A pilot initiative to support facility-wide decarbonization efforts in the health care sector has received Clean50 recognition as a leading example of an innovative and replicable climate action project. The Canadian Coalition for Green Health Care makes this year’s list of honourees for Decarbonization in Action, which provides resources, targeted technical expertise and facilitation for a diverse cross-section of departments in 13 hospitals in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA).
The Clean50 Top Project award comes as the Coalition is expanding the program within Ontario and across Canada. Participating hospitals can get support from the Coalition’s facilitation team to identify and calculate the impact of operational sources of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, assess the costs and benefits of responsive action, and develop required businesses cases and engagement strategies.
The approach emphasizes peer networks to foster collaboration among the clinicians, service administrators and facilities management personnel within each hospital, and to share experiences and best practices among all participants. An associated, open-access Solutions Atlas has been developed to compile guidance documents, case studies and practical advice about decarbonization initiatives.
“The Coalition is proud to receive this award, and we are encouraged to continue growing our projects and partnerships to drive towards a sustainable health system,” says Dr. Myles Sergeant, executive director of the Canadian Coalition for Green Health Care. “We look forward to working with more health care teams across Canada to move proven climate solutions from planning into practice.”
Decarbonization in Action receives funding from the Peter Gilgan Foundation. Clean50 top projects must have been executed within the two-year period prior to each year’s awards. A maximum of 10 projects are chosen based on votes from individuals who have attained a Clean50 designation for advancing climate action within Canadian business, the public sector, community/national advocacy or academia.
“The Canadian Coalition for Green Health Care has shown that the people working inside our health system are ready to lead on climate action when they have the right support,” says Lucy Lu, climate change program manager with the Peter Gilgan Foundation.
