Sustainability is one of Catalyst by Wellstar’s six focus areas, as caring for the environment around us is also caring for the health of our communities – and beyond. Since the inception of Catalyst, we have made strides in creating a more sustainable world.
One of Catalyst’s initial investments was MetaImpact, a multi-stakeholder software provider. For the first time in Wellstar’s history, we have been able to map the environmental footprint of our facilities as a whole. This data used to be in silos, as separate vendors supply water, gas, electricity and more to our hospitals across Georgia.
Wellstar has reviewed 12 utility providers across 16 locations with the eventual goal of monitoring 27 sustainability metrics in the categories of water, gas, and electricity that will help us identify new opportunities for emissions reduction.
Catalyst’s direct investment in MetaImpact means we’ll be able to scale up this work and its potential.
Another way we have been making an impact is by preventing waste from going into landfills. The recently launched Organic Recycling Program at the Wellstar Corporate Office (WCO) in Marietta has already diverted almost one ton of food waste from landfills by transforming it into food compost, preventing over 675 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions.
Food compost helps the soil retain moisture and nutrients, reduces the need for pesticides and fertilizers, and sequesters carbon dioxide (storing it in the soil away from the atmosphere), according to the United States Environmental Protection Agency.
This program was made possible thanks to a partnership between the Wellstar Foundation, Catalyst by Wellstar, Wellstar Strategic Community Development and Goodr, a sustainable food waste management and hunger relief company.
In addition to organic recycling, Catalyst installed three bee hives at Wellstar Vinings Health Park together with Bee Downtown, generating an environmental impact on an area of over 18,000 acres. We also donate the produced honey to Open Hand Atlanta, the largest community-based provider of home-delivered meals and nutrition services in the Southeastern United States, supporting our community members experiencing food insecurity.
Future Steps
Catalyst recently held a Think Tank about sustainability, bringing together Wellstar team members, leaders and company founders to discuss what we can do as a system to boost our sustainability efforts.
The event featured presentations from two companies:
Closing the day, Yasho Singh, Venture Capital Analyst at Catalyst by Wellstar, discussed the business side of sustainability, especially when it comes to reducing carbon emissions. He presented four underfunded areas – hydrogen, power grids, food waste and carbon capture – and how they have become attractive investments, in addition to having the potential to make a positive impact on the planet.
Now we want to hear from you. How important are sustainability efforts when you pick a hospital or other healthcare service? Let us know in our current survey and the comments below.
