Australia, New Zealand, and UK Collaborate to Launch Sustainability Guide for ICUs
The Australia and New Zealand Intensive Care Society (ANZICS), in collaboration with the UK’s Intensive Care Society (ICS), is launching the Beginners Guide to Green Teams in the ICU. This innovative guide provides practical steps, case studies, and tools like project trackers and carbon footprinting examples to help intensive care units (ICUs) reduce waste and conserve resources without compromising patient care.
ICUs are among the most resource-intensive areas in hospitals. The guide supports sustainability efforts by promoting small, targeted projects such as reducing non-essential consumables and improving recycling compliance. These initiatives can lead to significant cost and environmental savings.
“Green Teams are the nucleus of sustainability initiatives within the ICU. Setting up an effective Green Team is key to driving meaningful environmental change. The Beginners Guide to Green Teams in the ICU was developed in response to feedback from our Beginners Guide to Sustainability in the ICU, which called for a simple, practical guide to help ICUs establish and manage Green Teams effectively.” said Deepak Bhonagiri, Chair of the Joint ANZICS-ICS Writing Committee
President-Elect of the ICS, Shondipon Laha said ‘‘We’ve been really pleased to have this international collaboration on this important Green Teams resource and trust it gives more colleagues the guidance needed on our path to becoming more sustainable at work.”
This guide is designed for ICUs at all stages of their sustainability journey. It was officially launched at the ANZICS Safety & Quality Conference on the 13th of September 2024.
ANZICS and ICS are also grateful to the Society of Critical Care Medicine (SCCM) for their support in the resource’s development
For more information and to download the guide, visit:
https://www.anzics.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Green_Teams_in_the_ICU_ANZICS_and_ICS.pdf