Overview of the Caring Nature project

Abstract CARING NATURE is a three-year project launched in January 2024, funded by the EU's Horizon Europe programme. It brings together 19 partners from 11 European countries to develop ten green healthcare solutions aimed at reducing carbon emissions and pollution. These solutions will be tested across 33 use cases, focusing on minimizing the environmental impact of healthcare facilities, including building operations, waste management, and patient travel, while enhancing governance capabilities and staff engagement in sustainability. Key milestones achieved include the creation of a Knowledge Sharing and Decision Support System for healthcare management, an environmental Life Cycle Assessment methodology for health settings, and an AI-powered Decision Support System for sustainable architecture and energy management. The project also offers guidelines for medical waste reduction, prototypes for onsite medical waste pyrolysis plants, and processes for onsite food waste anaerobic digestion and drying, as well as wastewater anaerobic digestion. Additional innovations include guidelines for next-generation telemedicine exploitation and a participatory staff engagement model. These solutions are designed to be actionable, innovative, impactful, and adoptable by health organizations. They are sustainable and achievable within the Consortium's expertise and the project's objectives. Opportunities for standardizing these solutions have been identified, paving the way for broader implementation. CARING NATURE enables the healthcare sector to advance towards environmental sustainability, setting a precedent for European best practices in green healthcare. This project not only addresses immediate environmental challenges but also fosters a culture of sustainability within healthcare systems, ensuring long-term benefits for both the environment and public health.