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NHS Isle of Wight is taking part in the first annual NHS Sustainability Day today (Wednesday).
NHS branches across the South East will be engaging on sustainability with staff, patients and visitors by holding recycling events, planting trees, and showing climate change documentaries and films to help people to understand the mutual benefits of sustainability and health.
Dr David Pencheon, NHS Sustainable Development Unit Director, said: "NHS Sustainability Day is a day of action and a rallying call to the NHS to embrace and consider all elements of delivering sustainable healthcare: care that improves health today but which doesn't jeopardise our ability to do it tomorrow."
In addition to the support of local NHS organisations, NHS Sustainability Day is being backed by well-known figures such as Sir David Nicholson, Health Minister Simon Burns and actor and presenter Stephen Fry.
Dr Gabriel Scally, Director of Public Health for NHS South of England, said: "It is great to see NHS organisations in our region taking part in the NHS Sustainability Day. We hope the day will encourage them all to work towards a more sustainable health service, one where hospitals serve more locally sourced fresh food, where patients can receive their care closer to home and where buildings are more energy efficient.
"This will help to reduce waste and save money, money which can then be reinvested back into frontline services, as well as helping to protect the wider environment by lowering harmful carbon emissions."
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