Sunday June 5 marked World Environment Day; a day celebrated globally to inspire positive change to protect our planet.
This year marks the 50th anniversary of World Environment Day, first commemorated at the 1972 Stockholm Conference, the first global conference to acknowledge environmental issues.
This year’s theme #OnlyOneEarth focuses on the importance of collaborative global action to protect, restore and celebrate our planet. While our individual choices make an impact, transformative change requires global collaboration, education and commitment to living and working sustainably.
Global consumption and production patterns are creating more and new types of waste, based on a linear economy approach of ‘take, make and dispose’. There is also a need for greater investment in solutions to improve the recovery of natural resources that are used to manufacture the products and services we use.
What does this mean for Monash Health and what are we doing?
- At Monash Health, we are setting goals for sustainable material use, measuring, and setting targets to reduce our material footprint through our upcoming Environmental Sustainability Strategy and Action Plan.
- We are working with our contractors, suppliers, and stakeholders in several areas to maximise material reuse.
- Starting with your morning coffee, we are working with our cafes to encourage our employees to use reusable keep cups.
- At a larger scale, through our capital works program, we are supporting sustainable design and material options.
- Our procurement team is working with suppliers to develop environmentally sustainable criteria to apply when selecting products, as well as how we can achieve our social and environmental outcomes via supply chains.
These are just some of the examples of how we are prioristing environmentally sustainable practices and procedures at Monash Health.
To learn more about sustainability at Monash Health or if you have any questions, contact Karla Vaughan, Environmental Sustainability Specialist.
For more information about World Environment Day, visit their website.
Approved by Katrina Nankervis.