Today Oxford Health celebrates NHS Sustainability Day – marking achievements and continuing to develop our green plans, considering staff travel, estates and green behaviours.

Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust employs 6,700 people working across 150 sites in Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Wiltshire and parts of Somerset. Numerous sites and staff are involved in the green alert campaign, thinking green to reach targets and make a difference.

Oxford Health does not contribute any waste to landfill from any of our sites, using either incineration or recycling. The Whiteleaf Centre in Aylesbury and the Highfield unit based at the Warneford use renewable energy sources such as solar panels, ground source heat pumps and rainwater harvesting. A trust wide replacement LED lighting programme is underway which will have a carbon saving of 45 per cent.

The trust sites are home to many green spaces, including Warneford meadow, Littlemore wildflower meadow and bee borders at the Whiteleaf Centre. Green spaces have an enormous benefit to mental health and the environment, promoting wellbeing and offering a calm place to talk.

Our staff are supportive with their efforts, pledging to reduce carbon emissions by a further 10 per cent using five simple ways:

1. Use public transport or cycle one day a week
2. Try not to travel – use technology instead
3. Think before you print, recycle and use less paper
4. Turn the heating down
5. Turn the lights off when not needed

Since 2014 the trust has reduced carbon emissions by 25 per cent, whilst achieving more:

• Saved 903 trees with paper reduction
• Saved 219kL of water
• Recycled 147 tonnes of waste
• Generated 10MWh of renewable energy
• Avoided 3.4 tonnes of CO2 emissions
• Low emissions vehicle in trust facilities fleet

John Upham, sustainability manager commented: “We are taking steps to ensure a greener future for Oxford Health. We are well on our way to achieving the NHS target of a 34 per cent reduction in carbon emissions by 2020. This will then increase to a reduction target of 50% by 2025. We are delighted with our achievements to date and will continue to work hard to become a greener trust. Thank you to our staff for supporting our green alert campaign, creating a better environment in our communities.”