Seven Elements of
Climate-Friendly Hospitals

The health sector can employ seven key strategies to become more climate-friendly, while at the same time saving money and generating significant health, economic and social co-benefits. Many of these strategies can be implemented by a shift in the health sector's procurement policies and practices.

• Energy efficiency — reduce hospital energy consumption and costs through efficiency and conservation measures.
• Green building design — build hospitals that are responsive to local climate conditions and optimized for reduced energy and resource demands.
• Alternative energy generation — produce and/ or consume clean, renewable energy onsite to ensure reliable and resilient operation.
• Transportation — use alternative fuels for hospital vehicle fleets; encourage walking and cycling to the facility; promote staff, patient and community use of public transport; site health-care buildings to minimize the need for staff and patient transportation.
• Food — provide sustainably grown local food for staff and patients.
• Waste — reduce, re-use, recycle, compost; employ alternatives to waste incineration.
• Water — conserve water; avoid bottled water when safe alternatives exist.

Health facilities around the world are already taking steps in these and other areas to reduce their climate footprint. Some examples that illustrate the seven key strategies can be found in the WHO-HCWH Discussion Draft report, Healthy Hospitals, Healthy Planet, Healthy People: Addressing Climate Change in Health Care Settings (pdf).