Green Practice News

January 2026

• Why Healthcare Sustainability Must Be Measured Like Quality Care
• Environmental Injustice: The Hidden Health Risk Affecting Your Patients
• Reducing Single-Use Items: A Practical Starting Point for Clinic Sustainability
• Rethinking Disposable Medical Equipment and Supplies
• Take the CARES Pledge!

Healthcare sustainability is approaching a turning point. Across outpatient clinics and medical practices, there is growing realization of the need to reduce emissions, improve operational resilience, and protect patient health from environmental risks. Yet one fundamental challenge remains: many sustainability efforts lack standardized, credible ways to measure progress.

A newly released framework from the Lancet Commission on Sustainable Healthcare makes a compelling case that sustainability should be measured and managed as a core quality-of-care issue, not as a side initiative or marketing claim. The Commission outlines a rigorous, evidence-based measurement model that integrates environmental performance with clinical outcomes, operational processes, and governance structures.

This shift matters. Sustainability efforts that are not measured effectively often struggle to gain leadership support, risk unintentional greenwashing, or fail to translate into meaningful operational and financial benefits.

The Lancet framework adapts familiar healthcare quality models—such as structure, process, and outcome measurement—and applies them directly to sustainability. In practical terms, it connects:

• Inputs (energy use, supplies, workforce training)
• Processes (care delivery workflows, purchasing decisions, waste handling)
• Outputs and outcomes (emissions, waste reduction, patient experience, health impacts)

For clinicians and practice managers, this approach is encouraging. It means sustainability does not need to be layered on as “extra work.” Instead, it can be embedded into the same systems already used to track quality, safety, and operational performance.

However, measurement alone is not enough. One of the most important insights from the Lancet Commission is that metrics only matter if they lead to better decisions on the ground. Many outpatient practices face familiar constraints—limited time, limited staff capacity, and limited access to sustainability expertise. Without implementation support, sustainability efforts often stall after an initial audit or pledge.

This is where My Green Doctor’s coaching-based model becomes essential. Rather than overwhelming teams with complex indicators, My Green Doctor helps managers and clinicians translate evidence-based frameworks into practical, staff-led actions. Clinics are supported to select high-impact steps, assign clear roles, track progress using meaningful metrics, and align sustainability goals with existing quality and operational priorities.

Importantly, the Lancet authors emphasize that sustainability metrics must act as balancing measures—ensuring that emissions reductions or cost savings never come at the expense of patient outcomes or access to care. This principle is foundational to My Green Doctor’s work. Sustainability is not about sacrifice; it is about building better systems that support patients, staff, and long-term practice resilience.

The future of sustainable healthcare will not be built by reports alone. It will be shaped by practices that know how to measure what matters—and how to act on it.

Sources & References

• Lancet Commission on Sustainable Healthcare. Measuring and managing sustainability in healthcare systems. The Lancet, 2024.
• Institute of Medicine. Crossing the Quality Chasm. National Academies Press.
• World Health Organization. Operational Framework for Building Climate-Resilient Health Systems.

(Inspired by an article published in 2020 by Joy Lloyd-Montgomery MPH, who is a member of the My Green Doctor Foundation Board of Directors and a medical student  at the Howard University College of Medicine)

Clinicians frequently encounter troubling patterns: a child with persistent asthma, a teenager struggling academically, or a young adult with unexplained neurological symptoms. Increasingly, research shows that these conditions may be rooted not only in individual behavior or genetics, but in environmental exposures shaped by inequitable land use, housing, and infrastructure decisions.

Environmental injustice occurs when low-income communities and communities of color disproportionately bear the burden of harmful environmental hazards. A 2023 national analysis found that race remains the strongest predictor of proximity to toxic industrial sites in the United States. Children in these communities experience higher exposure to air pollution, heavy metals, and chemical residues—risks that directly influence long-term health outcomes and development.

Air pollution provides one of the clearest examples. Black children in the U.S. experience nearly double the asthma emergency department visit rate of white children. Long-term exposure to microscopic particulate matter (PM2.5) has also been linked to significantly increased cardiovascular disease risk, even at pollution levels below current regulatory standards.

Environmental risks extend beyond air quality. Millions of American homes still contain lead hazards, particularly older housing stock. Climate-driven flooding further compounds risk, especially in low-income and coastal communities, increasing exposure to mold, contaminated water, and respiratory irritants.

Environmental injustice is not an abstract policy issue—it is a clinical reality.

Clinicians are uniquely positioned to identify when illness may be influenced by environmental factors. Integrating exposure-related questions into routine care—such as housing age, proximity to highways or industrial sites, and workplace conditions—can reveal critical risks that might otherwise be overlooked.

Healthcare professionals can also play an important role beyond the exam room. Participation in local planning and zoning discussions allows clinicians to bring a health-centered perspective to community decisions. Patient education is equally powerful. Simple guidance on indoor air quality, water filtration, or safe renovation practices can reduce exposure risks immediately.

Environmental injustice reminds us that health is inseparable from place. By recognizing the environmental realities their patients face, outpatient clinics can provide more informed care and help protect vulnerable communities.

Sources & References

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Asthma Surveillance Data, 2024. https://www.cdc.gov/asthma
• Banzhaf, H. et al. Environmental inequality and exposure disparities. PNAS, 2023.
• Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Particulate air pollution and cardiovascular risk, 2022.
• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Brownfields Inventory, 2024.
• U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Lead Hazard Control Report, 2024.
• The Lancet Planetary Health. Environmental exposure and health outcomes, 2024.

Reducing single-use items is one of the fastest and most effective ways outpatient clinics can cut waste, lower costs, and demonstrate environmental responsibility.

Outpatient practices generate large volumes of paper, cardboard, plastics, packaging, and non-clinical disposables. According to the World Health Organization, a substantial portion of waste generated in outpatient care is non-hazardous and suitable for recycling—yet it is often discarded as general waste due to unclear systems and inconsistent practices.

The most common barriers are practical, not philosophical: non-standardized bins, unclear labeling, and limited staff training. The WHO identifies correct segregation at the point of generation as the single most effective step clinics can take to reduce unnecessary waste and associated disposal costs.

Reducing reliance on single-use items is another high-impact opportunity. Research from the American Reusable Textile Association shows that durable, reusable alternatives—such as reusable gowns, washable textiles, and refillable breakroom supplies—can significantly reduce total waste volumes while maintaining safety and hygiene standards.

Once basic recycling and reduction efforts are in place, standardization becomes the key to long-term success. Clinics that implement a single, color-coded sorting system across all rooms—supported by simple visual signage and brief staff training—see the greatest improvements in waste accuracy and staff participation.

Standardizing purchasing practices is equally important. The healthcare supply chain accounts for over 70% of the sector’s total climate footprint. Selecting products with reduced packaging, recycled content, or reusable formats prevents waste before it enters the clinic and often reduces purchasing costs over time.

Finally, clear agreements with waste haulers and recycling providers ensure that materials sorted for recycling are actually processed correctly. The U.S. EPA notes that contamination and inconsistent sorting are leading reasons recyclables fail to reach recovery facilities.

For outpatient clinics, recycling and single-use reduction are not complex sustainability initiatives—they are practical entry points. These steps build momentum, reduce unnecessary spending, improve workflows, and visibly demonstrate a commitment to health in every sense.

Contact My Green Doctor to set up a complimemtary consultation on making your clinic more sustainable.

Sources & References

• World Health Organization. Safe Management of Wastes from Health-Care Activities.
• American Reusable Textile Association (ARTA). Reusable Textiles in Healthcare.
• Health Care Without Harm. Health Care’s Climate Footprint.
• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Recycling Contamination and Recovery Rates.
• Yale Program on Climate Change Communication. Patient attitudes toward sustainability in healthcare.

Read the full article here

Your clinic’s sustainability and resiliency preparedness efforts represent more than operational improvements—they reflect a commitment to the long-term health and wellbeing of your patients, staff, and surrounding community. While this work is not always easy, it does not need to be done in isolation.

One of the most effective ways healthcare organizations can strengthen their impact is by joining peers around a shared vision for climate action and resilience. The Health Sector CARES (Climate Action, Resilience, and Equity Solutions) Pledge offers exactly that: a structured, supportive pathway into a community of practice focused on practical, measurable progress.

The CARES Pledge is led by Health Care Without Harm (HCWH)—a global organization that has supported healthcare systems in reducing waste, improving sustainability, and building resilient facilities and communities since 1996. The P[[[ledge is open to health sector organizations of all sizes, including outpatient clinics and medical practices, that are ready to plan for climate resilience and reduce their environmental impact.

The CARES Pledge signals leadership while allowing organizations to move at a thoughtful, realistic pace. Signatories voluntarily commit to a set of long-term goals, including:

• Reducing Scope 1 and 2 emissions by at least 50% by 2030 and achieving carbon neutrality by 2050, with annual public progress reporting
• Sharing strategies for reducing on-site emissions, such as energy use, waste, vehicle fleets, and refrigerants
• Developing and releasing a climate resilience plan within one year of signing
• Designating an executive-level lead for emissions reduction and conducting a Scope 3 emissions inventory within defined timeframes

This is where My Green Doctor plays a complementary role. While the CARES Pledge establishes the commitment and community, MGD helps outpatient clinics turn that commitment into manageable, staff-led action. Through coaching, structured guidance, and step-by-step implementation support, MGD helps practices understand what these goals mean at the clinic level—how to prioritize actions, engage staff, align sustainability with daily operations, and track progress without overwhelming already-busy teams.

For clinics considering the CARES Pledge, My Green Doctor can serve as a trusted guide—helping translate pledge commitments into practical workflows, achievable milestones, and meaningful results that support patient care, staff wellbeing, and long-term practice resilience.

Ready to take action? The signatories of the CARES Pledge are not made public. Ask your health system, medical school, or practice network to sign the Health Sector CARES Pledge to join a growing group of healthcare leaders working toward a healthier, more resilient future.

Presentation resources are also available to help explain the pledge’s benefits to colleagues and leadership teams.

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