Our Green Team Project in collaboration with the Canadian Association of Nurses for the Environment and University of Alberta graduate student, Joanna Law, aimed to create a national picture of Green Teams. The interactive map below shows the locations and information about the Green Teams and their initiatives. Here is what we found out about Canadian Green Teams:
Table 1: Green Team Facility Type
| Facility Type | # of Green Teams |
| Hospital | 13 |
| Health Network | 2 |
| Family Practice | 1 |
| Health Centre | 1 |
| Medical Student Network | 1 |
| Total | 18 |
Table 2: Location of Green Team Sites
| Location | # of Sites |
| Alberta | 1 |
| British Columbia | 1 |
| Nova Scotia | 1 |
| Ontario | 16 |
| Quebec | 2 |
| Canada | 21 |
*There are two health network Green Teams that are responsible for five sites which accounts for the difference in the number of Green Teams and number of sites.
The two main foci for these Green Teams are reducing energy consumption and waste production. There are many varied initiatives to accomplish these goals. Some of these initiatives include replacement or retrofitting of boilers, HVAC optimization, energy-efficient lighting, recycling programs, circular economy, and refurbishment and donation. To read more about these and other initiatives please refer to the map below.
Table 3: Green Team Energy and Waste Reduction
| Type of Reduction | # of Sites with Metric | Total Reduction |
| Electricity Consumption | 3 | 20.59 million kWh |
| Natural Gas Consumption | 2 | 606,581 m3 |
| Waste Diversion | 5 | 477.1 tonnes |
| Financial Savings | 3 | $552,000 |
| Reduction in Greenhouse Gas emissions | 1 | 969,580 kg CO2 eq |
*Many sites are making effective changes, but not all reported metrics for this project.
This picture of Canadian Green Teams is not comprehensive but provides a starting point to know what has been accomplished and what initiatives are currently active. It is the goal of this project to inform and inspire those looking to start a Green Team and provide networking opportunities for existing Green Teams. For more information, see the project presentation video below.
If you have a Green Team and are not part of this project yet or have any questions please contact Joanna Law at jrl@ualberta.ca
About Joanna Law
Joanna is a registered nurse with a background in critical care and addictions and mental health. It was during her shifts that she started to notice the environmental implications of health care activities. This inspired her to seek further education in how nurses and other health care workers can help create sustainable changes. She is currently in her first year of graduate studies with the Faculty of Nursing at the University of Alberta. Her nursing experience is complemented by a Bachelor of Arts in sociology from the University of Alberta and eight years of experience as a board member for a community-based non-profit.
