Employee Name: Josie "Jo" Green

Job Title: Environmental Champion

Department: Environmental Management Committee

Job Description: Role Model, Educator, Environmental Leader, Motivational Speaker, Marketing Specialist

Contact Info: GoGreen@stjoe.on.ca or extension 3800

Mantra: Respect and do no harm

Why She Wants this Job: Believer in Greening Healthcare, loves the culture of St. Joe's, inspired by our Success Factors, lives our Values

Role Model: David Suzuki & Al Gore

Likes: Energy efficiency (ie. turning out the lights, water conservation, and reducing the use of plastics) making crafts with used materials; making compost to use in her gardens; public transportation; hybrid cars; products made with recycled materials; locally grown foods; second hand clothing stores; push lawn mowers

Dislikes: Waste, lack of respect, not thinking about the outcomes of actions, littering, greenhouse gases, energy vampires

In celebration of Earth Week 2009, staff at St. Joseph's Health Centre will do our part to make our community cleaner and greener!
Here at the Health Centre we have a number of processes in place that enable our staff, physicians and volunteers to recycle and reuse resources effectively and Earth Week is a great opportunity for us to showcase what we are doing to further our green commitment.

Earth Week 2009 marks the sixth straight year that the Health Centre will participate in the City of Toronto's 20-Minute Makeover, which brings together staff throughout the organization to help clean up the grounds surrounding the Health Centre as a symbol of our commitment to the environment.

Additional green-friendly projects have been planned for the week of April 20 with the goal of educating our staff and engaging them to be more conscious of how to be green in the work place. Throughout the week, we are encouraging staff to use alternative methods in getting to and from work, including car-pooling, taking the GO and/or TTC, walking or riding a bike. Our Lug-a-Mug Day is aimed at reducing the use of Styrofoam products in our cafeteria by offering staff a 10 cent discount on coffee for using their own coffee mug. Battery Disposal Awareness will help to educate our employees about the importance of properly disposing used batteries and how this can reduce significant waste.

New this year to our Earth Week celebrations is Josie "Jo" Green – our newest employee and environmental champion, who is helping us to increase our efforts to green healthcare.

"We will use Josie as a vehicle of communications to educate staff, physicians and volunteers about how they can contribute to being green," said Denise Rishworth, Project Director.

On a strategic level, St. Joseph's is committed to Using our Resources Wisely, as we are accountable stewards of the resources entrusted to us. Our green commitment is a corporate objective and remains at the forefront in how we deliver care and provide service to members of our surrounding communities.

The Health Centre established the Environmental Management Committee (EMC) to foster a culture of global responsibility by developing and implementing strategies that will reduce the environmental footprint of the Health Centre and increase our diversion rates.

"Our purpose is to communicate, educate and engage the staff in terms of being stewards of our work environment and take ownership of our actions as it affects the greater community," said Denise Rishworth.

The EMC will also be responsible to monitor and report on the performance of internal environment targets against a set of standards to ensure that we are meeting our goals.

The committee's role is also important to aligning their work with the Toronto Central LHIN's energy and environmental plan as well as the Health Centre's overall corporate strategy by Using our Resources Wisely.
You can help too - join us in celebrating Earth Week, April 20-24. We need your help to make our earth more beautiful! Participate in your workplace and in the community to help make Earth Week a great success across the city.

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Page last updated: April 30, 2010