A look at some of the ordinary people taking extraordinary initiative
Green+Leaders come from every corner of the health-care system — nurses and pharmacists, facilities staff and administrators, people whose job titles have nothing to do with sustainability at all. What they share is a spark: they spotted a chance to reduce their environmental footprint or improve planetary health, and they took it. Over time, that initiative became embedded in their everyday work.
For the first time, we’re telling some of those stories through video — putting faces and voices to the work so more people can see themselves in it. Because anyone, in any role, can make a difference.
From IV to Oral: Increasing patient comfort while reducing plastic
An infectious disease physician and pharmacist might not be the team you’d imagine leading a plastics reduction project, but Drs. Shaqil Peermohamed and Rosanne Thalakada are bucking the trend. The pair designed a way to reduce the need for IV use of antimicrobials by offering patients an oral solution. This approach saves patients from unnecessary discomfort and potential complications, while reducing plastic waste, money and greenhouse gas emissions. To inspire interest, they worked with artist Pete Clarkson to create a sculpture using waste from a standard IV set up.
The ASPIRES team have done innovative work in promoting the switch from intravenous (IV) to oral (PO) antimicrobials. The project exemplifies a visionary approach to planetary health, uniting clinical excellence with environmental sustainability. It is exciting to watch how one small local idea is quickly developing into a much bigger provincial initiative. It reminds us that we do have agency to foster changes to improve patient care and healthcare sustainability
— Dr. Rashmi Chadha, Planetary Health Clinician Engagement Lead, Vancouver Coastal Health
Learn more about the Antimicrobial Stewardship Programme at aspires.vch.ca
Drs. Shaqil Peermohamed and Rosanne Thalakada: Reducing IV waste
Cooking up change: Sustainability efforts abound in this hospital kitchen
For Noordin Karmali sustainability in the kitchen is food for thought. As Food Operations Manager for Fraser Health he’s been able to find many ways to reduce energy use: upgrading appliances for energy efficiency, sourcing more food locally, and reducing foods with a high carbon footprint.
Most importantly, by making the food delicious patients consume more, nourishing their bodies and reducing waste. The work is a team effort, from the hard working kitchen staff to the dieticians who support the nutrition.
Noordin serves as a vital anchor for the Food and Dietitian Services Team at Fraser Health. With years of healthcare operations experience, he brings a deep-seated passion and dedication to every person and project he touches. His leadership in advancing planetary health at Queen’s Park Care Centre is both influential and inspiring, especially in how he champions a collaborative approach with his colleagues and stakeholders. Noordin, thank you for being a true role model in our green journey!
— Elaine Chu, Director, Food Service Transformation and Strategic Projects, Fraser Health
Day-to-day work: The quiet powerhouse of sustainability
Colin Chan, Executive Director of Facilities Maintenance and Operations (FMO) at Provincial Health Services Authority (PHSA), points out that facilities workers are health-care workers, too. Their patients aren’t people, but buildings and equipment.
Maintenance and minor repairs to health-care devices extend their lifespan, saving them from the landfill and delaying replacement costs to our health-care system. High-quality patient care requires well-maintained facilities, and the PHSA FMO team is dedicated to the care of our facilities, our equipment, and our planet.
At PHSA, our Facilities Maintenance teams are central to keeping our healthcare sites operating safely, reliably, and sustainably. We take great pride in this responsibility, recognizing that sustainability is not a separate function, but something embedded in the day-to-day work of every team member.
— Daniel Clement, Chief of Infrastructure & Sustainability, PHSA
Colin Chan: Facilities maintenance and energy reduction
The pulse of the hospital: Transfusion medicine and using blood wisely
As a transfusion medicine physician at Fraser Health, Dr. Yan works closely with other transfusion specialists across the country. That’s how he came to be involved with Using Blood Wisely, a program that helps hospitals reduce unnecessary blood transfusions and promote appropriate blood use in patient care.
The initiative has the potential to generate more than $2 million in cost savings, while improving patient safety, reducing demands on clinical staff and patients, and lowering the environmental impact of blood use.
Using blood wisely is an initiative that is of high priority for the Fraser Health sustainability team. It highlights the importance of evidence-based treatments that can reduce both systemic and environmental waste, while minimizing potential patient harms and freeing up nursing and lab resources that can be used for other important responsibilities. We applaud the achievements at Abbotsford and Surrey hospitals in collaboration with Dr. Yan, and we hope to see regional uptake and accreditation for this valuable project in the near future
— Dr. Jonathan Braunstein, Regional Medical Staff Lead, Sustainability and Preparedness, Fraser Health
Waste diversion: Social and environmental impacts for the community
As Coordinator for Waste Management and Contract Performance at Providence Health Care, Kathy Kohli has initiated multiple waste-reduction measures. Ensuring these practices get put to use, however, requires strong communication with the clinicians and partners who work in our facilities.
By emphasizing collaboration as part of reducing waste, Kathy has been able to implement several projects including an IV Bag and Tubing Recycling pilot at St. Paul’s Hospital.
Kathy joined our waste team in 2023 and hit the ground running. She’s been immersed in all facets of our operations from project planning to education to creating the performance metrics reporting. She personifies grace, intelligence, and professionalism. From a functional perspective, Kathy is the PHC Waste team.
— Benson Low, Director of Environmental Services, Providence Health Care
Read about the Binners Project and the IV Bag and Tubing Recycling Pilot on bcgreencare.ca
Kathy Kohli: Waste reduction and recycling streams
Shared learning for climate adaptation: connecting climate professionals
In a changing climate, learning to adapt is a critical health-care priority. The key to managing adaptation measures starts with communication. Sonia Botchev works on the Climate Preparedness and Adaptation team with the British Columbia Centre for Disease Control and the Provincial Health Services Authority. By helping professionals to share their research, data and findings, Sonia is fast-tracking adaptation sciences from theory to practice.
Sonia is outstanding at ensuring the smooth operation of the Climate Preparedness & Adaptation program team. She has been a driving force in continuously enriching the Climate and Health Community Centre with new resources and content, fostering a dynamic and engaging hub for knowledge exchange and collaboration.
— Angela Yao, Senior Scientist at Environmental Health Services, BC Centre for Disease Control
Learn more about the BC Centre for Disease Control’s work in monitoring and responding to environmental health risks, including wildfires and other climate-related events, at bccdc.ca
Sonia Botchev: Socializing climate adaptation research
The softer side of a changing climate: community storytelling and adaptation
While much of climate adaptation focuses on practical endeavors to avoid health-related risks, Adam Cassady is supporting another angle: the emotional and mental health implications.Ecolens, an online interactive hub, allows community members to upload photos, comments, and stories reflecting their lived experiences with climate change.
As part of the Climate Preparedness and Adaptation team with the British Columbia Centre for Disease Control, this represents another important element to their work to protect British Columbians from the impacts of heat domes, flooding, fires, and other elements of climate change.
Adam provides exceptional leadership for the Climate Preparedness & Adaptation program, ensuring the team stays on track and aligned with its goals. He spearheaded the successful launch of the EcoLens project and has cultivated strong, meaningful partnerships across both internal and external partners
— Angela Yao, Senior Scientist at Environmental Health Services, BC Centre for Disease Control
Learn more about how BC residents are sharing their experiences of climate change at ecolens.ca
Adam Cassady: Ecolens and the social side of climate adaptation
Not just green: well-being and collaboration power these facilities
Bringing in a variety of perspectives and expertise is critical to the way SJ Yoo approaches a project. As Project Manager of Capital Projects at Vancouver Coastal Health, that’s the approach he brought to a new heat pump technology model at Vancouver General Hospital.
The project will reduce greenhouse gases and bring reliability to the facility and reduce costs. When you center people in the conversation, SJ finds that innovative solutions proven reliable elsewhere can find a home in the health-care system.
SJ leads in a way that brings people into the journey, not just the outcome. His leadership is evident in how he builds relationships, collaborates across project teams, and ensures operations staff—those who will ultimately own these spaces—have a voice from the very beginning. He doesn’t deliver projects to people; he delivers them with people. That commitment to partnership has transformed the way projects come to life.
— Kori Jones, Energy and Emissions Director, Vancouver Coastal Health
Learn how VCH is building a sustainable future for health-care at bcgreencare.ca
SJ Yoo: Heat pump technology reducing GHGs and costs
