GreenCare’s annual, ‘Environmental Accountability Report’ (EAR) is hot off the press, providing an overview of GreenCare’s goals, targets, status and performance across Vancouver Coastal Health, Providence Health Care, Provincial Health Services Authority and Fraser Health. You can read the EAR here.

A collaborative approach

For the third year, the EAR offers a look into how the Lower Mainland Health Organizations take responsibility for their environmental impact, and has been created in context of GreenCare’s value of transparency, and GreenCare’s mission: “To engage internal and external partners in the health care community through collaboration, innovation, & transparency to create sustainable and environmentally-responsible health care practices & systems.”

The EAR is designed to introduce and monitor how we are doing in our commitments to GreenCare’s 10 environmental sustainability topic areas, programs and initiatives, which are motivated by the promotion of health and wellness in the broadest sense.
How are we doing: VCH
Vancouver Coastal Health includes nine hospitals, three diagnostic and treatment centres, and 15-community health centres that collectively serve over a quarter of a million people in BC with 11,816 full-time staff.

VCH progress highlights:

• Engagement: 1,587 VCH staff are registered on the GreenCare Community website and 47 VCH staff are active Green+Leaders
• Energy Conservation: VCH has reduced carbon intensity (per sq m) by 23.5% since 2007
• Zero Waste: VCH implemented recycling at 100% of acute and residential sites
• Active Transportation: Currently, 53% of VCH staff commute to work in single occupancy vehicles, while other VCH staff keep active or choose a clean commute: 12.2% walk, 7.5% cycle, 17.5% take public transport, 6.2% ride-share.
• Green Health Care Facilities: VCH celebrated LEED Gold at Sechelt Hospital and efforts toward this certification at Hope Centre, Lions Gate Hospital, and Joseph & Rosalie Segal Family Centre.

Pour yourself a coffee and learn about the place you work; the status of GreenCare initiatives, planned actions and in-depth information on how the various health organizations are doing, as well as success stories, and quotes from the GreenCare team.

Committed to collaboration

GreenCare is committed to ensuring the Lower Mainland Health Organizations take responsibility for their environmental impact; and support them in creating the healthiest facilities and processes for patients, staff, and extended community. The Environmental Accountability Report monitors performance, opportunities and highlight plans for the future, as we define the next steps in GreenCare’s journey.

Collaborative efforts are essential to GreenCare’s success. Help share this work with your colleagues and friends, get in touch and join the GreenCare Community here: www.BCGreenCare.ca.

“Human and planetary health are inextricably linked. Healthy ecosystems support healthy, vibrant communities of people. As such, the health care sector has a responsibility to address our own impacts upon ecosystem health. We need to look beyond reducing our impacts on ecosystems, and create collaborations and strategies that contribute positively to healthy communities of people, and healthy ecosystems.”~ GreenCare Environmental Sustainability Advisory (ESAC)

View the EAR

You can download and read the EAR here.

Thank you & please get in touch!

Our thanks go out to all the people at our health care facilities who have been inspiring leaders in our GreenCare community. If you have any comments or questions, please log-in to the www.BCGreenCare.ca to leave a comment or contact us at greencare@vch.ca