Green Operating Theatres

As sustainability has emerged as a key issue impacting health and health care practitioners, the Anaesthesia and Perioperative Care Network has responded by the Green Operating Theatre project. The aim is to consider the environmental impact of operating theatres and provide information specific to sustainability in this setting.

The Green Community: Perioperative Basecamp is an open group that gives people the opportunity to work together to reduce the footprint of the perioperative environment on the world we all live in. Email aci-sustainability@health.nsw.gov.au for information.

Members can discuss and inform strategies about how to improve environmental sustainability, sharing information, challenges, and solutions on green initiatives. There are already over 100 members sharing knowledge and engaging through this platform, and any member of NSW Health is welcome to join.

How green are you? Take the Green OT Sustainability Quiz

The ACI is developing a Green Operating Theatre Sustainability Quiz for people to gauge where they are at in the sustainability journey. The quiz also provides suggested actions to improve sustainability within your hospital.

Please visit this webpage in the coming months for a link to the quiz.

Related resources

These resources are intended to provide support for people at all stages of their sustainability journey. The resources range from examples of small initiatives that can be easily implemented by staff, to advice on building a business case for larger initiatives, such as the establishment of a sustainability lead role within a Local Health District.

• Global Green Healthy Hospitals
• Medical Repurposing Network
• Ideas for small initiatives
  • Bread Tags for Wheelchairs
  • Lids for Kids
  • Soft plastic recycling
• Fresenius Kabi
• Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (RACS) position paper for environmental impact of surgical practice
• Getting to sustainability
• Victorian Government sustainability in healthcare sector
• NSW Health Resource Efficiency Strategy
• NSW Government Resource Efficiency Policy (GREP)
• NZ – sustainability in the healthcare sector
• Yale Gassing Greener App
• Fluid waste management  system
• Greening the Operating Room
• Ecological Footprint Calculator
• Carbon Footprint Calculator

More information

To learn more, email aci-sustainability@health.nsw.gov.au You can also join the Basecamp  or see the Innovation  Exchange, which features some projects related to sustainability.