certification. The facility, which opened July 1, 2018, is said to be the first private home for seniors in Canada to earn the certification.

The features that helped the facility achieve this certification include:
  • Electric vehicle recharging stations on-site.
  • Units equipped with water-efficient WaterSense-certified appliances, which will reduce water use by 20% for all the units in the complex, or close to 1 million litres saved every month.
  • Energy efficiency that reaches the target of 17% savings on energy costs (compared to the ASHRAE 90.1 2007 standard).

To read more about this story, please click HERE.

NOTE: Though an account is required to read the full article, making an account on Canadian Health Network is free and highly recommended.
Waste Reduction Week 2018
The 17th annual Waste Reduction Week in Canada campaign is almost here! Once again, we invite you and the rest of the nation to take action and celebrate with us from  Oct. 15 - 21, 2018 .
 
Waste Reduction Week in Canada is a national program that kicks-off in October and focuses on the circular economy, resource efficiency, and waste reduction. The purpose is to promote individual and collective environmental efforts and achievements while encouraging new innovative ideas and solutions.
 
Held annually during the third week of October since 2001, Waste Reduction Week in Canada, through a coalition of environmental non-profit and government organisations from across the country, also shines the spotlight on conscious consumption and responsible recycling.

For more information on this year's themes, programs and campaigns please access the comprehensive program guide below.
Energy Star ® Day: October 23, 2018

ENERGY STAR Day highlights the benefits of energy efficiency and celebrates Canadians’ efforts to help protect the planet. Simple actions like swapping your old inefficient light bulbs for LEDs or using a smart power bar are important steps toward creating a more sustainable future – and they are actions everyone can take.

As an environmental advocate, join us in promoting energy efficiency by engaging with us online. On and before ENERGY STAR Day, we will be tweeting and posting on Facebook. Stay tuned for our posts and don't forget to check out ENERGY STAR's social media pages as well!

CME available for extreme weather prep webinar
Greenhealth Academy: Preparing for climate emergencies
Date: October 30 2018
FREE online webinar

For this webinar, emergency medicine physicians outline the current and predicted impacts of extreme weather events on emergency departments and health care systems. Recent extreme weather will serve as case studies as experts discuss opportunities for resilience planning.

Webinar participants will:

  • learn the role of emergency medicine in preparing for extreme weather events, 
  • discuss geographically relevant climate risks and vulnerable populations, 
  • review strategies for emergency department and hospital-wide resilience.

The webinar is free, but there is a $15 fee for each CME credit. For more information and to register for the webinar, please click the link below.

Making the Links Symposium on Collaborative Action
Climate Change, Community Health and Resilience
Date: November 5 and 6 2018
Location: Kelowna, B.C.

Two days of learning and strategies for collaborative action with other community and sector leaders on some of the most pressing issues of our time:  Climate Change, Health and Resilience.

Through workshops, cross-sector dialogue, inspiring speakers and community stories, participants will uncover shared approaches to climate change that not only protect, but also improve community health and well-being.

For more information, click the link below to access the conference agenda, workshop details and more!

Ontario Education Day
Using Drone Technology for Building Review and CSA Updates in Healthcare
Date: Thursday November 8, 2018
Location: Cambridge Hotel and Conference Centre, Hespeler Road, Cambridge ON
Cost: $50 CHES MEMBERS, $250 NON -MEMBERS (Includes 1 year membership)
Contacts: Rick Anderson, CHES ON Education Chair rander6@amtelecom.net
Ron Durocher, Windsor Regional Hospital ron.durocher@wrh.on.ca

Guest speakers: Michael Cohen—Industrial Skyworks & Roger Holliss—VP Ches National
Valuable information for: Designers, Engineers, Architects, Project Managers, and Hospital Engineering staff

Registration deadline is October 18th. Please contact Rick or Ron for more information.
If you have inspirational greening stories or photos to share with Green Digest readers, please send them to Linxi at linxi@greenhealthcare.ca
Some articles referred to in the Digest make reference to services and/or product offerings from specific suppliers. The CCGHC recommends that readers research the service and product offerings available through a wider range of suppliers for comparison purposes and in keeping with public sector purchasing guidelines. These articles should not be interpreted as an endorsement of any product or service.