How Healthcare Facilities Can Reduce Their Environmental Footprint

Even though there’s no doubt that without the healthcare system and its institutions no person on this planet would ever be able to survive and be healthy, there’s one negative thing about it that impacts all of us.

When we say this we refer to our environment. Many reports have shown, not once, but numerous times before, that the healthcare sector is possibly one of the largest polluters in the world.

This refers to the greenhouse gas it emits. Sadly, it doesn’t look like anyone from the healthcare industry will do anything about it, however, that doesn’t mean that we should just accept and embrace this awful situation.

There are a plethora of things people who work in healthcare facilities can do to change things for the better. If you’re one of them and you are willing to make that change, then make sure to follow these tips below.

Start With The Energy Use

Many healthcare institutions (those that care about the planet Earth) have concluded that one of the most effective ways to decrease the environmental footprint is by utilizing way energy. One of the first facilities that did this, was UW Health.

Namely, what they did was lowered energy use intensity by almost twenty-five percent. They've been doing this for the past eight years. Instead of wasting too much energy, they turned to natural light, and installed HVAC occupancy sensors because they didn't know some of the most important systems to run in rooms with no patients, and they also started utilizing LED lighting.

All of these methods are generally very efficient, and do not cost a substantial amount of money, yet drastically decrease carbon footprint. Therefore, any healthcare institution that aspires to achieve this too, should give some of these methods a try. 

Another solution that’s definitely as great as the aforementioned ones is renewable energy. There are a lot of hospitals these days that opt for solar panels to power the facilities, while there are those that purchase electricity from renewable energy resources.

After all, it doesn't matter what you decide to employ. What matters is to find a way to reduce carbon footprint as much as possible.

What About Clinical Waste Bins?

There are numerous tools that healthcare facilities use nowadays whenever they want to get rid of medical waste. Certainly, one of the most utilized things when it comes to this is a clinical waste bin which can be found in a lot of today’s hospitals. What makes this bin so practical and highly beneficial?

There are a number of reasons why all healthcare institutions should consider implementing them. For starters, if you want to properly safeguard all your medical staff, along with your patients, then you need to dispose of your medical waste the right way.

One of the best ways to do so is by using these waste bins. These bins significantly decrease the transmission of infectious diseases, like Hepatitis, AIDS, and many others. And of course, by employing them, you will preserve our environment as well.

Whatever your goals are as far as this is concerned, as you can see these clinical waste bins are multi-purpose, which means that with them, you’ll kill two birds with one stone.

Let’s Discuss Surgical Equipment

A vast majority of hospitals have a tendency to utilize single-use medical equipment which isn't a very good idea because it's a lot pricier in comparison to reusable equipment. This is in fact proven numerous times.

One of the studies that have concluded this too was the one conducted at Western Health. Namely, it has shown that the reusable anesthetic equipment that’s been used in operating theaters has saved them approximately $5,000 each year per operating theatre. 

In terms of carbon footprint, the results will vary depending on the source of electricity that’s been employed. In the above-mentioned study, cleaning reusable anesthetic equipment resulted in an environmental footprint that’s a bit higher.

How come? Well, that’s because washers and sterilizers rely too much on electricity. This was actually the case in Australia. When it comes to the United States, electricity is typically received from an energy mixture (they use a lot of natural gas) that isn’t as harmful to the environment.

Furthermore, research that has been conducted in Germany and Australia has showcased that reusing conventional breathing circuits to deliver gases and oxygen to anesthetized patients definitely doesn't increase the risk of microbiological contamination. 

Time To Bring Up This Topic With Your Healthcare Staff

This topic in general isn’t something that’s oftentimes brought up. And this doesn’t refer to the healthcare industry only, but unfortunately, to various others. Now, it’s time to change this. For starters, you should talk to your colleagues to see what they can do to make some positive changes.

One of the easiest steps that can be taken is to use a different form of transportation. Those who normally use cars or buses should opt for a vehicle that's far more eco-friendlier. The best option when it comes to this is to utilize a bicycle, or if they live close to their workplace, they can take a walk.

That will not only benefit our planet Earth but their health in general. If your staff doesn't have the means to obtain an e-bike, then you can talk to the superiors to see if your healthcare facility can provide your employees with these vehicles.

By doing so, your institution is going to drastically reduce its environmental footprint. Keep reminding them that the use of electric bikes lowers fuel expenses, and simultaneously carbon emissions.

Recycle, Recycle, Recycle

Recycling should be implemented in every industry in the world, not just the healthcare industry. For starters, we need to focus on paper and cardboard products, which sadly still cannot be recycled.

Another thing that you can do is to divide pricey hospital infectious waste from the ones that are not only non-infectious but also cost-effective.

We understand why a lot of healthcare facilities do not frequently think about their carbon footprint since they are focused on taking care of their patients, however, since we already concluded that they play a major role in increasing their environmental footprint, we think that now, is the perfect time to do something about it.