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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
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 sustainability in health care, and what song makes her squirm.
Share three items of significance in your home office.
A piece of petrified wood (a gift) that keeps my computer cord from slipping behind the desk when I unplug, and that helps me keep things in perspective. A small, polished hand-carved turtle that’s fun to handle and reminds me that slow and… Read More
Type: Press
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 who don’t.
But that’s not the only way trees improve health. One organization is making it their mission to combat several health challenges, like mental health and pollution, through the simple act of planting a tree.
Arbor Day Foundation – a nonprofit organization founded in 1972 – aims to plant not just one tree, but millions. The foundation has a long history of incentivizing community forestry practices. For years, the… Read More
Type: Press
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 environmental best practices in their food service— and measure their success in this endeavor— accuracy and precision of language is of vital importance.
Time to Choose: Knowing the Difference Between “Local” and “Sustainable”
Apples may be grown nearby or chips processed in a regional plant but those apples may be produced with heavy pesticide use… Read More
Type: Press
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 Clinic’s Rochester campus gave me the perfect opportunity to intimately understand the organization’s sustainability efforts during a planned onsite visit at the end of June.
Amanda Holloway, Office of Sustainability director, and Ashlyn White, sustainability fellow, gave a stage to present to a diverse audience of nurses, physicians, and departmental staff on the… 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
“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… Read More
Type: Press
“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. For example, we came to understand the hospital's water usage, while better than the median, is now a focal point of reduction."
– Ali Wolf, Asprius project manager
Environmental stewardship in a health care environment can take many forms. From waste reduction and safer chemicals to building design and energy conservation, there are an array of… Read More
Type: Press
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, including helping to ensure the board of directors was governing the health care organization in the most efficient and impactful way possible.
“Every corporation whether for profit or not for profit is a citizen of the community that they live in and is judged in many societal ways. ‘Are you proud that they are in your community, or are they harming… Read More
Type: Press
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 reputation of the hospital.
At the same time, a typical OR can make up half of a hospital’s aggregate costs, produce 33% of a facility’s waste, consume more energy per square foot than any other area of the hospital, and anesthetic gases alone make up around 5% of an organization’s greenhouse gas footprint.
All of this boils down to a department… Read More
Type: Press
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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.