It’s great to discover, learn, & share from one another. That’s one of the true joys of life. And as we head into the holidays, I would like to share the most powerful video I’ve seen this week, thanks to Megan Maltenfort, Cardinal Health’s vice president for ESG.
Megan recently opened my eyes to the remarkable Ray Anderson (1934 – 2011), who as a carpet entrepreneur, became an unlikely pioneer in sustainability. I just watched this 7 min video where Ray Anderson describes his transition into sustainability. He calls this eureka moment his “spear in the chest”.
It reminds of so similar stories that I’ve heard throughout my sabbatical, as well as my own story of transformation. Do you have one?
From this video of Ray Anderson, which I highly recommend watching, I’ve collected a few quotes, and would like to reflect on their importance to sustainable healthcare.
“I didn’t have an environmental vision”
Like many of us, Ray initially wasn’t aware of his company’s impact on the environment. How many health system leaders remain unaware of the negative impact of their health systems on the environment? Recall that healthcare produces 8.5% of overall carbon emissions in the United States. Humility and a growth mindset will always help us serve our patients and employees better. I recommend asking health system leaders if they have an environmental vision, and if not, why not. Health system board members also have a responsibility to hold their leaders accountable.
“I was attuned to my customers”
Ray heard from some customers about the need to reduce environmental waste. Listening to them made good business sense. Isn’t the same true for health systems, their employees, and patients?
“Get up and get going, there’s lots to do”
Talking is insufficient. Let’s be guided by meaningful action, not greenwashing.
“There’s no such thing as an ex-environmentalist”
So true. Once we recognize the importance of planetary health, there’s no unseeing how we in healthcare pollute the very communities that we are trying to serve. And unfortunately, the recipients of the pollution are all too often the ones who’ve least contributed to climate change and socioeconomically least resilient to withstand the ill effects. We have the power to change our systems.
“In time, we might change the culture of a culture”
Due to staffing shortages and the increasing corporatization of healthcare, the culture of healthcare has become much more transactional. Our workforce is stretched thin, and held to productivity metrics that continue to increase year after year. Continuing in the same way is not sustainable. We need a reboot, one that allows our burnt out healthcare workforce to find joy again in the practice of medicine.
Can we revitalize the culture of healthcare by caring for both patients and the planet?
I think so. How about you?
(Blog post cover image courtesy of Jessica McGowan for The New York Times)
The Green leap 
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