Covenant Health is committed to environmental sustainability through innovative practices, engagement and responsible stewardship of natural resources. Our approach encompasses governance, energy efficiency, waste reduction and smart water use.
We embrace our responsibility to steward and protect Alberta’s resources, creating a healthier environment and better lives for our patients and residents.
Our focus is on environmental sustainability as a way of delivering the best care possible to everyone we serve. By reducing our ecological footprint and protecting our shared provincial resources, we are combating the increasingly harmful effect climate change has had on the health of our communities and the overall demand on our healthcare system.
We are proud to be called upon by the Catholic Health Alliance of Canada (CHAC) and Catholic Health of Alberta to assess the environmental impact of sponsored works and encourage implementation of green initiatives.
Priorities
To successfully deliver environmentally sustainable healthcare across the organization, four themes were developed based on an environmental scan and literature review of health organizations across Canada, each with their own objectives and targets.
Awareness and knowledge
Environmental stewardship is a team effort and can lead to better outcomes for patients and residents. By fostering an understanding of how this is possible, we are building relationships committed to sustainability as a part of everyday health care.
Goals
- Develop an approach to communicate efforts to staff
- Orient staff to our environmental sustainability priorities and how they relate to our values and mission
- Build and maintain effective partnerships with stakeholders to ensure appropriate use of standards and material to:
- meet patients', residents' and staff safety needs
- reduce environmental impact
- Training and program support for program lead/project managers
Governance
We recognize the importance of providing attention, support and awareness of our accountability to protect and respect Alberta’s environment to our leadership, staff, physicians and volunteers.
Accomplishments
- Formation of an Environmental Sustainability Steering Committee: The committee, made up of members from our corporate and healthcare professionals, physicians, patient partners and more, will meet monthly and is tasked with upholding our mission, vision and values, impacting the highest standard of governance to ensure accountability and integrity.
- Formation of five Green Teams: The Green Teams will report quarterly to the Environmental Sustainability Steering Committee and have been instructed to support local initiatives, foster a culture of sustainability and support the achievement of organizational and community goals. The Green Teams are based in:
- Continuing care
- Grey Nuns Community Hospital
- Misericordia Community Hospital
- One Twelve Campus
- Rural acute
- Training for staff: Resources are available for all staff to further their understanding of environmental sustainability, including past and current initiatives and ways to get more involved.
Zero waste and toxicity
Around the world, support is growing for environmental sustainability planning within the health care system by minimizing the environmental impact of drugs and medical devices throughout their lifecycle. In Canada, it is estimated that hospitals account for 8% of public greenhouse gas emissions.
We will address this by reducing waste generated while providing care, safely disposing medical products, using eco-friendly materials and packaging, implementing sustainable sourcing, promoting sustainable initiatives and complying with regulation and legislation.
Goals
- Installation of Level 2 electric vehicle charging stations: Stations will be accessible to both public and staff.
- Anesthetic gas reduction: We are actively working to reduce the use of desflurane, which has the highest greenhouse gas emissions of any anesthetic gas, by 20% in our operating rooms by summer 2025.
Accomplishments
- Battery recycling programs at all sites: Collection of used batteries into specialized containers ensures that they are properly disposed of instead of mixed with regular waste and garbage.
- Secure bike storage: Cycling is a sustainable and efficient method of transportation that reduces carbon emissions and consumption of fossil fuels. We support staff who choose cycling to and from work by providing a means to securely store their bikes.
- Contracting, procurement and supply management (CPSM) has been implemented at all Covenant Health sites. This allows for procurement of clinical and non-clinical resources from an Alberta Health Services supply warehouse.
- Operating room surgeon pick lists: The optimization and efficiency of surgeon pick lists for procedures focuses the instruments and materials required and reduces unnecessary waste and reserialization. The implementation of Connect Care (EPIC) has allowed all Covenant Health operating rooms to review and update pick lists prior to transfer into Connect Care.
- Stryker Sustainability Recycling project was successfully implemented at Banff Mineral Springs Hospital in 2022 and at Misericordia Community Hospital in 2024.
Smart energy and water
Hospitals account for about 11% of total public energy consumption in Canada. We will use modern technologies and sustainable best practices to reduce the environmental and economic impacts of our facilities' and improve their efficiency and resilience.
Goals
- LED lighting: Through renovations and special projects, we will convert at least 90% of all lighting fixtures across all of our sites to energy-efficient LED lighting.
- Quarterly resource utilization reports: These reports will summarize and trend our carbon footprint by examining water consumption, hazardous waste, anesthetic gas utilization, fuel consumption, electricity utilization and total emissions. Reports will be presented to the Environmental Sustainability Steering Committee and available to the Green Teams.
Creating green partnerships
Partnerships and knowledge sharing is an integral part of furthering the discussion of environmental sustainability and planetary health.
Covenant Health has been a member of the Canadian Coalition for Green Health Care (CCGHC) since 2022, using their environmental stewardship guidebooks to source recommendations, information and initiatives for greener healthcare in Canada. The CCGHC's monthly newsletter, the Green Digest, discusses upcoming events and learning opportunities.
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CASCADES supports Canada’s healthcare community in transitioning towards high-quality, low-carbon and climate-resilient care. Developed by four partners (University of Toronto Collaborative Centre for Climate, Health and Sustainable Care, Healthy Populations Institute at Dalhousie University, the Planetary Healthcare Lab at the University of British Columbia and the Canadian Coalition for Green Health Care), CASCADES offers no-cost online learning opportunities and resources.
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A blog focused on greening the hospital environment, supported by the energy and environment department at University Health Network in Toronto. The blog posts weekly information focusing on climate, energy, gardens, operation green, transportation, waste and water.
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In June 2024, Choosing Wisely Canada launched a Choosing Wisely and Climate Action initiative to reduce unnecessary testing, treatments and procedures in efforts to benefit patients and the planet. Recommendations are broken down into 20 different specialty areas for focused implementation.
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