For the past two years, a group of residents, physicians, and staff members from the Yale Department of Surgery, has been meeting to increase our environmental sustainability in the department. Under the leadership of Dr. Glenda Callender, Dr. Hulda Einarsdottir, and Dr. Shirley Liu, Yale Surgery earned the Green Workplace Certification* from Yale’s Office of Sustainability. A few successful campaigns the team came up with: Special recycling bins for coffee pods in the department kitchen, a pen recycling program, change in food ordering for meetings to avoid food waste and encourage more meat-free options, monthly emails that encourage staff to make environment-friendly choices, e.g., take the stairs, consider the bike-share program, reduce paper use, and recycle used electronics and batteries. While the news about climate change and other environmental challenges we all face can be overwhelming, participating in this group has given members a chance to contribute to positive change in a small way.
Yale surgeons make sustainability and wellness a focus in their workplace article