Green Offices Toolkit

The Green Offices Toolkit is a guide published by the Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment designed to help clinicians and office managers implement sustainable, eco-friendly improvements in health care practices. It provides practical strategies for reducing energy, water, and waste, while emphasizing the role of physicians as community leaders in addressing the health impacts of climate change.

• Healthcare is estimated to be responsible for between 6-10% of all environmental harm and the resulting illnesses within Canadian society.
• To begin greening a practice, the guide recommends establishing a 'Green Team' of clinicians and administrative staff to investigate issues and implement behavioral changes, supported by a 'Triple Bottom Line' of health, economic sustainability, and environmental values.
• Energy reduction is identified as an accessible starting point for greening. Recommended actions include switching to LED lighting, using programmable thermostats (with an optimum energy saving point 2-3 degrees below the national average of 21°C), and eliminating 'phantom loads' by turning off electronics at the end of the day.
• Water conservation strategies include setting water heaters to a baseline of 49°C to prevent Legionella while reducing energy and scalding risks, installing low-flow faucets (referencing a 2012 Ontario Building Code maximum of 8.35 L/min), and replacing old 13-litre toilets with high-efficiency models (4.8L) or dual-flush options.
• The guide advises reducing toxics by replacing mercury-containing thermometers and sphygmomanometers with digital or infrared alternatives, avoiding fragrance-based cleaning products, and educating patients on the safe disposal of pharmaceuticals to prevent water pollution.
• To reduce waste, the toolkit suggests streamlining paper use by going electronic, reducing the unnecessary replacement of exam table paper (which is described as an 'esthetic' rather than an 'infection control maneuver'), and implementing recycling programs for items like ink cartridges and batteries.
• Transportation is noted as Canada's second largest contributor to greenhouse gas emissions (24% in 2015). The guide encourages active transportation, the installation of electric vehicle chargers, and the discouragement of vehicle idling, noting that an average car uses over one cup of fuel for every 10 minutes of idling.

APA

Arya, N., Zigby, J., Mah, J. J., Mu, L. J. J., Marshall, L., Varangu, L., & Waddington, K. (n.d.). Green Offices Toolkit. Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment. https://cape.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Green-Office-Toolkit-2018-on-line-.pdf#new_tab

Chicago

Arya, Neil, Jean Zigby, Jasmine J. Mah, Lisa J. Jing Mu, Lynn Marshall, Linda Varangu, and Kent Waddington. Green Offices Toolkit. Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment, n.d. https://cape.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Green-Office-Toolkit-2018-on-line-.pdf#new_tab.

Wikipedia

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BibTeX

@techreport{aryandgreen, author = {Arya, Neil and Zigby, Jean and Mah, Jasmine J. and Mu, Lisa J. Jing and Marshall, Lynn and Varangu, Linda and Waddington, Kent}, title = {{Green Offices Toolkit}}, institution = {Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment}, url = {https://cape.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Green-Office-Toolkit-2018-on-line-.pdf#new_tab}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }