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Pest control in hospitals is important to maintain cleanliness and prevent the spread of disease. However, many pest control chemicals are toxic and can expose patients, staff, and visitors to harmful compounds, threatening health. Since hospitals are operating 24 hours a day, seven days a week, there is no “after-business” window with reduced exposure risks to safely apply chemicals.
Hospitals looking to reduce the number of pest control chemicals used in their facilities are turning to integrated pest management programs that eliminate regularly scheduled pesticide applications. Instead,… Read More
Type: Basic page
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 stand in the city. While progress can be measured by the increased number of green buildings, the resilience of its people echoed a warning that fell silent to the public; climate change is real and we must address it in design and construction and ensure the built environment is compatible with the turbulency of the natural environment.
In the heart of New… Read More
Type: Press
Background
Data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration illustrates that buildings are responsible for almost half of the energy consumed and 38 percent of all GHG emissions in the United States. According to the EPA, inpatient health care ranks as the second largest commercial energy user after the food service industry. The US Department of Energy notes that hospital energy costs rose 56 percent from $3.89 per square foot in 2003 to $6.07 per square foot in 2008, and predicts those costs will continue to rise in the near term[i]. Hospitals are also often the largest water users in… Read More
Type: Resources
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 Harm has plenty of ideas for you, including a great example from Inova. Practice Greenhealth member Inova Health System in Northern Virginia recently worked with Virginia Clinicians for Climate Action (VCCA) to host a half-day conference for clinicians on the health impacts of climate change.
“Our changing climate presents an opportunity for clinicians to leverage their… Read More
Type: Press
By Kate Gottlieb, Practice Greenhealth sustainability strategy manager
I grew up in a temperate rainforest on the boundary of the Olympic National Park and the Quinault Indian Reservation in Washington. I have witnessed and experienced the effects of climate change. The melting of our local glacier has impacted salmon runs, rising sea levels and storms have threatened tribal villages along the coastline, and wildfires are becoming increasingly frequent.
As a mom of two, I believe it is my duty to show my boys how to be stewards of this planet. We pick up trash when we see it on the… Read More
Type: Press
Harold Mitchell, ReGenesis Community Development Corporation founder and executive director, is the recipient of Health Care Without Harm’s highest honor, the 2022 Environmental Health Hero Award. Mitchell is being honored for his leadership in healing communities through climate justice, equitable health care, and community resilience initiatives.
A native of Spartanburg, South Carolina, Mitchell’s journey was rooted in the fight for his own health and that of his family and neighbors in the industry-impacted Arkwright community, which contained two Superfund sites and four brownfield sites… Read More
Type: Press
Congratulations on winning a Practice Greenhealth Environmental Excellence Award and on your organization’s exemplary environmental stewardship.
In recognition of your dedication to environmental excellence and to help spread the word of this honor, starting on May 20, Practice Greenhealth plans to:
Announce all award winners on the Practice Greenhealth website.
Issue a press release about this year’s awards and featuring the Top 25 winners.
Share the news with other Practice Greenhealth members and in programmatic newsletters.
Promote extensively across social media, including… Read More
Type: Resources
CleanMed is the premier national conference for leaders in health care sustainability.
Presented each year by Practice Greenhealth and Health Care Without Harm, CleanMed brings together health care leaders from across the country to learn, share, innovate, and collaborate to develop new sustainability standards, practices, and products. CleanMed also explores how health care organizations can partner with their communities to build conditions that support health, well-being, and justice.
Tailored to health care’s specific needs and goals, CleanMed connects you with those at the forefront… 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
Calling all health professional students, are you ready to jumpstart your career in sustainable health care? CleanMed is the premier national conference for leaders in health care sustainability – both current and future.
Welcoming the next generation of sustainability leaders
We are eager to support the next generation of doctors, nurses, hospital administrators, supply chain experts, and public health professionals as you advance climate-smart health care and lead the way toward a sustainable future.
Meet the people you want to become – Our network represents 1,400 hospitals and health… Read More
Type: Press
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.