This week, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is hosting a ‘Green Takeover’ to push forward its commitment to tackle climate change.
Earlier this year, CUH released its Green Plan in response to the national ‘climate emergency’ and the NHS Net-Zero target.
Our Action 50 Green Plan (opens in a new tab) sets out 50 actions to reduce the Trust’s direct carbon emissions by 10% by 2024 on the road to net-zero by 2040/45.
Work is underway to transform the nearby Babraham Park and Ride into a renewable energy source with 4,500 solar panels set to supply Addenbrooke's and the Rosie hospitals.
Taking action against climate change and building for the future is part of CUH’s strategy for a healthier life for everyone through care, learning and research. Through our active leadership to deliver environmentally sustainable healthcare, we aim to inspire and share best practices locally, regionally and nationally.
Carin Charlton, Net Zero Lead (Director of Capital, Estates and Facilities Management)
During the ‘Green Takeover’, a variety of activities will be taking place to encourage CUH staff and partners to work together for a climate-safe future.
As part of the week, staff are invited to become Green Champions – working individually and in teams to reduce the carbon and waste tied to what, how and how much the Trust consumes.
Across the wider CUH community, kick-off meetings with campus partners, health and care services and patients will also take place.
A CUH team is working together to limit the direct emissions of gases used to give pain relief and anaesthesia to patients.
CUH has been working to make its services and operations more environmentally sustainable for many years.
In the first phase of a ten-year programme the Green Plan sets CUH on a rapid decarbonisation trajectory.
This accelerated path will provide a springboard to cut carbon emissions by 50% by 2032 and achieve net-zero by 2045, in line with the rest of the NHS.
The cycle repair service on the Cambridge Biomedical Campus recently extended its opening hours to further encourage sustainable transport.
Carin Charlton, Net Zero Lead (Director of Capital, Estates and Facilities Management) said:
"As an acute healthcare provider we are and will continue to be an intense consumer. To be a responsible consumer we must implement a holistic approach to what we buy and throw away and reduce the high-carbon and high-waste that is woven into our day-to-day lives.
"This week will accelerate our ongoing drumbeat of activity and drive the action needed to deliver the Trust’s Green Plan and carbon reduction commitments."
