Colleagues and myself have been thinking about how to make the tech ecosystem in the NHS more sustainable. This is an update on what we’ve been doing.
There are two previous posts on this topic.
Event
I attended an event called OneGreenGov. It’s goal was for participants;
to learn more and take practical action to make a difference for our planet in their community, job, or home life.
This post is a set of reflections and snippets I learned on the day (lots of people spoke in great depth about subjects but i’m only picking out bits and bobs!).
GDS colleagues
- civil servant colleagues talked about how we already have a mandate to act in the digital, data, tech and climate space. It’s not something we should be hesitant of and it is our responsibility
- talk of our ability to set standards or tackling the issue through things like GovTech catalyst
- civil service has a large footprint and buying power (332,800 in England) - if we make progress then can make a real difference. The NHS has about 1.187 million employees - so does that make NHS’s responsibility over x3 as much?
- heard about a carbon calculator prototype. Found out a little more later in the week…
Launching the monthly cross govt climate work show and tell, with @ttmaio from @gdsteam talking about the 'provocatype' govt service carbon calculator. 🌳
— Ben 'Is that OK given the climate emergency?' aldo (@benaldo) February 5, 2020
Get in touch if you work in govt and would like to take part or tune in next time. #servicesweek #climategov pic.twitter.com/Vodn6e3G9e
Design and climate
I’ve been very interested in this topic from a design angle. It’s not all hardware and behaviour. Next up was someone from Snook who shared (a tiny tiny selection);
- 6 meet-ups organised last year, interested in the practice of designing sustainably - reminder to self I need to dig more into this
- “Accountability” needs to be our word for 2020. Need to see design with a climate lens.
- NHS responsible for 5.4% of UK’s greenhouse gases
DEFRA’s permanent secretary
Former DHSC colleague spoke more about what DEFRA are doing in this space;
The capture of @TamFinkelstein’s spot at #OneGreenGov by the excellent @drawnalism pic.twitter.com/30E9K64HLt
— Elspeth Body (@elspethb3) January 22, 2020
Midday Musings
I went to a handful of sessions around midday. Here are some scattergun reflections;
- heard about the sustainable web manifesto. Blog post about it also reveals more info.
- Website carbon calculator (a few of these knocking about) - I tested the NHSX website out of interest, cleaner than 70% of websites tested but improvements can be made
- how might we invest in and support growth of companies working to be climate resilient but also accept this won’t be seamless and not an easy task
- big problem like this requires system thinkers, designers and great communicators
- Office for Environmental Protection is coming and has the power to ensure governments maintain green credentials
- UN goals, one being climate action
- heard about the SCATTER tool which looks brilliant. A free tool that uses “science-based targets to help local authorities calculate their carbon budget and cut their emissions in line with climate science”
Sir David King
Really really really enjoyed Sir David King lecture. He touched upon/made me think about;
- that a warming world is without doubt a health crisis. He worked on responses to the 2003 heat wave which may have killed 50,000 - 70,000 people. Even more terrifying is that without intervention these dangerously hot temperatures will become the norm. By 2045 they could be our average temperature.
- Kolkata is at risk and human migration due to the climate change is already happening, even in the UK.
- his speech was really motivating - a brilliant way to end the day
Incredibly inspiring listening to @Sir_David_King. https://t.co/QdfE5BQ9AH
— Colin Pattinson (@ColinPattinson) January 22, 2020
What next?
Myself and colleagues have been shaping and moulding our pitch for a future event, good news is we are all ready to roll. We’ve also been chasing opportunities which have been fruitful. Feels like we can make a valuable impact, now just need to find more time to work on it.
Further reading
Interesting extras for those who may want to know more:
- I had not heard of the lite version of CNN - it’s a version of CNN for those with internet connection issues (e.g. those in a hurricane who need access to vital info but don’t have access to a fast connection). Also a text only NPR service exists.
- I’ve not dug into everything but Snook have been writing about this topic and I’m sure it’s worth a read
- some talk of rewilding. Visited Knepp farm last year, which was wonderful. Worth a visit if interested in topic.
- while on a short trip the NHS made some green commitment announcements!