District makes strides towards its sustainability goals.
 

Sydney Local Health District is making significant strides towards becoming a more environmentally responsible, sustainable, adaptable and resilient organisation, with key programs already making a difference.  

“Sustainability is one of the District’s key initiatives,” said Jon Gowdy, the District’s Executive Director of Capital Infrastructure and Engineering, who is also Co-Chair of the District’s Environmental Health and Sustainability Steering Committee. 

“The Committee’s purpose is to drive initiative while working closely with facility leads to understand and support their local needs and programs.” 

 In the lead-up to World Environment Day, the District would like to acknowledge two partnerships it has formed that are helping to deliver significant environmental and sustainability improvements.

• At the RPA’s Professor Marie Bashir Centre, a reverse osmosis water system is helping to recycle 30,000 litres of water used in dialysis machines, which is then provided to City of Sydney Council to help clean local streets and footpaths 
• The District’s partnership with Pharmacycle has so far resulted in close to 130,000 used and empty blister packs being collected and diverted from landfill – with about 200kg of plastic and aluminium being recycled  

The District has also installed solar panels and energy efficient LED light bulbs in facilities that are estimated to save 9,880 megawatts of electricity per year, which would power 1,620 average Australian households annually. 

This year gastroenterologist Dr Crispin Corte has joined the Steering Committee as Co-Chair bringing an important clinical perspective and vision to the Committee’s work. 

The Committee has identified seven key action areas: the built environment; energy; food and nutrition; procurement; travel and transport; waste and recycling; and water. 

The District’s Environmental Health and Sustainability Plan outlines its vision to be Australia’s cleanest greenest hospital and healthcare service by 2030.