Bogotá pioneered a holistic approach integrating renewable energy and environmentally friendly practices in the public hospital network in order to reduce CO2 emissions and improve patient experience.
Bogotá is the first city in Colombia to implement the Green Hospital Program, which aims to improve the environmental performance of its public hospitals, by adopting alternative sources of energy and environmentally responsible practices. In doing so, the city wants to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve the quality of life for patients and workers in the buildings. Bogotá is calculating the carbon footprint of its affiliated hospitals in order to establish a benchmark level for carbon reduction as well as mitigation strategies. Though the program is quite new, a number of pilot projects have already come online, such as a wind power installation at Santa Clara Hospital and solar water heater system at Suba Hospital. As a result of the new measures, there has been a 3.1% decrease in energy use in the pilot hospitals despite a 26.1% increase in services provided between 2012 and 2015.
Along with energy efficiency, the Green Hospital Program focuses on public hospitals’ management of waste and green areas, and works to add green walls and community gardens, which help stabilize temperatures and improve patients’ well-being.
22 hospitals in Bogota’s jurisdiction will benefit from the Green Hospital Program
The challenge
Hospitals in Bogotá have a significant ecological footprint, as they not only generate hazardous waste but also use twice as much energy as conventional office buildings in the city. By adopting the holistic Green Hospital Program, the city decreases the energy use of hospitals while improving patients’ and nearby communities’ well-being.
Co-benefits
Economic The utilization of alternative sources of energy will reduce the hospitals’ utility bills.
Environmental The Green Hospital Program also aims to better manage the hazardous waste generated by public hospitals and reduce the risk of contaminating nearby communities’ land and water.
Health Installation of community gardens in hospitals helps improve patients’ psychological health.
About Bogotá
Bogotá is the capital and largest city of Colombia administered as the Capital District. The city is located in the center of Colombia, on a high plateau known as the Bogotá savanna and is the political, economic, administrative, industrial, artistic, cultural, and sports center of the country. The city’s airport, El Dorado International Airport, named after the mythical El Dorado, handles the largest cargo volume in Latin America, and is third in number of people.
