​Environmental Sustainability

Greening the Operating Room

The Committee on Equipment and Facilities is advocating for increased environmental consciousness in our practices and the facilities in which we work. Physician anesthesiologists can lead by improving operating room design, anesthetic agent choice and management, and waste disposal and diversion, and can mitigate the negative environmental effect of anesthetic practice in all its forms.

Inhaled Anesthetic 2023 Challenge

Inhaled anesthetics are potent greenhouse gases. Waste anesthetic gases (WAGs) are routinely vented off facility rooftops, where their emissions to the outdoor environment are currently not controlled. Inhaled Anesthesia Climate Initiative Project Drawdown is an international campaign that aims to benchmark facility-level inhaled anesthetic carbon footprints to compare and inspire performance improvement efforts. Learn more.