Purpose:

The Environmental Co-Operative (ECO) Program Committee is an interdisciplinary group with a mandate to advance environmental sustainability and stewardship across St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton. Applying and supporting the four pillars of environmental sustainability in healthcare (Environmental, Social, Economic and Health), the ECO Committee will create and advance an organizational Sustainability Roadmap. It is the ECO Program’s goal to align this roadmap with St. Joe's mission vision and values in order to create resilience to the forthcoming environmental, social and economic impacts on healthcare that our shared past has shaped. The ECO Program will be made up of a steering committee (ECO Steering) and a grassroots subcommittee (ECO Allies).

Program Guiding Principles:

1.     To uphold the four pillars of environmental sustainability to advance the environmental performance standards of the organization
2.     To lay the foundation for and then build a culture promoting everyday environmental stewardship practices across the organization
3.     Foster interdisciplinary relationships between stakeholders and interest groups for the purpose of advancing the environmental performance of the organization
4.     To review, monitor and adapt current healthcare and service practices to meet the requirements of environmental legislation, including the Environmental Protection Act and its regulations,       Ontario Water Resources Act, Safe Drinking Water Act Ontario, Green Energy Act and Waste Diversion Act
5.     To quantify and track all initiatives in measurable and fiscally responsible ways
6.     To quantify improvements made to patient and staff awareness about St. Joe's environmental initiatives

365 Days of Green Campaign

365 Days of Green is a 12 month environmental stewardship campaign run by St. Joe’s ECO program. Each month of the campaign will focus on a different topic and identify how each of us can help make St. Joe’s environmentally sustainable. Because we operate 24 hours a day and 365 days of the year, even small actions add up to greatly lessen our environmental impact. Giving updates on our collective progress on a monthly basis, the ECO Committee will help to show us all how every action counts.

Campaign Posters:

What is 365 Days of Green?
In April and May we Care About Water Conservation 
September is Waste Awareness Month
In January and February we are Keeping St. Joe's Warm and Healthy 

ECO Program Newsletters:

June 2015
March 2015
January 2015

We invite all staff, physicians, learners and volunteers at St. Joe's to join the ECO Program

Who Are the ECO Allies: The ECO Allies are the heart of the ECO Program. ECO Allies are staff, physicians, learners and volunteers dedicated to advancing environmental sustainability throughout the organization. The role of an ECO Ally can vary: You can simply be on our mailing list, you can promote our initiatives in monthly huddles or you can be an active workplace champion. 

What Is the ECO Program: We are St Joe’s environmental sustainability program. To ensure quality patient care in the face of unknown climate impacts on our environment, community and economy, ECO Program strives to ensure our healthcare practices are future ready and sustainable.

Getting Involved is Simple (For internal staff):
Email: eco@stjoes.ca            
Explore: MyStJoes > Corporate Initiatives > ECO Program