REDUCING their environmental footprint continues to be a top priority for the Western District Health Service (WDHS), with the organisation recently engaging a dedicated environmental services officer.

WDHS director of corporate services, Nick Starkie, said the Health Service had worked hard to improve its environmental sustainability at the Hamilton, Penshurst, and Coleraine campuses over the years, with the appointment of an environmental services officer emphasising their focus on reducing their environmental impact.

“Since 2018 we have installed over 1800 solar panels across our sites, switched to LED lighting and introduced a number of innovative waste management initiatives,” he said.

“To further support the organisation to achieve its sustainability goals, we have also recently engaged an experienced local expert, Mr Heinz de Chelard.”

Mr de Chelard said he was excited to be part of such a large regional organisation, which is actively working to reduce its ecological footprint in all areas of operation.

He said the organisation was looking to make improvements across the 10 goals of the Global Green and Healthy Hospital’s agenda, including leadership, chemicals, waste, energy, water, transportation, food, pharmaceuticals, building, and purchasing.

Last month Mr de Chelard organised an outdoor power equipment (OPE) demonstration to investigate options for replacing the fleet of petrol-powered grounds maintenance tools at WDHS, with modern commercial battery equipment.

“OPE is well known to have a significant impact on the user, bystanders, and the environment,” he said.

“Using a two-stroke leaf blower for one hour emits the equivalent Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions as driving the average car up to 1,700 kilometres.

“Noise is also a key factor for the user, as is vibration and fumes, so battery powered equipment is not only better for the environment, but for the health and wellbeing of the operator, people nearby, and the community as a whole.”

Stihl Australia demonstrated their range of battery powered OPE on the day, which included different hedge trimmers, blowers, lawnmowers, line trimmers, and chainsaws, with WDHS gardening staff able to get hands-on experience using the new equipment.

Staff from the Southern Grampians Shire Council and other regional hospitals including Terang also attended the demonstration.

Mr de Chelard said the day was a great success and WDHS grounds staff were very pleased with the battery powered OPE performance.

“As a result of this demonstration day, WDHS is looking to acquire some of this equipment for further evaluation,” he said.

“This is just one of the many initiatives we hope to introduce over the next few years that collectively will have a significant impact on staff wellbeing and our environmental footprint.”