A deeper look into Earth Week(s) at the UHN

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With Earth Week(s) here at the UHN completed, we can definitely say it was a success, with over 350 ballots filled and even more visitors! We travelled with our Earth Week Booth all over UHN, with Toronto General Hospital, Princess Margaret Centre Research Tower, and OPG boasting the highest volumes of engaged booth visitors. Lots of employees walked away with more knowledge and a pack of seeds to help get their garden started! The graph below shows the engagement at the various sites in comparison to each other.

Graph depicts the engagement at the various sites visited

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A Deeply Cool Year in Energy & Environment

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A Deeply Cool Year in Energy & Environment

Energy & Environment … two great concepts and the department that makes up our Talkin’ Trash with UHN team. Our 2018 annual report infographic is a vibrant look at how we support patient care through a sustainable environment. Enjoy the scroll …

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Earth Week(s) Climate Challenge

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Spring has (finally) sprung, and guess what’s coming? Hint: what’s even better than a 4-day weekend? Earth Week, of course!

click here for the earth week calendar

Now, our guest of honour has been having a rough time of late. Climate change is looming large, and many of us don’t know where to start. Luckily, we got your back and have put together a solid list of 24 ways you can act on climate right now.

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Climate Change is a Health Care Issue

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A lack of progress in reducing emissions and building adaptive capacity threatens both human lives and the viability of the national health systems they depend on, with the potential to disrupt core public health infrastructure and overwhelm health services.

This is not a quote from Greenpeace, Al Gore, or David Suzuki. It is from The Lancet, one of the most prestigious medical journals in the world. More and more health organizations are recognizing climate change as the biggest global health threat of the 21st century. Canadian health organizations, such as the Canadian Medical Association, Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment, Registered Nurses’ Association of Ontario, and others are urging decisive action from political and business leaders, institutions, and individuals to reign in CO2 emissions that are causing climate change.

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Flash Flooding in Toronto. Photo Source

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When in doubt, throw it out … goodbye wish-cycling

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DEFINITION

Wish-cycling:

The well-meaning but misguided process of wishing and hoping something is recyclable (because it should be!!!), and throwing it into the recycling bin regardless of your local rules.

In reality, this contaminates the recycling stream, making the rest more likely to end up in landfill.

Hey, we know this comes from a good place. We want to recycle! We don’t want to add to landfill. Throwing things in the garbage can induce some major guilt and despair. Recycling those items makes us all feel better … and that’s sometimes the problem.

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Five ways to save energy beyond Earth Hour

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This Saturday March 30 is Earth Hour, a now twelve year global tradition of turning the lights out to signify a collective commitment to the wellness of our planet. If you’ve ever participated in Earth Hour –whether it was this year or five years ago– you know that it feels good to do. There’s something about taking part in a global movement that makes you feel empowered to make a difference. So the question is, why only do something that makes you feel empowered for an hour?

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Mehdi Motakefpour

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Hello there,

I am Mehdi Motakefpour, the new Energy Project Manager. It has been more than two months now that I’ve joined UHN Energy & Environment team. Our team is one of the behind the scene crew that strives to optimize energy use within UHN facilities and minimize the environmental footprint while providing a healthy, safe, comfortable and sustainable environment for the patients and staff. Continue reading →