Page 4657 - Week 11 - Tuesday, 19 October 2010
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progressively changing the vehicle fleet to low greenhouse gas-rated vehicles and limiting the number of vehicles by continuing to manage the utilisation of the fleet.
ACT Health has already reduced its transport related CO2 equivalent emissions from 1,152 tonnes in 2005-06 to 972 tonnes in 2009-10, a reduction of 180 tonnes or 15 per cent. In addition, we are providing additional bike parking spaces in the main bike parking shed at the Canberra Hospital and incorporating additional bicycle parking spaces into building 24. There is the establishment of the smart travel car pooling to reduce air pollution, traffic congestion on roads and in car parks and converting gardens to drought-tolerant landscaping to reduce water usage.
Over the next five years ACT Health expects to spend at least $1 million on projects aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Specifically ACT Health is planning to conduct a feasibility study into the possibility of providing a decentralised power supply for the Canberra Hospital as part of CADP. A decentralised power and co-location of heating and cooling plant may take advantage of economies of scale and be better placed to provide the sustainability initiatives of cogeneration and trigeneration.
ACT Health has also participated in a national study to determine the costs to premiums for obtaining various ratings under the green star pilot tool for health care facilities. This work is now complete and will assist to quantify the various cost benefits and investment return periods for achieving 4, 5 or 6-star green star environmental ratings. Further deliberations of the finding of the study by the government will be considered for incorporating inter-funding options for the entire CAPD to be conducted through a full cost-benefit analysis.
ACT Health has also recently endorsed a sustainability strategy to minimise the risk and cost from reactionary fragmented decisions and to future-proof for success in the changing environment and is developing actions directed at ensuring sustainable provision of services for the future. The background to the development of the sustainability strategy originated from increasing stakeholder pressure for a robust position on sustainability.
ACT Health is required to achieve the targets under the ACT climate change strategy, comply with the Building Code of Australia and meet ACT gas emission targets and at the same time attract and retain staff. The strategy is designed to provide a road map for a collaborative sustainable future and to mobilise the staff within ACT Health to consider sustainability initiatives to input into the formulation of an action plan.
The sustainability strategy will leverage off the following existing seven key focus areas of activity within ACT Health to ensure alignment of strategy across ACT Health, for example, into models of care. These areas are building and infrastructure, the digital health environment, transport, the regulatory environment, workforce, partnerships, and external service delivery. The road map of collaborative action between ACT Health and all stakeholders, clients and staff will ensure business and clinical services are linked with a strategy and incorporate actions and achievements to deliver the objectives of a sustainable health system for the future. But also, importantly, it will ensure we play a large role in the government’s agenda to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions overall.
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