Energy & environmental sustainability

Overview

Climate change is a serious threat to human health. The urgency to focus on sustainability and build climate resilience is clear. Our goal is to reduce the environmental impacts of the health system. We are adapting our work to be resilient to extreme climate events.

Sustainability is a foundational principle of our Mission: Forward Strategic Plan.

Recent highlights

• We created an environmental stewardship team.
• We launched a Planetary Health Funding Award for staff and medical staff.
• We embedded climate risk and resilience planning into our major capital projects.
• We have reduced our emissions footprint by 9.3% since 2007.
• St. Vincent’s: Honoria Conway - Heather achieved 77% waste diversion.
• We installed a solar photovoltaic system on Mount Saint Joseph Hospital’s roof. This is the first use of solar panels at one of our facilities.
• St. Vincent’s: Brock Fahrni added cooling and subscribed to renewable natural gas. This reduced carbon emissions by 80%. This site is our first net-zero carbon emission facility.

Environmental stewardship team

Our environmental stewardship team includes people from across our organization. The team works together on sustainability and climate resilience initiatives.

We have four working groups:

• Waste (reducing disposables and increasing diversion rates)
• Food (increasing sustainable food choices)
• Communications and Education (sharing information)
• Measurement and Evaluation (measuring success)

The team inspires and empowers Providence staff to create change across the organization. 

Our GreenCare network

Founded by the Energy and Environmental Sustainability team, GreenCare is a network that unites efforts within the B.C. health care community to transform our health care system toward environmentally sustainable and resilient care for healthy people, places and the planet.

Learn more

If you have a question about environmental sustainability at Providence, please email GreenCare.