Here at CHFT we pride ourselves on our ongoing attempts to try be as green as we can.. we're such a big people organisation there's such a lot of potential to make a difference to the future of the planet. We start with Specialist Dietitian, Sid Bhattacharyya's plea for a car share buddy and below there's all about us signing up the Plastic Pledge and a call-out for Green Champions.

Sid has just started at CHFT and he's looking to arrange a carpool buddy from Manchester city centre (or nearby) to avoid having to use the train. Here's Sid's plea:

G'day! I'm in search of a carpool buddy from Manchester city centre (or thereabouts) to Calderdale hospital mon-fri. A little about me, I'm a male Dietitian from Australia (hence the G'day) and I'd like to think I'm easy to get along with.

I obviously like food but I have an interest in a wide variety of things. If you're really lucky, I might even cook lunch for us here and there (I bet that made you more interested eh?).

Shoot me an email sid.bhattacharyya@cht.nhs.uk if you wanted to talk terms and conditions, and I will contribute to parking/fuel costs."

_____________________________

Can you be a CHFT green champion?

Environment Manager, Emma Clarke, is looking for a team of volunteer green champions to help embed sustainability in everything we do. If you are passionate about climate change, enthusiastic about energy efficiency and eager to reduce waste and recycle more, Emma wants to hear from you.

Activities the Green Champions will be involved in could include the Switch-Off Squad to reduce unnecessary electricity use, roll-out of more recycling, trialling an online swap shop (Warp-IT) and working with Emma to embed sustainability throughout the Trust.

We want to hear from willing volunteers at HRI, CRH, Acre Mill, PMU and all our community properties. Time commitment can be as little as one hour per month. We ask that you commit to attend one quarterly meeting and ad hoc time to be the eyes and ears in your area.

If you’d like to know more or to volunteer, please contact Emma Clarke, Environment Manager, emma.clarke@cht.nhs.uk or 01484 355734

______________________________

Our pledge to curb single-use plastics

We have now signed up to the NHS England Plastic Pledge campaign as part of our work to reduce our use of single-use plastics in hospitals, as part of a package of measures in the NHS Long Term Plan to reduce the environmental impact of the health service.

Last year the NHS bought at least 163 million plastic cups, 16 million pieces of plastic cutlery, 15 million straws and 2 million plastic stirrers. Suppliers including WHSmith, Marks & Spencer, Boots, Greggs and OCS Group UKIME, along with NHS Supply Chain have all confirmed they will accept the call to cut waste.

The Trust has signed up to a commitment that:

• By April 2020, we no longer purchase single-use plastic stirrers and straws, except where a person has a specific need, in line with the government consultation
• By April 2021, we no longer purchase single-use plastic cutlery, plates or single-use cups made of expanded polystyrene or oxo-degradable plastics*, and
• By April 2021, we go beyond these commitments in reducing single-use plastic food containers and other plastic cups for beverages – including covers and lids

Submit data to NHSE on the volumes of single-use plastic catering items purchased.

The NHS Long Term Plan outlines a number of steps the NHS will be taking to reduce impact on the environment in other areas too, including a shift to lower carbon inhalers and anaesthetic gases, as well as ensuring hospitals make progress in reducing waste, water and carbon to cut air pollution. These measures form part of the Trust's Sustainable Development plans and are just one of a number of sustainability initiatives that Environment Manager, Emma Clarke, is rolling out in the Trust to help mitigate the impact of what we do.

We will be working with partners such as Compass and ISS (who run the canteens at HRI and CRH) as well as internally to meet our commitments.

*still made from plastic polymers but have a catalyst added to enable them to degrade more quickly in the presence of oxygen.