Health Service Environmental Sustainability Competition Launch

We are pleased to announce the launch of the 2025/26 University of Melbourne Health Service Environmental Sustainability Competition.

Attendees at the Health Service Sustainability Competition launch.

Pictured (L-R): Dr Sonia Chanchlani (Sustainability, Climate and Health Senior Fellow, University of Melbourne), Professor Jason Payne (CEO, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre), Dr Ben Dunne (Sustainable Healthcare Senior Fellow, University of Melbourne), Professor Eugenie Kayak (Enterprise Professor in Sustainable Healthcare, University of Melbourne), Professor Rosemary McKenzie (Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre Board Chair), Paul Urquhart (Chief Corporate Officer, Royal Melbourne Hospital).

The launch was celebrated on Wednesday 4 June to mark World Environment Day at the Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre. Originally a grassroots initiative at the Royal Melbourne Hospital, the competition is now in its fourth successful year.

The competition, coordinated by the Melbourne Medical School’s Sustainable Healthcare Team, enables participating health services to engage both clinical and non-clinical staff, providing resources to support the creation of impactful and financially viable initiatives. These initiatives aim to improve quality of care, reduce emissions and waste, and engage health organisations and their staff.

Over three years, staff at the Royal Melbourne Hospital, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre and the Royal Women’s Hospital have led 44 projects, with cumulative carbon and financial savings amounting to: $2.1 million, 2.7 million kg of CO2 equivalent, 4.7 tonnes of waste diverted, and 810,000 items kept from landfill.

In 2025, the competition has expanded to 9 participating health services, with an opportunity for participants to attend a Sustainability in Quality Improvement (SusQI) workshop delivered by the Sustainable Healthcare Team.  This workshop will provide participants with the skills to design and deliver their chosen project, as well as assess the environmental, financial, and social impacts.

For more information and to register, please visit the Health Service Environmental Sustainability Competition web page.