WA Enviro Awards
Corporate health care leads the way in caring for the
environment
29 November 2011
St John of God Health Care recently took out
the Corporate Business Leading by Example award at the WA
Environmental Awards with its innovative ‘Safeguarding Our
Environment’ program acknowledged as the best in the State.
The award reflects the depth and breadth of
the organisation’s environmental sustainability strategy and its
commitment to excellence in care, both for patients and the
environment.
St John of God Health Care’s forward-looking
environmental fund allocates $1.2 million annually for priority
initiatives not covered in normal budget processes. This ensures
that bright environmental ideas can come on stream immediately
resulting in rapid benefits for the hospital or other operating
division.
In addition, the organisation is the first
health sector employer to have implemented and used Energy Carbon
Information System (ECIS) to electronically gather utility and
waste data for performance measurement and National Greenhouse and
Energy Reporting (NGER).
Group Chief Executive Officer, Dr Michael
Stanford, said the award reflects the hard work and dedication of
the environmental teams and, critically, senior management buy-in
that is vital to the success and sustainability of any corporate
environmental program.
Dr Stanford said: “From our Board members and
executives, who are pitching in by phasing out paper through the
widespread use of tablet computers and taking part in
sustainability leadership retreats, to our hospitals and other
divisions who are enthusiastically embracing a number of
environmental initiatives, we are determined to minimise the impact
of our activities wherever and whenever we can.”
Some of the many success stories include the
installation of solar hot water heating at our Murdoch hospital,
with an anticipated 13% annual energy saving and the Travel Green
program at our Subiaco hospital, which offers a daily allowance to
those who use green modes of travel such as public transport,
cycling or walking to get to work. So far, it has enticed 13% of
the hospital’s caregivers to leave their cars at home and is now
being extended to other operating divisions.