Sustainable Living: From Personal Choices to Greener Healthcare

OhioHealth sustainability advisor, Allegra Wiesler, has been at the forefront of OhioHealth's sustainability efforts for the past six years. 

"My day-to-day looks like going around and identifying energy efficiency opportunities, waste reduction, landfill diversion work, and food waste,” she said. Her role extends to various aspects, including sustainable procurement, healthy buildings, and working with the supply chain, making it a comprehensive effort. 

Reflecting on OhioHealth's evolution in sustainability, Wiesler said, "it's amazing how much sustainability is talked about in meetings and stories we're working on." She says the shift within the organization has been driven by the knowledge that sustainability is not only important for the environment but also for public health. 

In tackling waste management, OhioHealth has implemented creative solutions like composting food waste and partnering with local farms for food donation. Major strides have also been made in the transition to low or zero-emission electric vehicles for lab couriers and protective services in partnership with MedSpeed.

“It’s the first all-electric fleet running health care in the United States,” Wiesler said. “And that's because we've really heavily invested in electric vehicle charging stations, we have over 80 charging stations throughout the entire system, the largest of any organization in Ohio.” 

OhioHealth has made a commitment to achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050. Wiesler shared various strategies to meet this goal like environmentally preferable purchasing policies and improving energy efficiency. 

This includes utilizing sustainable medical equipment and building practices, with OhioHealth Pickerington Hospital set to be one of the most sustainable facilities, Wiesler said. 

“How do we ensure that those supplies are created with no chemicals of concern?” she said. “So we're not negatively impacting those that interact with those materials on a daily basis … our patients are not negatively impacted as we're trying to heal them.” 

OhioHealth has reduced energy consumption per square foot by 15% since 2018, but Wiesler acknowledges there's still much more work to be done. Looking forward, the OhioHealth Women's Hospital and OhioHealth Grant Impact 2028 projects aim to be even more sustainable, she said. 

“OhioHealth definitely sees this as an extension of our mission,” Wiesler said. “That's really my focus day to day. Trying to get it integrated into our culture.” 

Whether it's using reusable cups for coffee, recycling at home, or making energy-efficient choices, every action counts. 

"We really need a lot of imperfect people doing the work rather than just a few perfect people.” 

To listen to the full interview on The Wellness Conversation - An OhioHealth Podcast, click here.