Sustainability Summit Series

Together, we can lead the charge in transforming healthcare through sustainable, actionable strategies.

Stericycle’s Sustainability Summit Series is dedicated to advancing sustainability within healthcare and life sciences sectors. These events are designed for forward-thinking healthcare professionals, spotlighting cutting-edge strategies and providing invaluable insights into building a more sustainable, resilient future for our industry.

Let’s make healthcare sustainable, for people and the planet!

Upcoming Events

Location Details:

The Westin Cleveland Downtown
777 Saint Clair Avenue NE,
Cleveland, Ohio, 44114

8:00 AM - 1:00 PM CT

Invitation Only: Please contact your Stericycle account manager to receive invite

A continental breakfast and lunch will be provided.

We're looking forward to:

  • Collaborative Learning: Hear from industry-leading experts and practitioners, Dr. Sofya H. Asfaw of Cleveland Clinic and Christopher Bodkin from Practice Greenhealth, who will share their insights and actionable solutions for reducing environmental impact in healthcare.
  • Engaging Sessions: Participate in thought-provoking discussions, and gain hands-on strategies for integrating environmental, social, and governance (ESG) practices into your healthcare operations.
  • Networking Opportunities: Connect with like-minded professionals, share experiences, and build lasting relationships with sustainability leaders and innovator.

Guest Speakers

Sofya H. Asfaw

Cleveland Clinic

Sofya H. Asfaw, MD, MBA, FACS is an Assistant Professor of Surgery of Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine of Case Western Reserve University. She specializes in Trauma Surgery, Critical Care and Emergency General Surgery, practicing clinically at several Cleveland Clinic hospitals. Dr. Asfaw serves as the Enterprise Vice Chair for Quality, Safety and Patient Experience, Continuous Improvement and Sustainability for the Digestive Disease Institute at Cleveland Clinic. She is the Vice Chair for Wellness and Diversity in the Department of General Surgery and is the Digestive Disease Institute’s Lead for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI). 

Dr. Asfaw has also been the Physician Champion for Cleveland Clinic’s Greening the OR efforts for over a decade and now co-leads Enterprise Sustainability efforts in the ICUs. She is the immediate past Kenneth Lee Memorial Fellowship Director—a fellowship dedicated to healthcare sustainability. Dr. Asfaw was also recently named a faculty expert of Surgical Sustainability for the new IRCAD North America, a leading global research and education institute, which is slated for its inaugural course in September 2025. She has authored numerous peer reviewed publications and book chapters and given many lectures related to topics in trauma, critical care, healthcare sustainability and topics in DEI.

Christopher Bodkin

Practice Greenhealth

Christopher has been working in health care sustainability for over 12 years since he graduated from college. Christopher has deep expertise in the topics of chemicals, greening the OR, food, climate, energy, transportation, water, sustainable procurement, green buildings, and leads the work on healthcare waste and plastics for Practice Greenhealth. His focus is measuring sustainability in the health care sector through data to drive meaningful outcomes for people and the planet. Christopher owns a circular economy consulting and manufacturing firm that recycles medical plastics into sustainable products. Christopher was named to GreenBiz's 30 Under 30 list for 2018. Christopher lives in rural New Hampshire with his family.

Location Details:

The Westin Sacramento Riverfront Hotel & Spa
4800 Riverside Blvd,
Sacramento, California, 95822
8:00 AM - 1:00 PM PT

Invitation Only: Please contact your Stericycle account manager to receive invite

A continental breakfast and lunch will be provided.

We're looking forward to:

  • Collaborative Learning: Hear from industry-leading experts and practitioners, Michael Thomas from CommonSpirit Health, and Environmental Stewardship Advisor/Author, Kathy Gerwig, who will share their insights and actionable solutions for reducing environmental impact in healthcare.
  • Engaging Sessions: Participate in thought-provoking discussions, and gain hands-on strategies for integrating environmental, social, and governance (ESG) practices into your healthcare operations.
  • Networking Opportunities: Connect with like-minded professionals, share experiences, and build lasting relationships with sustainability leaders and innovator.

Guest Speakers

Michael Thomas, CHESP

CommonSpirit Health

Michael Thomas began his Environmental Services career in 1994 with Marriott Management Services in Buffalo, NY. Since then, he has held leadership roles with several top-tier service providers, including Sodexo, Aramark, and Crothall, supporting EVS operations in 27 states nationwide. In 2016, he joined Dignity Health, where he transitioned into Plant Operations, serving as both Hospital Safety Officer and Interim Director. This experience deepened his understanding of infrastructure systems and broadened his perspective on the environment of care.

Today, Michael serves as Market Director for Environmental Services at CommonSpirit Health, overseeing EVS operations across six facilities in California’s Central Valley. He is committed to driving high standards in patient safety, regulatory compliance, and service excellence. Outside of work, he lives in Copperopolis with his wife, Jennifer, and their three sons — Zack, Jared, and Ryan.

Kathy Gerwig

Environmental Stewardship Advisor/Author

Kathy Gerwig is the author of “Greening Health Care, How Hospitals Can Heal the Planet” which details the critical role health care organizations can play in addressing climate change and environmental threats to health. Kathy served in national executive roles during her 26-year tenure at Kaiser Permanente (KP). As Vice President and Environmental Stewardship Officer, Kathy was responsible for enterprise sustainability at KP which was widely recognized for becoming the first U.S. health system to be carbon neutral for operations.

Today she is a pro bono senior advisor to Health Care Without Harm on climate and health, participates in the National Academy of Medicine Action Collaborative on Decarbonizing the Health Sector, serves as faculty for the Institute for Healthcare Improvement’s Decarbonizing Care Learning Community, and speaks to audiences about accelerating climate action in healthcare.

Past Events

Guest Speakers

Chris Wood & Joe Villa

Moonshot Compost

Chris Wood and Joe Villa co-founded Moonshot Compost in July 2020. It had become clear to them that their native Houston had not yet adequately stepped up to the task of diverting its citizens’ and businesses’ food waste away from landfills. They started Moonshot with the hopes of making a real difference to the city’s environmental future.

Chris Wood worked for more than 15 years as a corporate attorney. A lifelong Houstonian, he attended UVA for undergrad and UT Austin for law school. He and his wife Debbie Yee share two daughters.

Joe Villa worked for more than 15 years for a leading international logistics company. A lifelong Texan, he has a degree in business from UT Pan American. He and his wife Linda Yee share one son.

Christopher Bodkin

Practice Greenhealth

Christopher has been working in health care sustainability for over 12 years since he graduated from college. Christopher has deep expertise in the topics of chemicals, greening the OR, food, climate, energy, transportation, water, sustainable procurement, green buildings, and leads the work on healthcare waste and plastics for Practice Greenhealth. His focus is measuring sustainability in the health care sector through data to drive meaningful outcomes for people and the planet. Christopher owns a circular economy consulting and manufacturing firm that recycles medical plastics into sustainable products. Christopher was named to GreenBiz's 30 Under 30 list for 2018. Christopher lives in rural New Hampshire with his family.

Chip Amoe JD, MPA, Sustainability Officer for University of Michigan Health

Before joining U of M Health, Chip served as Director of Sustainability for Michigan State University in East Lansing and was the first Director of Sustainability for Henry Ford Health in Detroit. Prior to leading sustainability efforts, he served over fifteen years in government affairs and health policy roles for Henry Ford Health, as well as the American Society of Anesthesiologists and American Medical Association in Washington, DC. He will share insights into the challenges and opportunities when leading a sustainability program, and offer practical strategies for achieving sustainability milestones, regardless of your team or organizations' size.

Kyle Tafuri, Vice President of Sustainability with Hackensack Meridian Health

For over a decade, Kyle has been instrumental in weaving sustainability into the very fabric of Hackensack Meridian Health (HMH). Recently under his leadership, four HMH hospitals were the first in the country to receive the Joint Commission Sustainability Certification. In addition, the flagship hospital Hackensack University Medical Center, has been recognized as a top 25 green hospital by Practice Greenhealth for nine consecutive years. He will share insights about his journey to getting the Joint Commission Sustainability Certification, and share a framework to help other organizations achieve sustainability milestones.

Steven Ziffer, VP Facilities Management and Safety at Grady Health System

Steven Ziffer is an experienced hospital and health care industry operations leader. Currently working as the VP of Facilities Management and Safety at Grady Health System, he will share insights into the challenges and opportunities when leading a sustainability program within a healthcare organization, and offer practical strategies for achieving sustainability milestones, regardless of your team or organizations' size.

Jasmine Crowe-Houston, Founder & CEO of Goodr Co.

Jasmine Crowe-Houston is an award-winning social entrepreneur, children’s book author, TED Speaker, and determined leader working to make the world a better place.

In 2017, after years of feeding people experiencing homelessness from her own kitchen, Crowe-Houston launched Goodr, a sustainable waste management company that leverages technology to combat hunger and reduce food waste. Under Crowe-Houston’s leadership, Goodr has provided over 30 million meals to those in need and redirected millions of pounds of materials from landfill.

She has been featured on CNBC, Oprah Magazine, Forbes, Fast Co., New York Times, and named by Entrepreneur Magazine as one of the top 100 influential female founders and Insider’s 100 People Transforming Business.

David Zechman, CEO of The Zechman Group

David is a seasoned healthcare executive with 20 years of executive management experience at three large integrated healthcare systems comprised of tertiary teaching hospitals, community hospitals, and rural hospitals. He currently serves as CEO of Zechman and will share strategies for how to make a business case for sustainable improvement. David will share strategies for creating a business case for C-suite leaders to ignite sustainable change.

Elizabeth Joseph, APRN-BC, MPH and Angela Wright, PhD

Liz and Angela are experienced Nurse Practitioners and Educators who also serve as co-Chairs of the Climate Committee at Jackson Health System (JHS).The Climate Committee is the driving force behind the sustainability efforts at Jackson Health and works to implement sustainability initiatives. JHS has reduced over 185,000 pounds of medical waste, and Liz and Angela will share a framework that other health organizations can implement to help mitigate the effects of Climate Change.