Search Results
Displaying results 101 - 110 of 153
Practice Greenhealth member NYU Langone implements a comprehensive waste management and recycling program
Waste is a common challenge for health care organizations, no matter their size.
Waste is complex and expensive to manage. Hospitals that look upstream by studying incoming material and then reduce both inputs and outputs together see greater reductions in total waste costs which is exactly what the Material and Waste Stream Assessment assists hospitals in performing.
This engagement will consist of three distinct deliverables:
Material and waste assessment with environmental… Read More
Type: Basic page
Solid waste is the largest waste stream for health care organizations, comprising two-thirds of all hospital waste. Though relatively straightforward to dispose of, the sheer volume of solid waste consumes more than 30 percent of the hospital’s total waste budget. It is also often called municipal, black bag, clear bag, or non-regulated medical waste.
Solid waste from hospitals resembles the waste generated in other sectors or even from residential neighborhoods: paper, cardboard, food waste, textiles, plastics, and other non-regulated trash, but with more plastic from gloves, catheter bags… Read More
Type: Basic page
Once a quarter, up to four affiliate premium partners will be featured in an interactive session with breakouts to introduce, share, and spark conversation with the Practice Greenhealth network at large. Affiliate partners are manufacturers, suppliers, service providers, or other supply chain partners. As a key player in the health care supply chain, collaboration is paramount to our work.
“I really enjoyed the information and plan to share it with my colleagues.”
– Forum participant
Affiliate premium partners may share information about their company's sustainability efforts and… Read More
Type: Basic page
[Plant-Forward Future] Diets that embrace plant-based proteins are trending for both health and environmental reasons. One in four consumers is eating less meat and roughly half of younger consumers and one-third of older people already regularly choose plant-based foods instead of meat. In the National Restaurant Association’s 2020 “What’s Hot” survey, plant-based proteins landed at number 2 in its top ten list, and according to the association’s forecast in the Restaurant Industry 2030 report, it is expected that plant-based proteins will continue to grow in popularity over the next decade… Read More
Type: Basic page
A hospital’s fleet vehicles such as ambulances, courier cars and vans, supply trucks, home health care vehicles, and shuttle buses each has an emissions footprint. This is true whether driving miles across town to deliver care or idling in the ambulance bay.
Transitioning fleet vehicles to alternative fuels, implementing idle reduction practices and policies, streamlining travel routes to reduce unnecessary driving, and other tactics can all substantially reduce an organization’s fuel costs and emissions levels. Patients, employees, and the larger community also benefit from the reduction in… Read More
Type: Basic page
Hospitals and health care facilities of all sizes are investing in the value sustainability can bring to their organization by hiring staff position(s) or placing the responsibility on existing employees. Some programs start from the bottom up, as grassroots efforts, while others may start with middle to upper management. It’s important to understand the drivers or motivation for the decision and how your executive sponsor will support you. Is sustainability seen as an ethical issue and in alignment with the moral compass and mission of your health system and the health sector? Is… Read More
Type: Basic page
Procurement touches every aspect of hospital operations. Collecting accurate information on the sustainability attributes and dollar spend of products and services that are purchased is an important element in measuring sustainable procurement success.
The applications require facility-specific data for supply chain. This may be challenging as most health care organizations have moved to system-wide procurement to best leverage their spend volume, and sometimes accessing site-specific volumes or spend is difficult. Where site-specific numbers are unavailable, Practice Greenhealth works… Read More
Type: Basic page
Here you will find guidance, resources, tools, and ways to engage with your peers and other stakeholders across the value chain to support your food journey and help achieve your organization’s priorities and goals.
The way our food is produced, processed, transported, consumed, and disposed of has profound impacts on individual, community, and planetary health. Hospitals and health systems across the country are achieving their organizational priorities by focusing on food-related initiatives.
Make the case
Core values for a better food system
These values underpin the goals… Read More
Type: Basic page
Many hospitals and health systems face transportation challenges, including:
Existing parking structures for employees and visitors are at maximum capacity and costly expansions aren’t feasible.
Idling ambulances and delivery trucks are wasting fuel, increasing hospital fuel costs and the overhead costs for supplies.
Excess emissions from idling vehicles and employee single-vehicle commuters flow into the surrounding environment, where employees, visitors, neighbors, and patients breathe them in – a huge health concern, as vehicle emissions contain particulates linked to lung damage,… Read More
Type: Basic page
Mercury reduction policies are among the most common environmental commitments in health care. Mercury is toxic to human health, posing a particular threat to the development of the child. To target mercury reduction and elimination as a goal, hospitals and health systems first need to assess where mercury is found within their facilities, which might include:
Clinical devices, such as thermometers, sphygmomanometers, esophageal bougies and dilators, certain tubing, and dental amalgam
Facility equipment, such as switches, relays, thermostats, fluorescent lamps and light bulbs, and batteries… Read More
Type: Basic page
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.
Who We Are
Practice Greenhealth is the leading sustainable health care organization, delivering environmental solutions to more than 1,500 hospitals and health systems in the United States and Canada. Partnership opportunities include hospitals, health systems, community health organizations, NGOs, nonprofits, government, academic institutions, and the health care value chain.