Did you know the Environmental Stewardship Team (ESTeam for short) is focused on helping PHC meet its sustainability goals? This team was established mid-2022 and members have been working hard at creating a workplace that strives to reduce its carbon footprint.

Currently there are four working groups throughout PHC:

  1. Waste
  2. Food Waste
  3. Communications and Education
  4. Measurement and Evaluation

Members meet once a month and can participate in multiple working groups (with variable time commitments), or ad hoc by assisting on a project specific basis, to help advance environmental sustainability initiatives.

Some highlights of current and upcoming ESTeam projects:

  • The Professional Practice Office is switching to 100 per cent recycled paper!
  • The Waste Working Group is looking at ways to prevent the overusage of gloves in the in-patient setting, starting with CSICU, with the goal of spreading this initiative to the rest of the hospital.
  • The Food Waste Working Group is looking to organize a Food Fair in 2023 to promote more plant-based menu choices and to demonstrate ways to reduce waste in the area of food preparation and serving at PHC.
  • The Evaluation and Measurement Working Group is available to help teams across PHC (including research and QI projects) measure climate change impacts from their projects.
  • The Communications and Education Working Group is obtaining baseline data for their first project with the Energy and Environmental Sustainability Team (EES)​​​ about active transportation. The aim is to reduce PHC’s carbon footprint with employees utilizing alternative commuting options.

Are you interested in being a leader in environmental sustainability? Do you want to make a difference in the health care setting as part of the ESTeam? Email Peter Keyes to receive an invite to our next meeting – all are welcome! 

People-Forward