Greener Hospitals: The Hidden Footprint of Surgery

Hospital operating rooms are an impressive dance of teamwork and timing. At Boston Children's Hospital, when the operating team wraps up, the cleaning team enters, each with specific assignments to clean and prep the room for the next surgery. On top of that, the team is always on the lookout for ways to reduce the environmental impact.We start today's episode with a conversation with Kristine Rodman, mother of a patient at Boston Children's Hospital. It was incredibly emotional to sit down and hear her story. It was a stark reminder of the stakes behind each operational decision. Julian Inferrera is the Operating Room Flow Manager at Boston Children’s Hospital, where he integrates sustainability into one of the most resource-intensive areas of healthcare. By focusing on waste streams, partnering with colleagues, and using data to reshape daily workflows, he works to demonstrate that sustainability initiatives can be integrated into clinical practice.In this episode, you'll learn: The invisible systems, decisions, and people behind each surgeryWhy ORs are one of the most resource-intensive spaces in the hospitalAn inside look into the operating roomWhat OR waste streams look like, and his team's ideas to reduce themHow Julian and his team take inspiration from NASCAR pit crewsWhy bottom's-up movements can be more effective than top-down mandatesWhy noticing, asking questions, and starting small matters🎧 Listen now and start spotting climate wins in your own workplace.Credits:🎙 Any Job Can Be a Climate Job is produced and hosted by Louisa Henry. Edited by Alex Leff. Original music by Run Riot Run. Logo design by Cassidy Frost. Image attribution: vecteezy.com.Mentions: Surgery waste art exhibit👉 Subscribe for more episodes on how real people are driving climate impact through their everyday work. Found here, Substack, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts.