Environmental
Environmental
Environmental health = human health
At OhioHealth, sustainability is at the heart of our healing mission and core values. We have a commitment to environmental stewardship because it affects the health and well-being of the people and communities we serve.
On our journey to reduce our greenhouse emissions, we have been focusing our efforts in five key areas: Purchasing, design and construction, waste, transportation and energy.
Responsible purchasing
- WHAT
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Responsible purchasing means we take the time to evaluate the environmental and human impact of products and services before we purchase them.
- GOAL
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OhioHealth will establish and implement environmental preferable purchasing (EPP) standards and policies for five product and service areas across the system: Medical products, nonmedical products, professional services and food, as well as food service products and services.
- WHY
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Being thoughtful about what we buy protects the health and safety of people, reduces unnecessary waste and supports suppliers who are working hard to protect our environment.
How we’re making a difference
OhioHealth is one of the only healthcare systems in the United States with a full-time sustainable procurement advisor who leads this work.
We’ve developed an environmentally preferable procurement policy for OhioHealth.
We are transitioning from disposable to reusable isolation gowns.
Healthy buildings
Creating healthy spaces starts from the ground up. We support our patients and associates by making buildings more energy efficient, as well taking wellness into consideration from the start by incorporating green spaces. By rethinking construction and remodeling, we create safe spaces for a thriving community and future.
- WHAT
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Healthy building is a method of designing and constructing spaces that caters to the well-being of the people who use them and lessens the impact on the environment.
- GOAL
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OhioHealth will strategically plan, design and construct all building projects using sustainable standards and guidelines, including new construction, remodeling, demolition and infrastructure.
- WHY
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Healthy, resilient buildings leave a smaller environmental impact, providing healthier spaces where our people and patients can thrive for generations.
How we’re making a difference
Less waste
We've committed to diverting food waste from landfills by expanding our recycling efforts in our clinical and non-clinical spaces. To accomplish this, we are composting, installing food digesters, donating food to our communities and utilizing efficient methods to minimize the health risks associated with pollution.
- WHAT
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Today, waste is a nearly inescapable in healthcare. But we believe it doesn’t have to be that way. To be good stewards of our environment, we must challenge ourselves to identify and reduce waste using creative methods that won’t diminish our quality and safety standards.
- GOAL
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OhioHealth will divert operational, nonhazardous waste from landfills by reducing use, as well as implementing and expanding recycling and food composting across our footprint.
- WHY
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Recycling large volumes of solid waste minimizes the health impacts associated with landfill pollution and methane emissions.
How we’re making a difference
We diverted over 115 tons of food waste from the landfill in 2022 across the system using composting and food digesters.
We’re working to provide a greener option for our cafeterias’ takeout containers.
As a system, we recycled more than 2,500 tons in 2022, making up 25% of our total waste.
Green transportation
As part of our work towards a healthier future for our communities, we've identified needs for care accessibility and efficient transportation of goods and services. We've set goals to improve transportation, thus preserving natural resources and reducing toxic air pollution to support public health.
- WHAT
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Green transportation maximizes our fleet efficiency and encourages sustainable commuting options to fuel mobility and increase accessibility to our care sites.
- GOAL
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OhioHealth will maximize efficiency in our fleet of vehicles by establishing policies for fleet management that prioritize low and zero-emission vehicles. We also continue to assess new, more sustainable technologies for transportation and continue to increase accessibility to our care sites.
We also continue to assess new more sustainable technologies for transportation and continue to increase accessibility to our care sites.
- WHY
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Transportation is a major consumer of nonrenewable energy, like fossil fuels, and one of the largest contributors of greenhouse gas emissions. It is also a necessary part of our business. Maximizing the efficiency of our fleet is one way OhioHealth can preserve natural resources and reduce toxic air pollution that contributes to many chronic health problems.
How we’re making a difference
While we already use electric vehicles in our courier fleet, we continue to add them throughout our system by partnering with suppliers for support.
We’ve created a policy that prioritizes low and zero emission vehicles when purchasing vehicles.
We’ve installed over 70 charging station ports available across the system to promote electric vehicle adoption.
Smart energy
- WHAT
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Smart energy is about maximizing efficiency and minimizing financial and environmental costs of operations.
- GOAL
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OhioHealth will reduce our energy consumption per square foot by 15% by 2025.
- WHY
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Lowering our energy consumption will diminish the effects of climate change, which negatively influence the health and well-being of our communities.
How we’re making a difference
We’ve reduced our energy consumption per square foot (EUI) by 14%.
We’ve retrofitted our entire system’s lighting to LEDs, totaling over 22,000 lights.
Our care sites are working to become energy champions by setting their own individual goals for use reduction.