Positively Green

UHP's Beryl Bike dock outside the Level 6 main entrance have been a huge hit. Plymouth City Council have reported there have been 15,000 journeys made since the installation, with many staff still finding out about them and using them for the first time.  

Since Choosing Greener was launched back in February 2022, the interactive platform has attracted an online community of green thinkers and climate pledgers. The platform developers have recently undertaken a members’ survey so the Sustainability team can have some helpful insights into member trends...

Today, over 70,021 individuals from over 5,266 organisations are Carbon Literate – UHP’s sustainability team are working hard to increase that number by delivering Carbon Literacy Training, the first session of which took place on Monday 18 September.

This June, University Hospitals Plymouth took part in the ‘Big Plymouth Travel Challenge’ in an effort to reduce carbon emissions and boost physical and mental health. A team swapped their cars for a sustainable transport option and competitively logged their postive actions. 

Many of us will associate the word ‘X-ray’ with a childhood tree-climbing-adventure-gone-wrong, or a handy way to get rid of an X letter in Scrabble, but UHP is demonstrating how the word should also make us think of sustainability.

During this year’s Bike Week, which took place on 5^th June, DCHW supported colleagues who cycle to work with a complimentary breakfast of cereals, croissants & yoghurts. Staff were offered access to the changing facilities, new bike storage and heated drying lockers in a bid to persuade more staff to dust off their bicycles.

Bats are a vital part of our native wildlife and ecosystems, accounting for almost a third of all mammal species in the UK. They occupy a wide range of habitats, such as wetlands, woodlands, farmland, as well as urban areas.

Established in 2019 by PlantLife, the No Mow May campaign aims to promote the growth of long grasses and wildflowers through allowing natural growth in our green spaces. This is done by encouraging landowners to do nothing – and by doing so allow nature to flourish. 

There’s no denying that anaesthesia has been a healthcare hero since its introduction in 1846. Without it, countless procedures and operations could not have taken place, and the clinical management of childbirth and chronic/acute pain would be much more challenging.

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.