Links to Helpful Resources
CAS Guidelines to the Practice of Anesthesia
We are proud of our members for their continued leadership of and contributions to innovative, safe and sustainable care. Members of our Environmental Sustainability Working Group provided input to help the Canadian Anesthesiologists’ Society (CAS) Committee on Standards develop a new Guidelines for Environmental Sustainability section of the 2023 Revised Edition of the Guidelines to the Practice of Anesthesia. The CAS Guidelines to the Practice of Anesthesia - Revised Edition 2024 are now available and continue to include the Guidelines for Environmental Sustainability.
CASCADES Sustainable Perioperative Care Playbook
We are grateful to the many members of our Environmental Sustainability Working Group who contributed to the development of the CASCADES Sustainable Perioperative Care Playbook, which is the definitive Canadian resource for environmental initiatives in the OR.
Videos
The Way Forward is Reusable
We invite you to watch the video below by the Canadian Coalition for Green Health Care, which features Environmental Sustainability Working Group volunteers Dr. Anita Rao, Ed Rubinstein and Dr. David Ohrling.
Ask Ontario Doctors: Climate Change and Health
OMA President Dr. Andrew Park was joined by Dr. Gili Adler Nevo, co-chair of the OMA’s Green is Health medical interest group and a psychiatrist at Toronto’s Michael Garron Hospital and Dr. David Ohrling, chief of the Department of Anesthesiology at Collingwood General and Marine Hospital, to discuss the impact of climate change on health.
Greening the Operating Room
In this video from CASCADES, our Environmental Sustainability Working Group lead Dr. Anita Rao and member Dr. Peter Menikefs discuss environmentally sustainable anesthetic practices.
Resources for Greening Your Practice
CAS: Environmentally Sustainable Perioperative Medicine: Simple Strategies for Anesthetic Practice
Choosing Wisely Climate-Conscious Recommendations
The Canadian Coalition for Green Health Care’s Green Hospital Scorecard
The Canadian Coalition for Green Health Care’s Green Pages
The Canadian Coalition for Green Health Care: Nix the Nitrous
WHO guidance for climate resilient and environmentally sustainable health care facilities
In the Media
Dr. David Ohrling, chief of the department of anesthesiology at Collingwood General and Marine Hospital (CGMH), says the health-care industry needs to help mitigate climate change.
Ontario Morning from CBC Radio with Ramraajh Sharvendiran | CBC Ontario Morning
Environmental Sustainability Working Group volunteer Dr. David Ohrling talks about creating a more sustainable health-care system.
Ontario Medical Association calls for action on climate change | Sudbury.com
Dr. David Ohrling discusses reducing the impact of anesthetic gases and addressing the current practice in operating rooms of relying on single-use medical devices and supplies.
Major B.C. trauma hospital switches anesthetic gas to reduce carbon footprint | CBC News
Ontario anesthesiologist and Environmental Sustainability Working Group volunteer Dr. Sanjiv Mathur is featured in this article.
How some doctors want to cut greenhouse gas emissions in the operating room | CBC News
Dr. Nam Le, an Ontario anesthesiologist and former Executive Committee member, makes an appearance in this clip for CBC’s The National.
Doctors, companies are finding ways to reuse or recycle more medical supplies.
Hospitals are finding new ways to reduce medical waste | CBC News
Ontario anesthesiologist and Environmental Sustainability Working Group volunteer Dr. Ali Abbass shows how they're reducing operating room waste at St. Joseph's Health Centre in Toronto.
Additional Resources
2021 WHO Health and Climate Change Survey Report
ANZCA Library Guide - Environmental Sustainability
Environment and Sustainability Statement from the Common Issues Group Partners
Our Role in the Climate Emergency: Do we have the ‘energy’ to make a difference?