LHSC and St. Joseph’s win national award for energy and environmental stewardship

Media Release

For Immediate Release
June 20, 2008

(LONDON, Ontario) – London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC) and St. Joseph’s Health Care, London (St. Joseph’s) are the recipients of the 2008 Energy and Environmental Stewardship Award of the Canadian College of Health Services Executives (CCHSE). This award, made possible by a grant from Honeywell, recognizes a progressive health care organization that has implemented programs that demonstrate environmental responsibility through the reduction of energy usage, the preservation of natural resources and effective waste diversion solutions.

LHSC and St. Joseph’s facilities total more than six million square feet, and annually serve 1.3 million visitors. “This award recognizes the accomplishments of our facilities management teams in lowering our impact on the environment,” said Cliff Nordal, President and CEO of LHSC and President and CEO of St. Joseph’s.

“We were delighted to be recognized with this national award for our role in sustaining a healthy environment,” said David Crockett, Integrated Vice President Facilities & Restructuring, who accepted the award on behalf of LHSC and St. Joseph’s. “We began with small energy and building retrofit projects to save energy costs, and have now expanded to a fuller ecological stewardship approach that recognizes how our product purchases, waste management and disposal, travel, landscaping and staff awareness can reduce our impact on the environment and improve our health.”

“As a result of their comprehensive efforts, these organizations have demonstrated what real leadership can accomplish,” said Luis Rodrigues, Vice President, Energy Solutions, Honeywell.

LHSC employed the ecological footprint method to calculate the impact of its operations on the Earth’s renewable resources and is using this information as a benchmarking tool to improve its ecological performance. LHSC’s strategies focus on four key areas: energy conservation, waste reduction, grounds management and green procurement.

St. Joseph's addressed greenhouse gas emissions through upgrades to buildings and staff education and awareness. Ramping up recycling with the employment of new bins and greatly reducing grass cutting on the grounds, St. Joseph’s is building upon energy stewardship to encompass waste reduction strategies and grounds management as well.

The CCHSE is a national professional association for individuals and organizations working in all health sectors across Canada. The award was presented June 1 in Saskatoon.

To read about the LHSC Ecological Stewardship Program, visit www.lhsc.on.ca. Click on “Accountable to You” then “Caring for our Environment.” For information on St. Joseph’s environmental initiatives visit http://www.lhsc.on.ca/energy/

About London Health Sciences Centre
London Health Sciences Centre has been in the forefront of medicine in Canada for over 130 years and offers the broadest range of specialized clinical services in Ontario. Building on the traditions of its founding hospitals to provide compassionate care in an academic teaching setting, London Health Sciences Centre is home to South Street Hospital, University Hospital, Victoria Hospital and Children’s Hospital, two family medical centres, and Lawson Health Research Institute - a joint research initiative with St Joseph’s Health Care, London. As a leader in medical discovery and health research, London Health Sciences Centre has a history of over 30 international and national firsts and attracts top clinicians and researchers from around the world. As a regional referral centre, London Health Sciences Centre cares for the most medically complex patients including critically injured adults and children in Southwestern Ontario and beyond. The hospital’s 10,000 staff, physicians, students and volunteers provide care for close to one million patient visits a year. For more information visit www.lhsc.on.ca

About St. Joseph’s Health Care London
St. Joseph’s Health Care, London is a major patient care, teaching and research centre with a distinguished legacy of service to London, Southwestern Ontario and the veterans of Canada, dating back more than 130 years. St. Joseph’s five key role areas include acute/ambulatory care, complex care and veterans care, long-term care, rehabilitation and specialized geriatrics and specialized mental health care. Facilities and services including St. Joseph’s Hospital, Parkwood Hospital, Mount Hope Centre for Long Term Care and Regional Mental Health Care London and St. Thomas are part of the St. Joseph’s family. Our research arm, the Lawson Health Research Institute, continues to direct their research to the development of new knowledge that is continually being applied directly to patient care. More than 400,000 patients annually receive care from close to 6,000 physicians and staff at St. Joseph’s. St. Joseph’s is affiliated with the University of Western Ontario.

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