The Economic Benefits of Greening

A letter from the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment to the Commission on the Future of Health Care in Canada arguing that environmental sustainability is essential to the long-term economic sustainability of the Canadian health care system.

• The Canadian health care system represents 10 percent of Canada's economy and has a significant ecological footprint, primarily driven by energy consumption. Canadian hospitals are notably more energy-intensive than European ones; electricity use is nearly 6 times higher than in Switzerland and 2.5 times the average of the compared group, while thermal energy use is about 4 times that of Sweden and nearly double the average of 9 countries.
• Beyond energy, the health care system consumes various resources and produces toxic wastes that are not captured by ecological footprint measurements, including dioxins, disinfectants, mercury, and certain pharmaceuticals.
• Environmentally responsible health care practices have demonstrated significant economic savings across several Canadian hospitals: Norfolk General Hospital reduced its energy budget by 22 percent (saving at least $132,000 annually since 1995); Orillia Soldiers Memorial Hospital's co-generation plant achieved annual savings over $200,000 with a 5-6 year payback; and Arnprior and District Memorial Hospital saved over $300,000 in operating costs over ten years by reducing daily electrical consumption by 31 percent.
• Pembroke General Hospital reduced gas consumption by nearly 50 percent between 1993 and 2000 through an energy performance contract with Honeywell, despite a 30 percent increase in building size and a 45 percent increase in patient load.
• The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto achieved net savings of $453,000 over seven years through a waste management program that included decommissioning its main incinerator, increasing recycling volumes by 78 percent (diverting 680,000 kilograms from landfill), and reducing biomedical waste volumes by 80 percent.

APA

Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment (2002). The Economic Benefits of Greening. https://cape.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/4.The-Economic-Benefits-of-Greening-January-2002-1.pdf#new_tab

Chicago

Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment. The Economic Benefits of Greening. 2002. https://cape.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/4.The-Economic-Benefits-of-Greening-January-2002-1.pdf#new_tab.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment |title=The Economic Benefits of Greening |date=January 2002 |url=https://cape.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/4.The-Economic-Benefits-of-Greening-January-2002-1.pdf#new_tab |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{canadianassociationofphysiciansfortheenvironment2002economic, author = {{Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment}}, title = {{The Economic Benefits of Greening}}, publisher = {Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment}, year = {2002}, month = jan, url = {https://cape.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/4.The-Economic-Benefits-of-Greening-January-2002-1.pdf#new_tab}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }