SUSTAINABILITY
Leonore Gewessler presents EMAS III certificates to the Order’s managing directors. Energy and CO2
goals in Austria5 CO2 emissions are produced directly
or indirectly in a business’s daily operations – directly through heating systems, cars’ or trucks’ combustion engines in an organisation’s own fleet, the use of emergency power generators, or natural gas-powered steam generators for air humidification, and, indirectly – via the production of electricity, community heating, and community cooling. The main goals that we developed, and decided to aim for, were CO2
neutrality for all our Austrian
facilities, and drawing our energy supply from sustainable and fossil-free energy sources. These two goals were in turn
divided into sub-goals: n Use of renewable energy sources as a basic requirement.
n Obtaining our heat supply from renewable energy sources or industrial waste heat.
n Producing ‘green electricity’ from photovoltaic systems, with existing roof surfaces utilised to the maximum.
To achieve these ambitious goals, it is
necessary to do more than just change energy suppliers to switch from nuclear power to electricity from hydropower plants. Numerous additional and accompanying activities are needed – with a ‘special toolbox’ required. Key
About The Hospitaller Order of Saint John of God
The Hospitaller Order of Saint John of God is a Catholic order that maintains about 400 health and social service facilities in 52 countries worldwide. In the Austrian ‘Province’ of the Order, with locations in Austria, the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Slovakia, the Brothers operate 12 hospitals with almost 9,000 staff at nearly 40 locations, as well as numerous other social and healthcare facilities, including care homes, residential groups for people with disabilities, a drug addiction treatment centre, a 72-bed dialysis facility, several hospices, and spa and wellness facilities. In 2021, despite the coronavirus pandemic, there were 114,095 inpatient admissions, 745,244 outpatient contacts, and 49,656 operations, at the organisation’s Austrian facilities .
Following the example of the founder of the order, St. John of God (1495-1550), the Hospitaller Brothers of Saint John of God care for people regardless of origin, religion, gender, or social status, and seek to be available to all those seeking help. The Order’s facilities are thus accessible to all as private, non-profit institutions. Another characteristic of the Order is a keenness to address pressing problems in the health and social sectors with innovative and sustainable solutions, and to implement them with professionalism and Christian charity.
elements include: n Assessing the construction of all buildings, with new facilities built entirely in accordance with ecological, sustainable guidelines.
n Introduction of a company-wide energy system, with standardised key data.
n Establishment of a management system for the acquisition of state or local subsidies.
n Cooling of buildings via community cooling – through community heating networks wherever possible.
n Promotion of sustainable procurement. n Promotion of e-mobility, including the construction of charging infrastructure.
n Maximum expansion of photovoltaic systems (electricity) and solar thermal energy (heat).
n Use of new energy-generating / storage technologies (such as hydrogen, electricity storage, etc.).
n Switching to more ‘climate-friendly’ anaesthetic gases, and recycling.
Achieving these goals step by step To achieve a reduction in CO2
emissions,
it was necessary – both in the individual facilities and at the highest management level – to achieve a voluntary commitment to environmental protection. At the same time, a resolution was passed to certify all our Austrian facilities according to the EU’s environmental management system, EMAS. Environmental teams have been created for each facility, responsible for both the continuous improvement of environmental performance, and the operational implementation of the environmental programme. Teams meet regularly, with both environmental concerns, and particular projects with an ecological impact, discussed and addressed. When assembling a healthcare facility’s Environmental team, care is taken
August 2023 Health Estate Journal 25
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