Our three-year green plan (2022 to 2025) sets out how we’ll tackle climate change and become one of the greenest trusts in the UK.
Climate change is the biggest global health threat of the 21st century. With ever increasing extreme weather conditions, it’s already having direct consequences for everyone.
Our plan explains how we’ll work with our colleagues, patients, and partners to reduce carbon emissions to net zero carbon by 2040. This means the amount of greenhouse gas we produce (e.g. carbon dioxide) is no more than the amount taken away from the atmosphere.
We’ve already made good progress towards becoming greener. Our plan builds on this, setting out targets across ten programme areas. It’ll help ensure carbon reduction is included in every strategy and policy and at the forefront of all decisions.
We’re well underway with recruiting green champions across our Trust and have developed training for our colleagues.
And we’re encouraging everyone to get involved by making small but important changes - see our #PenninePlasticPledge below.
We'll share our plans and progress via our social media channels and the news section of our website.
On Monday 20 March 2023 we launched our single use plastic pledge, as part of our green plan.
We want to dramatically reduce the amount of single use plastic we use, as it causes irreversible damage to oceans, rivers, land and wildlife. It's a major source of greenhouse gas and can even get into our food chain.
What are we doing about it?
1. Ordering single use products
Our colleagues can no longer order a range of single use plastic items, unless there's a medical need or no alternative. This includes items like cups, straws, mini milk cartons, cutlery and plates.
2. Our #PenninePlasticPledge
We're encouraging our colleagues, patients and the public to choose to reuse. By taking our #PenninePlasticPledge you'll help to dramatically reduce the amount of single use plastic that goes into landfill.
Our pledge:
- Carry a reusable shopping bag
- Invest in a reusable drink bottle – and download the refill app
- Use a reusable tea or coffee cup - some cafés and shops offer a small discount
- Don’t use plastic straws, cutlery, or stirrers
- Don’t buy products with excessive packaging – buy loose fruit and veg where possible
- Bring a reusable lunch container
- Avoid using microbeads, mainly found in exfoliating face and body scrubs, shower gels, toothpastes (check the label before buying)
If you'd like to take our pledge, we'd love to hear from you. Let us know by sharing a photo or our pledge graphic on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram and tag us @PennineCareNHS.