The Importance of Environmental Sustainability
Question
Discuss About The Future Cities Environmental Sustainability?
The changes that have taken place in the environment have affected the global climate in an adverse manner. Sustainability in the operations of the organizations in various sectors have now become a major issue. The reason being that the organizations are now aiming at operating in such a manner so that the environment is not affected in a negative manner. Sustainability is therefore an area related to the thought process of the organizations related to the future. The societal, environmental and economic considerations are balanced with the pursuit related to the improved quality of the life of the citizens in a sustainable society (Blass et al., 2017).
The location that is taken into consideration for the analysis in this essay is Australia. The problems and the issues that are occurring in the health of the environment is reality in the current scenario in any country. The concept of Green hospital is related to the sustainability in the operations of the various Australian hospitals. The problems that are being faced in the environment has direct impact on the human health and the health and hospital sector can play a major role in reducing the negative effects of its operations. The health sector is operating in the similar environment just like the other sectors in the industry (Bottero et al., 2015). The major focus of the sector is mainly to treat the patients with the help of modern medicines and high-end technologies. However, the industry also has the responsibility to reduce the negative influence of the operations of hospitals in the environment.
As discussed by, Buffoli et al., (2014), the Australian society has been affected by the problems occurring in the ecosystem much more at the end of the twentieth century as compared to the previous times. The major reasons behind the loss of balance in the ecosystem are, chemical contamination, changes in the climate and the unsustainable usage of resources. The increase in the environmental issues in Australia are exerting pressure on the operations of the healthcare sector of Australia. The healthcare sector of the country has become a major concern for the public health due to the extensive usage of resources, constructions, employment of modern technologies that are energy intensive and generation of huge amounts of waste. The healthcare sector has been playing a major role in the mitigation of the changes that have occurred in the environment.
According to, Capolongo et al., (2015), the health sector is considered to be one of the most respected and high employment sector of the country. The sector therefore has the responsibility to conduct their operations in such a manner so that the sustainability and energy efficiency of the sector can be maintained. The major steps that can be taken by the healthcare sector in Australia to reduce the environmental problems are, sustainable reduction of the waste, strategies of management, sustainable usage of the natural resources and the usage of chemicals which have the least environmental effect. The reduction of environmental problems related to the health sector can help in improving the sustainability in the Australian society by ensuring that the usage of resources by their operations are reduced. The sector will further be able to improve the overall health of the society by decreasing the effects of its operations on the external environment.
The Role of Green Hospitals in Promoting Public and Environmental Health
The concept of green hospital can be defined in many ways. The sustainable of green buildings can be defined as the practise that is undertaken to increase the efficiency of the usage of water, energy and materials by the buildings. This can help in reducing the effect of these buildings on the environment and the health of humans. This concept can also be defined as the practice that is developed for the creation of structures and the use of processes which are environmentally responsible in nature. The structures need to be resource efficient all through the life cycle. This practice can further help in the expanding and complementing the classical style of the buildings which are related to economy, durability, comfort and utility (Carnero,2015).
Green building can also be termed as high performance or sustainable building. The healthy and green hospitals promote the health of public by reducing the environmental impacts of its operations and the eliminating the contribution that is has in increasing the burden of the disease. The connection between health of humans and the environmental health is the major aim of the green hospitals. The green hospital buildings can help in enhancing the health of the community and further engaging in the activities related to the improvement of environmental health. The green hospital related initiatives that were by the United Nations have proved to be effective for the improvement of human health and the health of the environment. There were many movements that took place related to the green hospital buildings (De Soete et al., 2017).
The various countries had started becoming members of the World Green Building Council or the World GBC so that the concept of green buildings can be made effective. Many different standards were being developed related to the creation of green buildings This rating system was known as the Leadership in Energy and Environment Design (LEED), which help in increasing the awareness of going green. The Green Star rating system is used in Australia for the purpose of rating the buildings. The first major element related to green hospitals in Australia is the conservation of energy. The demand related to high quality care in hospitals has increased in Australia and this requires more energy consumption by the hospitals (Gholami et al., 2016).
As discussed by, Macpherson & Hill, (2017), high amounts of energy are required in the modern hospitals for the purpose of water heating, controlling of temperature, ventilation and lighting. The energy usage by these facilities can be reduced with the help of the installation of LED lights, turning down the thermostats and using products that are energy efficient in nature. The hospitals in Australia can use alternative means for the generation of electricity. Renewable resources can be used for the generation of energy so that the hospitals can decrease their effect on the environment. The construction related operations of the hospitals in Australia are having major effect on the environmental sustainability. The hospitals can be made sustainable by building them in routes that near for the public transportation and they need to use regional materials for the purpose of construction.
Sustainability-related Operations of Healthcare Facilities in Australia
Waste management in another major factor which can help in increasing the sustainability of the operations in the hospitals of Australia. The waste disposed by the hospitals can be reduced with the help of various processes like, recycling, composting and better purchasing. Water conservation is another step towards the sustainability of operations that can be taken by the Australian hospitals. The healthcare sector can reduce the usage of water by recycling the water used for the purpose of drinking and harvesting the rain water as well. The costs related to transportation needs to be reduced to make the hospital related operations sustainable in nature. The hospitals also need to provide healthy food to the patients so that health can be promoted and the production of food can also be supported (McGain & Naylor, 2014).
The sustainability related operations that need to be undertaken by the hospitals in Australia will also need to face many barriers which are as discussed further. The regulations related to the safety and health sometimes prevent the hospital from adopting the sustainable practices. The round the clock operating of the hospitals is another major barrier posed towards the implementation if sustainable practices. The intense use of water, energy and chemicals can prevent the Australian hospitals from undertaking sustainable practices (Naranjo-Gil, 2016).
The lack of sustainability in the operations of the hospitals affects the society of the country in a negative manner. The environmental problems affect the social health in a quite adverse manner. The economy of the country is also affected by the issues that occur in the environment of Australia. The reason behind the effect of the health sector on the Australian economy is the large number of job opportunities that are provided by this sector. The health sector of the country involves the wellbeing of the Australian citizens and is one of the largest contributors in the Australian economy. Moreover, the environmental issues affect the health of the Australian citizens and this results in the absence of the employees in the workplace. This has a negative effect on the Australian economy. The Australian hospitals therefore need to take steps regarding the fulfilment of the environmental requirements and improve their operations in the process (Pasqualini Blass et al., 2016).
The Royal Melbourne Hospital is famous in Australia for the measures that they have taken related to the environmental sustainability. The organization has been actively participating in this area for many number of years. They introduced the “Think Green” strategy which promoted the “Think Green” vision of the hospital. The vision mainly reflects the desire of the organization to minimise the impact of its operations on the environment and further the reduce the amount of greenhouse gases that are emitted by the organization. The organization aims at developing a culture in the organization that is cares for the environment. This vision of the organization is supported by the initiatives and actions that are taken by the people and the organization (About | The Royal Melbourne Hospital., 2018).
Green Buildings and Other Environmentally Friendly Practices
The Think Green Strategy sets five different objectives related to the organization which include, driving the Think Green related culture. Embedding sustainability in the business practices of the organization. Improving the efficiency of resources and focussing on the management of wastes. Creating synergies with the help of strategic partnership and creating opportunities to achieve the greener facilities. The policy related to environmental sustainability supports the minimisation of waste, reduction of the power consumption, reduction of the consumption of water and the natural resources. The sustainable procurement of raw materials and resources required by the organization enables them to operate in the environment in a sustainable manner (Riffat, Powell & Aydin, 2016).
The Department of Health and Human Services in Australia mainly recognises the links between the wellbeing and health of the citizens and the wellbeing and health of environment. The major aim of the department is to improve the sustainability within the infrastructure of health system and the performance. The indicators related to healthcare in Australia are quite less as compared to the other countries as Australia is a developed country. The health of the Australian citizens is however dependent on natural and the built environments in the organizations (Stevanovic, Allacker & Vermeulen, 2017). This further helps in the protection and the promotion of the health of the various communities. The major decisions that impact the health of the Australian citizens include, planning of transport, land usage, decisions and policies made by the government. The health department of Australia now plays an important role in communicating the significance of the natural environments (Ryan-Fogarty, O’Regan & Moles, 2016). The changes that have occurred in the climate have affected the health of the Victorians. The changes that have occurred in the environment include an increase in the number of hotter days and the deaths that are caused due to this increase.
The climatic changes that have occurred in Australia in the past few years have therefore affected the health of the citizens of all the cities. This has further affected the economy of the country as the number deaths and hospitalisations that are caused due to environmental changes have also increased.
References
About | The Royal Melbourne Hospital. (2018). Thermh.org.au. Retrieved 13 March 2018, from https://www.thermh.org.au/about
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