Novant Health, the North Carolina-based health system, has set new environmental goals in an effort to be more sustainable.
By 2030, the organization committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by at least 35% while also requiring partners responsible for at least 67% of supply emissions to set their own targets and diverting at least the same amount from landfills. The health system also aims to reduce water use by at least 10%.
By 2050, the organization hopes to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 90%, diverting at least the same amount from landfills and reducing water use by at least a quarter.
“Because the climate crisis is the greatest human health threat of the 21st century, our commitment to community health means we must do our part to safeguard planet health,” Matthew Stiene, Novant Health senior vice president of construction and facility services, said in a press release. “By integrating sustainability into all business decisions, Novant Health will develop into an even more sustainable health system capable of improving human health—both inside and outside the walls of our facilities.”
In March 2021, the health system established a multi-disciplinary sustainability committee to help integrate best practices into the business. Its aim is to make the organization more innovative and efficient while improving its impact on the planet, a spokesperson told Fierce Healthcare.
As part of its initial work, the committee helped create seven “Green Teams” now made up of nearly 200 employees to help the organization better steward its resources. Thus far, the teams have overseen the installation of LED lighting at two hospitals, standardized recycling operations across the system, implemented operating room recycling pilots at three hospitals, created a dashboard to track vendor sustainability goals, educated employees about waste product disposal and monitored building automation systems to optimize plant efficiencies, the spokesperson said. Additionally, the teams are helping design Novant Health’s first hospital certified by LEED, the most widely used green building rating system.
The sustainability committee consists of 15 members and will work with departments across the system to progress toward the newly announced goals, the spokesperson said.