Positively Green

In spite of the turbulence, worry and isolation that accompanied England’s Covid lockdowns in 2020, the drop in air pollution was most welcome. Those of us who live in built up areas will be familiar with encountering soot in our handkerchiefs after a bout of hay fever, but we remember how the lockdowns had our cars safely stowed away for essential trips only, and our city seemed to breathe a sigh of relief in response.

Plymouth City Council’s (PCC) Connect Plymouth project aims to deliver up to 50 transport hubs across Plymouth. These hubs will include electric bikes, electric vehicle charging points and car club electric vehicles all linked together through a smart booking system.

The loss of insects has far reaching consequences for entire ecosystems. They provide a food source for many small mammels. birds, amphibians, bats and reptiles, while plants rely on insects for pollination. In the UK we have around 267 different species of bee. Of these, just 1 is our native honey bee, 25 are bumble bees and the rest are solitary bees.

With No Mow May underway, UHP are proud to affirm our approach to establishing wildflower meadows across our site!

In December 2020, the Trust published its Green Plan, “For a Greener Future”, and declared a Climate Emergency. In the Green Plan, the Trust made a commitment for all new building and refurbishment projects to meet net zero carbon standards. This commitment was exemplified by the refurbishment of Brittany House (the old Norwich Union Building) which was completed to an Energy Performance Certificate B rating, demonstrating the sustainable design approach adopted for the refurbishment.

At some point in time, we’ve all looked at our reflection in the bathroom mirror and thought “surely flushing one face wipe down the loo won’t do too much harm?” With only our reflection as a witness, we then guiltily flush the wipe down the toilet and get on with our day, our environmental guilt vanishing as quickly as the make-up wipe.

Glove Awareness Week took place this year during the first week of May and this year, we decided to add a sustainability angle to the campaign.

Health care has a significant carbon footprint as it is, being responsible for 4-5% of greenhouse gases globally. In the UK, the NHS creates 6.3% of England’s carbon emissions alone.

A general surgery team from the Trust were finalists in the Green Surgery Challenge 2021, thanks to their project on reducing the consumption of single-use surgical equipment.

At University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust, we are acutely aware of the social responsibility that goes hand in hand with an anchor institution status. Wherever we can, we want to give back to the local community that makes up UHP’s patient, staff, and visitor groups.

As we approach this years Global Recycling Day on 18th March, it's important to highlight just how imperative recycling is across the globe. Of the earth’s natural resources, we tend to think of six as the most important: water; air; oil; natural gas; coal; minerals.

These resources represent our entire existence on the planet and today, we rely on their resources for food, hydration, power, clothing, technology, transportation – the list goes on and on.