Hospitals Without Carbon Footprints

While modern hospitals are made of high-end technology and sleek interiors, there is an invisible trail of carbon emissions that shadows this pursuit of healing.

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This is a contradiction at the heart of healthcare design: buildings meant to restore health are, paradoxically, exacting a toll on the health of the planet.

At the heart of the sustainability discourse is consumption of energy, materials, food, pharmaceuticals, and resources of all kinds. As an industry, healthcare is responsible for nearly 5 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions. From energy-intensive diagnostic equipment to large volumes of biomedical waste, the sector is among the highest energy guzzlers on a per-square-foot basis. In our quest to save lives, it cannot be ignored that the industry is contributing to air pollution, climate change, and the very health challenges it seeks to treat.

Two forces often inhibit change in healthcare design. One is denial, the proverbial frog in the well, unaware or unwilling to acknowledge the problem. The other is apathy, a belief that individual or institutional efforts cannot move the needle. But evidence suggests otherwise. Sustainability in healthcare design offers tangible benefits in operational efficiency, cost reduction as well as patient and staff well-being.