St Vincent’s Environmental Sustainability Plan 2024-2026.
St Vincent’s Environmental Sustainability Plan 2024-2026.
15 Mar 2024
St Vincent’s is proud to launch the inaugural Environmental Sustainability Plan 2024-2026.
Climate change is a major risk for human health, with immediate health risks relating to extreme weather events, changes in infectious diseases patterns, and detrimental effects on food and water security.
The impacts of climate change are likely to place increased pressure on Australia’s health system and will exacerbate existing health inequities, with vulnerable groups and rural communities most affected.
As high volume consumers of single use medical equipment, considerable energy and water usage, hazardous waste generation and numerous other environmental hazards specific to the hospital sector, St Vincent’s has significant work to do in reducing our carbon footprint.
Identifying five priority areas responsible for some of the greatest impact on climate outcomes, the Plan will see St Vincent’s making tangible interventions in areas including Governance, Culture and Engagement, Waste and Energy, Transport and Procurement and Clinical Sustainability.
In brief, St Vincent’s will transition to a low carbon, climate resilient healthcare provider by reducing demands on earth’s resources. This will be achieved through decreasing energy, waste and carbon emissions, reducing our climate vulnerability and contribution to climate change, and using our voice to accelerate progress, improving planetary health and health equity for vulnerable people.
The Plan outlines St Vincent’s vision to become a more environmentally aware and sustainable organisation, and articulates our approach to achieving net zero by 2050. With the aim to improve the social, economic and environmental wellbeing of our community. Designed in collaboration with our people who will shape and support the actions required to achieve our goals, this plan maps out our intentions to embed a culture of environmental sustainability as everyone’s responsibility.
Click here to see the full plan.
