NEWS & ANNOUNCEMENTS
Global health care sector is a major contributor to the climate crisis
New report provides first-ever estimate of health care’s global climate footprint, calls for zero emissions.
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For hospitals, ‘plant-forward’ means big sales and a cooler planet
University of California San Francisco Medical Center introduced plant-forward menu concepts. Customers loved it and sales soared. These meals just happen to also be good for the planet.
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New tree planting program for hospitals
Health care institutions in the United States are partnering with community forestry programs to boost urban tree cover.
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Global health care sector is a major contributor to the climate crisis
New report provides first-ever estimate of health care’s global climate footprint, calls for zero emissionsIf the global health care sector were a country, it would be the fifth-largest greenhouse gas emitter…
Regions Hospital shows how contest can spice up sustainability work
Chef Michael White is a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America and has been a chef with Sodexo for more than 15 years. White cooks for Regions Hospital in Minnesota.
Meet the team: Julie Moyle
Julie Moyle has served Practice Greenhealth as a member engagement manager since 2015. She lives in Golden, Colo., where she is also an OR nurse. Learn about her proudest moment at Practice Greenhealth, her thoughts on emerging issues in…
Guided by the philosophy of ‘why’
One man’s justification for sustainable procurement
Kunle Modupe, Hackensack Meridian Health’s vice president for hospitality services, hasn’t spent a lifetime in health care. In fact, it was during his 22-year career in the luxury hotel…
New tree planting program for hospitals
Health care promoting healthy cities by planting trees
Studies show that patients who have a view of trees spend fewer days in the hospital than patients…
On the road: From the stage to the utility plant at Mayo Clinic’s Rochester campus
This living wall covers an impressive amount of space giving occupants a moment and area of respite.
By Iqbal Mian, Practice Greenhealth member engagement manager
Being in driving proximity to the Mayo…
UW Health lowers energy intensity by 25%
UW Health quietly pushed forward since its 2017’s big achievement in LEED Gold for the American Center, a first for Wisconsin and one of 17 in the United States. Commitments to continue conservation have increased with formal targets in water…
For hospitals, ‘plant-forward’ means big sales and a cooler planet
“I don’t sell plant-based, I sell delicious looking and tasting food that just happens to be plant-based.” – Dan Henroid, University of California San Francisco Medical Center
Dan Henroid knows that…
Practice Greenhealth offers members report cards to enhance goal-setting
“Thanks to the data analyzed through the awards platform at Practice Greenhealth, we're in a healthier position to categorically mitigate the various wastes associated with health care operations, while improving patient and community health.…
Maximizing the role of governance in environmental stewardship strategy
Practice Greenhealth’s 2019 Visionary Leader Award winner Barbara Tretheway arrived at HealthPartners in 2000 wanting to make a difference at work and in the community. As general counsel, much of her focus was on governance…
Meet the team: Shanda Demorest
Shanda Demorest joined Practice Greenhealth as a member engagement manager in May 2019. She lives in Minneapolis. Find out what she bought with her very first paycheck, how nursing prepared her for…
Memorial Sloan Kettering saves big, is honored for achievements
The surgery department is sometimes referred to as the soul or epicenter of a hospital for a number of reasons: It can bring in up to 60% of a facility’s revenue, and the reputation of the operating room is often tied directly to the…
Meet the team: Thresa Pattee
Thresa Pattee has served Practice Greenhealth as a member engagement manager since 2018 and as the food program coordinator for Healthy Food in Health Care and Practice Greenhealth for two years prior. Discover her favorite volunteer…
Leading U.S. hospitals recognized for their sustainability commitment
Practice Greenhealth is excited to announce this year’s recipients of the Top 25 Environmental Excellence Awards, the most prestigious environmental achievement for health care. These facilities exemplify the highest standards for environmental…
Local doctor-farmer gives a foodie tour of Nashville
CleanMed is right around the corner and this year, national leaders in health care sustainability will gather in Nashville to inspire change and discuss strategies for solving…
Sutter Health and Practice Greenhealth gather for healthier environments visioning
Dr. Stephen Lockhart, Sutter Health’s chief medical officer and executive sponsor for sustainability, highlighted the health system’s priority focus areas.
By Janet…
Practice Greenhealth offers pharmaceutical disposal guidance
There is increased concern over pharmaceuticals in waterways. There are “no drugs down the drain” rules in certain states. And harm can come from unauthorized access to controlled substances and the resulting wastage. Health care facilities must…
Practice Greenhealth member saves money with sustainable office supplies
Dignity Health supply chain and sustainability staff worked collaboratively with Staples, their office supply distributor, to improve the use of more sustainable office supplies throughout their network. The results of this initiative…
USA Today: Practice Greenhealth members prove business case for sustainability
Practice Greenhealth members were featured in “A profitable…
Everyday food heroes
Food Day is an annual event on Oct. 24 that inspires Americans to change not only their diets but also our food system. But for hospitals in our network, it’s Food Day every day. Food service directors, chefs, nutritionists, and other hospital…
Former EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy to join sustainability leaders at CleanMed
Gina McCarthy, former EPA administrator, professor at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, and director of the Center for Climate, Health, and the Global Environment, has accepted our invitation to be the keynote speaker…
Practice Greenhealth highlights members’ progress during national energy efficiency event
New Orleans is known for festivals and food. It is also known for a complicated recovery from Hurricane Katrina. At the time of the infamous storm’s landfall, there was one local LEED building. Fourteen years later, more than 1,000…
Rochester Regional Health recognized for climate innovations
In 2018, Practice Greenhealth member Rochester Regional Health was selected as the inaugural winner of the Climate and Health Innovation…
Meet the team: Hermine Levey Weston
Hermine Levey Weston joined the Practice Greenhealth staff as a member engagement manager in 2012. Learn about what brought her here, her best day of the last year, and her A-team.
When did you know you wanted to work…
Practice Greenhealth members join Health Care Climate Council
The U.S. Health Care Climate Council has welcomed two new members. University of California Health (UC Health) and …
Practice Greenhealth visits HCA Healthcare
By Janet Howard, Practice Greenhealth member engagement manager
Headquartered in vibrant Nashville, Tenn., HCA Healthcare (HCA) has more than 170 hospitals across the country and approximately 1,800 sites of care, including surgery…
UC Health commits to 100% clean energy by 2025
The University of California (UC) announced a bold expansion of its systemwide…
Calling all nurses
Health Care Without Harm and the Alliance of Nurses for Healthy Environments recently launched the Nurses Climate Challenge, which empowers nurses to educate 5,000 health professionals on the health impacts of climate change and how to be part of…
Finding your voice in the climate story
What is your unique climate story? Rachelle Reyes Wenger, Dignity Health's director of public policy and community advocacy, delivers a CleanMed Talk challenging us to reflect on who we are and the tremendous power we each possess to change the…
Sharing Greening the OR strategies and savings
Practice Greenhealth recently attended the Association of periOperative Registered Nurses conference in New Orleans to promote environmental best practices in the operating room. We shared Greening the OR resources and five strategies that can…
CleanMed sessions free for members to view
For the first time, we’re providing all Practice Greenhealth members with access to view the more than 60 CleanMed sessions for free. Take advantage of this added member benefit to learn from and be inspired by colleagues and experts from across…
Practice Greenhealth's Christopher Bodkin honored as GreenBiz 30 under 30
From GreenBiz:
"We're pleased to introduce the 2018 class of 30 inspiring young leaders who are demonstrating the world-changing promise of…
Hospitals recognized for their sustainability leadership
Practice Greenhealth announces winners of Top 25 Environmental Excellence Awards
[Washington, DC] Practice Greenhealth, the nation’s leading nonprofit membership and networking organization for sustainable health care, has announced the winners…
GreenBiz left me feeling hopeful
By Lauren Koch, Health Care Without Harm climate and health program associate director
Let’s get one thing out of the way: I have been eying the GreenBiz…
Baby steps toward big goals: Dr. Gandhi’s leadership in the OR
By Kaeleigh Sheehan, Member Engagement and Greening the OR manager
“Globally, nationally, as a sector, we have to set higher standards, and be more mindful of our impact,” says Dr. Seema Gandhi, associate clinical professor of…
Validation, motivation, and reputation: How the Environmental Excellence Awards can strengthen member’s sustainability efforts
On a recent winter morning, Michael J. Fiore CIH, CSP, director of Environmental Occupational Health and Safety/Sustainability at NorthShore University HealthSystem, sat down with Hermine Levey Weston for a conversation about the value…
On the Road: Practice Greenhealth partners with Dignity Health
By Iqbal Mian, Practice Greenhealth member engagement manager
The first time I saw Sister Mary Ellen Leijewski, Dignity Health’s vice president of corporate responsibility, was at …
Celebrate Award Winners
The Practice Greenhealth Environmental Excellend Award winners were honrered at the awards Gala & Celebration Dinner held on May 9 during CleanMed 2018 in San Diego, California. The Practice Greenhealth Environmental Excellend Award winners…
Healthier environments demonstrate respect for health care workers
By Veronique Nagle, Practice Greenhealth human resources director
As a Practice Greenhealth member, your organization is striving for healthier environments, healthier people, and a healthier bottom line. In times of…
Millennials and sustainability: Recruiting and retaining the next generation of health care
By Lauren Koch, Health Care Without Harm climate and health program associate director
I am on the edge of the millennial generation. And, it turns out, my career path mirrors the research on my generation.
After earning a…
Health Care Without Harm's Bill Ravanesi earns "Environmental Champion Award"
The Practice Greenhealth Environmental Excellend Award winners were honrered at the awards Gala & Celebration Dinner held on May 9 during CleanMed 2018 in San Diego, California. The Practice Greenhealth Environmental Excellend Award winners…
Healthier environments demonstrate respect for health care workers
As a Practice Greenhealth member, your organization is striving for healthier environments, healthier people, and a healthier bottom line. In times of trying to do more with less, while also. As a Practice Greenhealth member, your organization is…
With a little help from our friends
By Gary Cohen, Practice Greenhealth and Health Care Without Harm president
2017 has been a year of uncertainty. We saw some of the largest demonstrations in modern history, including the Women’s March, the People’s…
How 5 hospitals set environmental purchasing priorities and saved millions
By Beth Eckl, Practice Greenhealth Environmental Purchasing program director
You’ve secured leadership support, built a team of colleagues who were successful in getting an environmental purchasing policy adopted, and…
Watching your waste with Practice Greenhealth
By Janet Howard, Practice Greenhealth member engagement director
Environmental managers are challenged to keep their docks cleared, continuously moving materials and wastes and maintaining an efficient flow of material. When we scratch…
Envisioning an ‘Udderly Green’ future for health care landscapes
What began as an employee engagement campaign at Gundersen Health System blossomed into a project aimed at inspiring health care landscapers across the country.
Gundersen Envision, a subsidiary of Gundersen Health…
Anesthesia providers lead in health care GHG reduction
How 1 hospital is saving $20k a month and reducing GHGs
By Kaeleigh Sheehan, Practice Greenhealth Greening the OR and member engagement manager With mounting threats…
Following our food: How health care can inform the data revolution and bring transparency to the plate
Imagine a world where food is traced from farm to fork, using data that can be accessed at the touch of a screen. Photos, ingredients, micro-nutrients, packaging details, production location and sustainability attributes, etc. — all the…
The role of transportation in achieving hospital greenhouse gas reduction goals
Julie Moyle, MSN, RN, outreach and engagement specialist
If your sustainability priorities don’t include a transportation program and strategies to reduce transportation-related emissions, you are missing a big opportunity to reduce…
New Hospital Resource Highlights Environmental Best Practices
[From Ohio Hospital Assocation] The Ohio Hospital Association’s Energy and Sustainability Program teamed up…
Educating clinicians on health impacts of climate change
By Sarah Spengeman, Ph.D., Health Care Without Harm Climate and Health program associate director
Have you thought to yourself, “How can my hospital or system step up its climate leadership?” If so, Health Care Without…
In Search of Sustainable Products
By John Strong Principal of John Strong, LLC and serves as president of Greenhealth Management
As you shake the sleep off, you realize that the sounds of your 12-year-old daughter’s latest asthma attack woke you. You…
Hospitals collaborate with vendors to address public health through animal agriculture
By Hillary Greenwood Thanks to increasing demand for poultry raised without routine antibiotics, cost reductions and improved availability have made it easier for hospitals to add more sustainably-raised chicken to their menus. Health systems in…
On the Road with Practice Greenhealth: June 2017 Greenbeat
The Mayo Clinic in Rochester MN. Welcomed Hermine Levey Weston
By Hermine Levey Weston, RN MBA
My father, an oral surgeon, was what we nurses referred to as a “tough patient.” When hospitalized, I…
Effectively Managing Waste Anesthesia Gas
By Julie Moyle, MSN, RN Outreach and Engagement Specialist
General anesthesia administered during surgical/interventional procedures typically includes the administration of anesthesia gases. Only about 5 percent of…
Greening the Operating Room
By Kaeleigh Sheehan, Member Engagement Manager, Greening the OR
Summer might be a time to slow down, relax, enjoy the longer sunshine hours, but for the Greening the OR team, the fun is just getting started! *That’s not really true, the…
Association of Climate Change Officers and Practice Greenhealth Announce Partnership
Organizations To Align Efforts on Education & Training of Healthcare System Professionals
WASHINGTON, DC – April 26, 2017 – The Association of Climate Change Officers (ACCO) and Practice Greenhealth, organizations who have a common…
Practice Greenhealth Announces Winners of Top 25 Environmental Excellence Awards
Most prestigious environmental achievement award recognizing sector’s top hospitals
(Reston, VA) — Practice Greenhealth, the nation’s leading nonprofit membership and networking organization for sustainable…
On the Road with Practice Greenhealth
Julie Moyle, MSN, RN, Outreach and Engagement Specialist
Climate Reality Leadership Training with Al GoreFor three days in early March, I was immersed in an amazing collage of humanity focused on the greater good. I was one of 972…
Major Food Service Management Companies Help to Fill the GAP for Hospital Chicken Needs
Hillary Greenwood, National Procurement Director, Health Care Without Harm, Healthy Food in Health Care Program
2016 was a momentous year for addressing routine antibiotic use and animal welfare in broiler chicken production. While many…
The Environmental Excellence Awards
Each year, a growing number of Practice Greenhealth members participate in the Environmental Excellence Awards. It’s safe to say, the awards applications are a considerable undertaking, and…
Practice Greenhealth’s Sustainability Benchmark Report Shows Strong Progress in Environmental Performance Among Nation’s Leading Hospitals
Details health care sustainability trends across key areas: green purchasing, safer chemicals, climate change mitigation, energy and waste reduction, local and sustainable food
Washington, DC – Practice Greenhealth, the nation’s leading…
Over 70 Hospitals Engaged in Conscientious Culinary Creativity for Food Day
Blog posted by the Healthy Food Team of Practice Greenhealth and Health Care Without Harm
To celebrate Food Day in 2016, Health…
Florida Health Systems share water and energy efficiency best practices
By Julie Moyle, MSN, RN, Outreach and Engagement Specialist, Practice Greenhealth
In 2016, the state of Florida saw states of emergencies as a result of a …
Blue Wrap and the Circular Economy
Christopher Bodkin, Data Coordinator Sector Performance and Recognition
Waste from the health care sector is significant:
255 Million lbs. of blue wrap is thrown away annually. Businesses are turning…
On the Road with Practice Greenhealth
Practice Greenhealth at HPRC and Wisconsin Healthy Hospitals & Clinics Forum
Iqbal Mian, Member Engagement Manager
Earlier this fall, Practice Greenhealth along with various hospital systems, suppliers…
GCO Calculator
Look beyond the price tag – consider the organization’s total financial commitment when purchasing products and services.
Hospitals have an enormous energy footprint—the impact of this is costly, both financially and environmentally.
…
Think Locally, Track Sustainability
Food service departments across the country are influencing their supply chain by channeling human health values into their purchasing choices. Yet, the impact does not end at the point of purchase. When these products are tracked with…
Greenhealth Exchange Issues Statement on Sustainable Meat and Poultry
RESTON, Virginia (September 1, 2016)—Last week, nine leading health systems—Advocate Health Care, Catholic Health Initiatives, Dartmouth-Hitchcock, Gundersen Health System, HackensackUMC, Kaiser Permanente, Partners HealthCare*, University…
New exchange aims to bleed green, not red
Greenhealth pushes sustainable products, services to the forefront of contract availability
How Hospitals Are Preventing and Optimizing Leftover Food
There are numerous ways organizations can cut down on unnecessary food expenditures and make the most of what remains. August 2, 2016 | Matt O'Connor
Food waste, as messy as it…
Commentary: Food for thought - Hospitals must do more to end their wasteful ways
By Janet Howard | July 9, 2016
In the busy healthcare environment, opportunities for interventions to improve operations and processes far outnumber the number of hours in a day. The 80/20 rule demands that projects with the greatest…
Accurate measuring of “local” and “sustainable” starts with separation
Are local and sustainable foods the same thing? The response, in short, is not always. Applying the terms “local” and “sustainable” synonymously and interchangeably can lead to false conclusions. As health care facilities strive to incorporate…
Practice Greenhealth and Feeding America Partner to Mobilize Health Care
Hospitals and food banks will provide nutritious food to communities in need across the country.
June 7, 2016 (Reston, Virginia) – Practice Greenhealth and Feeding America announced today a new collaboration to help…
The Power of Visioning and Goal Setting
Kathy Gerwig presented Kaiser Permanente’s Bold Goals for improved environmental performance in a Practice Greenhealth March 2016 webinar entitled “…
The Beat Blog: Earth Day – Loving the Planet Earth
April 22 is Earth Day. If you’re reading this blog, you share a passion for healing the planet. If you’re reading this blog, chances are you are challenged by the complexity of health care and pushing for positive change. On this Earth Day, 2016…
Furniture Companies Release Lists of Environmentally Preferable Products
Showcases growing movement to eliminate chemicals of concern from health care
[Reston, VA] Eleven furniture manufacturers and two textile suppliers have publicly released lists of products that avoid the use of chemicals linked to negative…
Dignity Health to Divest from Coal and Invest in Green Investments
Eric Lerner, US Climate Director, Health Care Without Harm
During the recent COP21 climate negotiations in Paris, France, Dignity Health announced it is divesting from thermal coal companies, expanding sustainable investments, increasing…
Feed People - Not Landfills
By Janet Howard, Director, Member Engagement and Healthier Hospitals
“Let’s feed people, not landfills. By reducing wasted food in landfills, we cut harmful methane emissions that fuel climate change, conserve our natural resources, and…
Feed People - Not Landfills
By Janet Howard, Director, Member Engagement
“Let’s feed people, not landfills. By reducing wasted food in landfills, we cut harmful methane emissions that fuel climate change, conserve our natural resources, and protect our planet for…
How are health care quality improvement and environmental sustainability connected?
By Hermine Levey Weston, RN MBA, Member Engagement Manager, Practice Greenhealth
Part two of a two-part blog series begun last…
Less Waste Challenge Refreshed!
Each month through January 2016, Healthier Hospitals is releasing refreshed measures, informed by enrollee feedback and data analysis over the three-year initiative. November brings us the…
University of Maryland Medical Center Awarded LEED Certification for Shock Trauma Critical Care Tower
Baltimore – Oct. 13, 2015. The University of Maryland Medical Center (UMMC) has been awarded LEED Gold certification for its Shock Trauma Critical Care Tower, a 140,000-square-foot patient care building that was completed in late 2013. LEED (…
2015 Sustainable Operations Survey
10.07.15 by Beth Burmahl, Suzanna Hoppszallern Senior Editor, Jamie Morgan
Hospitals make fruitful progress toward sustainability as some take great strides and others stick to baby stepsWhen it comes to environmental sustainability…
A Greener Operating Room
As your stretcher is wheeled into a hospital operating room (OR) and you stare up at the bright surgical lights, you are likely thinking about your impending surgery, not if those lights have LED bulbs or if the anesthetic gas you are about to…
Montefiore Health System cuts energy use with sustainable initiatives
Challenge
Control Montefiore Health System and Medical Centers energy budget while increasing ROI through low-risk and diverse strategies and initiatives.
What Makes Montefiore Health System different from other hospitals and…
Special Report: Building the Business Case for More Sustainable Hospitals
By Keith Sutter, Director of Medical Device Sustainability, Johnson & Johnson
Support for sustainability among health care professionals is significant. A recent global Harris Poll survey commissioned by Johnson & Johnson found…
The future of hospital food
January 08, 2015 | by Sean Ruck , Editor-In-Chief
Janet Howard is the director of the Healthier Hospitals…
Gundersen installs medication disposal containers for public drop off
Gundersen Health System is building upon its successful pharmaceutical waste collection program with separate medication disposal containers for public use.
Gundersen is providing three medication drop boxes for patient, visitor and…
Environmental Sustainability and the Triple Aim
Blog by Blair Sadler, Esq., Senior Fellow, Institute for Healthcare Improvement
Now is the time to make environmental sustainability part of your quality improvement work.
Years ago when I was a hospital CEO, I didn't have…
Hospital’s ‘Green Team’ cuts waste and expense
Hospital’s ‘Green Team’ cuts waste and expense
Tuesday, October 7, 2014 2:24 PM By E. A. Barrera/Special to the Index-Tribune
Realizing that medical waste can really add up – both in garbage and dollars – Sonoma Valley Hospital…
Rethinking Environmentally Preferred Purchasing: A Case Study in Implementation at Kaiser Permanente
By Vanessa Lochner, Kaiser Permanente's director for the Environmentally Preferred Purchasing program
Achieving an environmentally preferable purchasing program is simpler than many people realize. From the start, it’s important to…
The business case for sustainability in surgery
Moyle, Julie K. MSN, RN; Lynn, Cecilia DeLoach MBA, LEED AP
Author Information
Julie K. Moyle is the Founder of 1x1 Consulting and a Staff Nurse at Avista Surgery Center, Boulder, Colo. Cecilia DeLoach Lynn is the Director…
Promoting Sustainable Health Care
By Gary Cohen, president and founder of Health Care Without Harm
Imagine energy efficient hospitals that save money on energy bills to use for critical patient care, and that promote renewable energy…
Practice Greenhealth Honors Environmental Excellence Awards Winners
2013 Award Winners Announced
(Reston, Va.)— Practice Greenhealth, the nation’s leading membership association devoted to environmentally responsible health care, has announced its 2013 Environmental Excellence Award winners. These coveted…
Poco a Poco – Sharing Jaibon, Dominican Republic – Janet Brown
Two weeks ago, my daughter Franni and I (along with two other moms and their 8th grade girls) embarked on a volunteer trip to Jaibon, Dominican Republic through a not for profit— Outreach 360. We spent the week teaching English to children aged…
Member Spotlight: Advocate Health Care’s Environmental Stewardship
Advocate Health Care has made a commitment to delivering sustainable health care through conservation of resources, preservation of environmental health, and waste minimization. By building a culture of stewardship where each of our associates…
Physician Leadership Critical to Greening the OR Initiative
By Jodi Sherman, MD, Guest Blogger -
In the operating room, the stakes are high and moments count. Great measures are taken to prevent bad outcomes. At the same time, the most recent and conservative Practice Greenhealth estimate places…
Economics, Efficiency, Energy & Environment: Seminar at Inova Fairfax Hospital
Plan to attend this half-day seminar on Sept. 16, 2011 at Inova Fairfax Hospital in Falls Church, VA, where you’ll meet some of the most knowledgeable experts in healthcare. Topics include, Healthcare Reform's Effects on Capital Investments and…
The greening of health care
By Mark Sanchez Business Review West Michigan
Accounting for 18 percent of the GDP in America and holding enormous purchasing power, health care is in a position to drive sustainability to new heights, Gary Cohen believes. From energy…
New toolkit helps hospitals track emissions to protect health, reduce costs
Our communities once again experienced the health impacts of climate change in 2018, including increases in heat-related illness, asthma and respiratory illness, as well as injuries and premature deaths from extreme weather events such…
Health Care Without Harm and Practice Greenhealth honor environmental health heroes
RELEASE May 9, 2019
Health Care Without Harm and Practice Greenhealth honor environmental health heroes
Every year Health Care Without Harm honors an individual with the…
Join Practice Greenhealth
Practice Greenhealth is the health care sector’s go-to source for information, tools, data, resources, and expert technical support on sustainability initiatives that help hospitals and health systems meet their health, financial, and community goals.
12355 Sunrise Valley Drive
Suite 680
Reston, VA 20191
Tel: 888-688-3332
Fax: 866-379-8705
Who We Are
Practice Greenhealth is a nonprofit membership organization founded on the principles of positive environmental stewardship and best practices by organizations in the health care community.