Planetary Health
Like other areas of health care, health research creates a lot of waste and uses a lot of energy.
At the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, we are committed to reducing the impact of our research on planetary health and the environment, as indicated in our strategic plan.
Did you know?
Biomedical research labs produce two per cent of global plastic waste
A -80 °C freezer consumes as much energy per day as an average household
A traditional autoclave uses almost 200 litres of water per minute
Get inspired!
OHRI is actively engaging in planetary health initiatives, including in our infrastructure planning, where we are gradually converting all of our ultra-low freezers to high efficiency, with nearly half already converted.
As individuals and groups, we have the power to make research more sustainable.
For example, the cancer research labs (3rd floor) have made a big impact with a few simple changes:
- Eliminated over 182 kilograms of plastic waste by switching to restockable pipette tips, and over 272 kilograms of plastic by switching to glass media bottles.
- Saved 11 households worth of energy every day by changing the temperature of their -80 °C freezers to -70 °C.
- Reduced their annual supply shipments from 223 to 75.
- Installed motion sensors and timers so lights are only on when needed, and reduced water consumption by adding aerators to faucets.
- 70 per cent of lab members are My Green Lab Ambassadors, and the lab is working towards a My Green Lab Certification.