Recognized as one of Canada's Greenest Employers (2025):
By Richard Yerema and Chantel Watkins, and Sonja Verpoort, Mediacorp Canada Inc. staff editors (Apr 21, 2025)
Here are some of the reasons why University Health Network was selected as one of Canada's Greenest Employers (2025):
- UHN employees (and patients) manage community gardens at a number of hospital sites, including a rooftop garden at Toronto General Hospital (University Centre) and a new, fully wheelchair accessible vegetable garden at Bickle Centre (where the harvest is often used in therapeutic cooking classes)
- UHN has been recognized by Smart Commute for its strong support of sustainable transportation, offering over 1,000 bicycle parking spots, employee discounts on Bike Share Toronto memberships, and support for an employee Bicycle User Group -- the organization also hosts events for Bike Month and has expanded secure Bike Rooms at its hospital locations
- Through its Operation Green program, UHN collects and donates surplus medical supplies to communities in need, diverting several tonnes of materials from landfill -- hospitals in Turkey, Syria, Ukraine, and countries in Western Africa have received hospital beds and other much-needed supplies through this initiative
A vision of ‘a healthier world’ drives people at UHN
Years before sustainability became a regular topic of conversation, University Health Network (UHN) in Toronto had a department dedicated to it. In the years since, the department has grown, as has sustainability's importance in the organization.
“Leading environmental and social impacts is one of our foundational commitments,” explains Joanne Bridle, executive director of facilities management for the group of hospitals, and a registered dietitian. “Everything we’re doing should be considered in terms of impact on climate, impact on sustainability, impact on social factors, before anything.”
Because UHN’s strategic vision is for “a healthier world,” she adds, there is commitment and passion for greening and sustainability at every level of organization – from the board of directors and the 700-strong Green Team at the grassroots level.
One of UHN’s biggest goals is to reduce its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from utilities by 45 per cent by 2030. Major projects include the Noventa Wastewater Energy Transfer (WET) System, which uses thermal energy from a wastewater interceptor sewer to supply most of the heating and cooling to nearby Toronto Western Hospital. That alone reduces UHN’s GHG emissions by 8,400 metric tonnes each year.
Three of UHN’s other centres use renewable cooling from deep in Lake Ontario in place of an electric chiller plant. The savings are not only in kilowatt hours of electricity (12.75 million) but also in dollars ($1.4 million). “We’ve been able to find a lot of projects that help us hit that sweet spot,” says Bridle, “so that’s win, win, win.”
UHN has also replaced desflurane, a general anesthetic, as emitting one molecule of the gas is equivalent to releasing more than 3,500 molecules of carbon dioxide. That switch has led to a 56-per-cent drop in UHN’s carbon footprint related to general anesthesia since 2019.
The Green Team is made of everyone from front-line staff and physicians to senior leadership. Some are leading projects — looking at timing changes in lighting or automation for more efficiency, or streamlining supplies to prevent waste — while others are sustainability champions in their departments.
In one case, the team assessed the surgical unit at Toronto Western Hospital, where Victoria Wilson is a nurse. “They’re very solutions-oriented,” she says. “And I feel like they’re really on our side, which helps motivate us to get on board with what is really the best option to save money and to save the environment.”
Indeed, several changes have contributed to UHN’s 41-percent waste-diversion rate, including replacing disposable gowns with reusable ones, introducing compostable kidney basins, and streamlining garbage and recycling, among others.
The organization also has an active bike-to-work program with 399 secure bike parking spots, bike lockers, showers, a Bike Share Toronto discount, as well as 54 charging stations for electric vehicles. By providing greener commuting options, UHN staff can fight climate change on their way to work in a very impactful way. “It really permeates everything we do,” says Bridle. “I guess it comes back to being such a foundational part of who UHN is and our identity.”
The results so far are impressive. Through 631 projects between 2012 and 2023, UHN has avoided spending $43 million on utilities, has reduced water use by 38 per cent since 2012, and has had a cumulative savings of 55,609 metric tonnes of GHG emissions since 2010.
And that is a huge source of pride for those who work for the hospital group. “In our day-to-day lives we feel we don’t have much control over the climate,” says Wilson. “So, I’m proud that UHN is committed to a green future and a more sustainable way for the health-care system to function.”
