SUSTAINABILITY
to ensure that – as far as possible – all departments of the respective hospital or care facility are represented. An environmentally conscious approach
from staff contributes significantly to improving environmental performance. To embed good environmental practices into everyday activity, all important guidelines are available on an intranet. In addition to being able to find information in the employee magazine, staff are kept informed about the environmental impact and environmental performance of their site through information events and training courses, regular ‘posts’ in site-specific employee apps, notices, and posters.
CO2 neutrality within reach
In the course of the EMAS certification exercise, the company’s management set the goal of halving CO2
emissions by
2025 compared with the base year, 2017, and achieving climate neutrality by 2030. Thanks to the motivation and commitment of all employees, the milestone goal of halving CO2
emissions was almost reached
as early as 2022, with a 48% reduction. The goal of a CO2
neutral energy supply
through a complete phasing out of fossil fuels (oil and natural gas) was brought forward by four years, and is now planned for 2026. It is, however, important to point out that emissions
a complete elimination of CO2
is probably not technically possible from today’s perspective. Diesel-powered hospital emergency generators or, for example, specialist fire brigade vehicles, cannot feasibly technically currently be replaced by sustainable emission-free such equipment and plant. From today’s perspective, carbon zero is therefore only 98% achievable for an operator of hospitals and care and nursing facilities.
Examples already implemented By 2022, photovoltaic systems with a total output of just over 600 kWp (kilowatt peak, defined as the maximum output of a photovoltaic system in kilowatts) had been put into operation at our sites. Some of the Brothers of Saint John of God’s facilities and buildings have existed for 400 years, and are mostly located in historic city centres (such as in Vienna, Graz, and Salzburg, etc.). Accordingly, there were a range of visual and technical
‘‘
A photovoltaic system on the roof of the St. Veit/Glan hospital in Carinthia, Austria.
requirements to address in terms of protecting and safeguarding historic monuments and properties. For example, during the renovation of a home for the elderly in Linz, a solar thermal system with a collector area of 200 m2
, and a
photovoltaic system with an output of 31 kWp, were installed. By using district heating from biomass
power plants or industrial waste heat, heating systems with fossil fuels are no longer necessary. A hospital in Graz, for example, will be heated in future with waste heat from a nearby paper factory.
Some of the Brothers of Saint John of God’s facilities and buildings have existed for 400 years, and are mostly located in historic city centres. Accordingly, there were a range of visual and technical requirements to address in terms of protecting and safeguarding historic monuments and properties
26 Health Estate Journal August 2023
Harnessing biomass In Kritzendorf, a retirement home was able to save 400,000 litres of heating oil annually by connecting to a local
biomass heating plant, and cutting its CO2 emissions 54% in a very short time by installing a 140 kWp output photovoltaic system. A highly successful example of sustainable energy production can meanwhile be found in Kainbach near Graz, in a healthcare facility for people with disabilities located in an area of forest. The forest’s management includes the production of wood chips, which are used in a newly constructed heating system for ‘green’ heat generation. The construction of a photovoltaic system with an output of 100 kWp additionally contributes to a sustainable reduction in CO2
emissions.
Impact of purchasing Central purchasing departments can also play a key role in environmental protection. The more ecologically conscious purchasing is, and the more sustainable the purchased products are, the greater
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