The Green Series - Article 4 Part 3
Photo by Erik Mclean on Unsplash
Global Green and Healthy Hospitals Network (GGHHN) is a worldwide community of hospitals, health care systems, and organizations dedicated to reducing the ecological footprint of health care operations, in order to promote environmental and public health. The Network is based on members' commitment to implement the Global Green and Healthy Hospitals Agenda by developing more sustainable practices and by measuring progress over time. The GGHH community shares solutions and best practices.
GGHH is a project of Health Care Without Harm. Imagine hospitals, health care facilities, health systems, and health organizations from around the world working together for a healthier, more sustainable planet. This is Global Green and Healthy Hospitals.
Established by Health Care Without Harm, the Global Green and Healthy Hospitals (GGHH) is based on members' commitment to implement the Global Green and Healthy Hospitals Agenda by developing more sustainable practices and by measuring progress over time. [1]
The network has over 1,940 members representing 70,000 hospitals and health centres from more than 80 countries who are using innovation, ingenuity, and investment to transform the health sector and foster a healthy, sustainable future. [1]
The GGHH aims to promote greater sustainability and environmental health in the health sector, as well as support existing efforts around the world. Through these efforts, the network hopes to create a green and unified global health community. To achieve this, GGHH has created a framework made up of ten interconnected goals that serve as the framework for the network and its members. Each agenda contains a series of Action Items for hospitals and health systems to implement. Members can set their priority goals and chart their own course for specific steps to achieve them, with a plan to subsequently move on to the next challenge.
An initiative of Health Care Without Harm (Health Care Without Harm seeks to transform health care worldwide so that it reduces its environmental impact, becomes a community anchor for sustainability, and a leader in the global movement for environmental health and justice) the platform helps the healthcare sector implement sustainability goals and build climate-resilient operations.
Core Framework: The network centres around 10 interconnected goals to guide health facilities in minimizing their ecological impact and fostering public and planetary health: [3] [4]
a. Leadership: Prioritize environmental health as a strategic imperative.
b. Chemicals: Substitute harmful chemicals with safer, sustainable alternatives. c. Waste: Implement proper waste management and minimization strategies.
d. Energy: Reduce energy consumption, promote efficiency, and transition to renewable energy sources.
e. Water: Reduce hospital water consumption and supply safe drinking water.
f. Transportation: Promote green transit for staff, patients, and freight.
g. Food: Purchase and serve sustainably grown, healthy food.
h. Pharmaceuticals: Safely manage and dispose of pharmaceuticals.
i. Buildings: Implement green design and construction for healthcare facilities. j. Purchasing: Buy safer, more sustainable products and materials. GGHH provides specialized platforms. Membership is open to hospitals, healthcare facilities, health systems, and health organizations. Facilities must endorse the GGHH agenda, commit to implementing at least two of the core goals, and actively promote environmental health.
The GGHH metrics are commonly used to evaluate the environmental performance of healthcare facilities. GGHH is a community in which members learn from one another by sharing information and experiences to help accelerate the transition to low carbon, climate resilient and environmentally sustainable healthcare across the world.[4]
The three goals of GGHH are to: a. Facilitate connection between people driving sustainable healthcare to share information, support one another and build a community of practice b. Provide tools and resources
a. Document, promote and celebrate achievements. GHH provides member benefits and resources available through Connect, an online collaboration platform. Through Connect GGHH members can access:
b. Resources (Guidance documents for Buildings, Waste, Water, Energy, Sustainable Procurement, and Chemicals)
c. Webinar recordings c. Data management tools (available for Waste, Energy, Climate Impact Check Up Tool);
d. Discussion forums;
e. and a library of case studies from GGHH members in each of the 10 GGHH goal areas.
GGHH members have the opportunity to take part in global initiatives that demonstrate collective action for climate-smart healthcare, including the Health Care Climate Challenge and Race to Zero. The GGHH network promotes public and environmental health and aims to assist hospitals, health care facilities, health systems, and health organisations reduce their environmental footprint. Members use innovation, ingenuity, and investment to transform their energy use and environmental impact and foster a healthy sustainable future; in many cases reducing their costs at the same time.