December 5, 2025 – The Canadian Coalition for Green Health Care is excited to share a new video spotlighting the central acid delivery system (CDS) at St. Michael’s Hospital—a site of Unity Health Toronto—an innovative and sustainable solution for delivering dialysis treatment: https://youtu.be/4Sh1hxCDC3A.
This video was created as part of the Decarbonization in Action project, a collaboration between the Coalition and MaRS Discovery District, made possible through the generous support of the Peter Gilgan Foundation.
The Canadian health care system accounts for approximately 5 percent of the country’s total greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. By shifting away from single-use jugs of acid to the centralized system with a closed loop, St. Michael’s Hospital has implemented a solution that helps to reduce health care’s impact on the planet, one tonne of GHG emissions at a time.
Specifically, the CDS saves an incredible 95,000 litres of acid a year, which translates to $85,000 in annual savings—while also preventing an estimated 28 tonnes of GHG emissions. That is the equivalent of 63 barrels of oil!
The video features clinical engineering technologists Hassan Pooya and Simranjeet Singh, members of the Clinical Engineering Hemodialysis team. The CDS has been in place since 1993, and over the past three decades, technologists like Hassan and Simranjeet have been carrying forward a proud tradition of innovation at St. Michael’s Hospital, improving the centralized system and caring for it everyday. The video also spotlights Dr. Ron Wald and Dr. Meera Shah, nephrologists at St. Michael’s Hospital who are committed to delivering high-quality kidney care that is better for patients and the planet.
Quotes from Unity Health and the Coalition
“As climate change fuels kidney disease, our treatment, especially dialysis, must not further harm the planet. We are accountable for designing and adopting greener technologies so dialysis care aligns with the principles of sustainable kidney care and green nephrology.” – Dr. Jeffrey Perl, Nephrologist, St. Michael’s Hospital
“A transition to a sustainable health care system means implementing solutions that are good for patient care, costs, and the climate; and that’s very exciting.” – Dr. Myles Sergeant, Executive Director, Canada Coalition for Green Health Care.
Learn More
The team at Unity Health Toronto is keen to share their experience and help bring this sustainable solution to other hospitals across Canada. If you would like more information, or if you have specific questions about the CDS, you can reach out to the Unity Health team at sustainability@unityhealth.to.
The work on the CDS is part of Unity Health’s broader commitment to investing in the future, building a nimble culture that makes decisions through a value lens, and being stewards of the environment by reducing their impact on the planet. To learn more about Unity Health’s sustainability initiatives, please visit their webpage at https://unityhealth.to/about-unity-health/sustainability/.
For more information on the Decarbonization in Action project and ways to get involved, please visit: https://greenhealthcare.ca/accelerating-decarbonization/.
The Canadian Coalition for Green Health Care is Canada’s premier green health care resource network leading the transition to environmentally sustainable and climate-resilient practices. www.greenhealthcare.ca
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Media contact:
William Gagnon, Director of Implementation
william@greenhealthcare.ca
+1 514 996 6284
