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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 System, developed Udderly Green organic soil amendment products in collaboration with Purple Cow Organics.
The venture is rooted in Gundersen Envision’s dairy digester biogas renewable energy project in Middleton, Wis., one of the health care system’s many clean energy projects.
Planting a seed
Several years ago, Gundersen Health System and Dane County in Wisconsin partnered… Read More
Type: Press
“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 his competition is fierce. Just steps away from his University of California San Francisco Medical Center campus are dozens of eateries that the hospital’s staff and visitors could patronize.
In order to stay on-trend and maintain their customer base, UCSF introduced plant-forward menu concepts, reducing animal proteins and increasing plant proteins. Being a savvy marketer, Dan, UCSF’s… Read More
Type: Press
For the third year in a row, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) received Practice Greenhealth’s Greening the OR Leadership Award for their industry-leading, comprehensive program, which reduces the environmental impact of MSK’s surgical suites.
MSK’s continued leadership and success would not be possible without prioritizing stakeholder engagement from every department – evidenced by their more than 400 staff volunteering as GreenReps, dedicated task forces across various departments, and broad representation on their Greening the OR Committee from anesthesiology, environmental… Read More
Type: Press
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 administered anesthesia gas is metabolized by the patient, while the other 95 percent is expired by the patient during respiration. To protect personnel in the OR from being exposed to the anesthesia gas, a breathing circuit and dedicated HVAC vacuum line (usually purple in color) diverts or “scavenges” the unmetabolized waste anesthetic gas (WAG) from the patient and vents or… Read More
Type: Press
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 business that environmental sustainability first caught his attention… with toilet paper rolls. As a hotel housekeeping director, Modupe was baffled why hotels had a policy of discarding barely-used toilet paper rolls after each guest checked out of their room. This waste, along with overwhelming linen use, spurred him to be among the first to implement… Read More
Type: Press
Seeking ways to reduce waste during a pandemic may feel like an impossible or unimportant task, but it is more important than ever. Greenhouse gas emissions from waste represent 1-5% percent of U.S. emissions, and hospitals produce an average of 30 pounds of waste per patient per day. Most hospitals are experiencing an increase in waste during the COVID-19 pandemic, primarily due to the increased use of disposable PPE. During times of crisis, health systems are under intense pressure to serve the community while remaining financially viable. Waste reduction offers hospitals an opportunity to… Read More
Type: Press
The Climate and Health Innovation Award recognizes a hospital or health system for innovative work that addresses the health and equity impacts of climate change. Health Care Without Harm’s Health Care Climate Council reviews award applications, looking for creative approaches to move the health sector forward in ways that have not been widely deployed. This year's 2022 awardee is Jesse Brown VA Medical Center (VAMC), in acknowledgement of their groundbreaking technology to capture waste anesthetic gas for recycling and reuse.
"The Health Care Climate Council is pleased to recognize Jesse… Read More
Type: Press
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 intensity reduction by 5% across the portfolio of buildings, having seven buildings that meet or exceed the EnergyStar score of 75, all while completing direct and indirect (scope I and scope II) emissions inventory that account for fleet vehicles, anesthetic gas, energy utility purchases, and more.
“Our highly engaged staff is key to our success,”… Read More
Type: Press
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 sustainability on my radar screen. I wasn't aware of the significant impact that the health care sector has on the environment – and on quality care. I didn't consider the amount of waste, energy and water that hospitals used – that chemicals of concern are found in medical products and furniture – that the food system is one of the biggest contributors to global… Read More
Type: Press
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASEContact: Ella Schwotzer, Director of Public Relations, press@hcwh.orgHealth Care Without Harm urges health sector organizations to commit to climate-smart, resilient operations[Atlanta, GA, May 6, 2025] – Today, at CleanMed, the premier national conference for leaders in health care sustainability, Health Care Without Harm launched the Health Sector CARES (Climate Action, Resilience, and Equity Solutions) Pledge. The pledge is a voluntary commitment for health sector organizations to plan for climate resilience and reduce their environmental impact, including cutting… Read More
Type: Press
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