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The COVID-19 pandemic upended health care and continues to have lasting impacts on the way we deliver care. It brought significant shifts in hospital operations, from shutting down elective surgeries and reducing food service to dealing with monumental supply chain challenges and a rapid transition to telehealth.
Sustainability leaders at Practice Greenhealth partner hospitals remained committed to maintaining sustainable practices where possible and lending sustainability expertise to emerging challenges.
As the only organization collecting comprehensive sustainability data for the health… Read More
Type: Press
Join us in celebrating the grand prize winner of the 2024 Health Care Culinary Contest: Keck Hospital’s deconstructed Honduran tamale.This year’s winner, Chef Luis Santos from Keck Hospital of USC, brought a unique approach to hospital food that's deeply rooted in his Honduran heritage. His deconstructed Honduran tamale, a plant-forward twist on a family recipe, is filled with quinoa, garbanzo beans, yuca, and olives, replacing the traditional meat with hearty ingredients that offer the same satisfying flavors.Chef Santos was celebrated at CleanMed 2025, where his winning meal was served to… Read More
Type: Press
The CleanMed Virtual Series featured six interactive webinars designed for those passionate about resilience in health care to connect and innovate. If you were unable to attend the sessions live, or if you would like to view and share any – or all – of them again, the recordings are now available.
Gain inspiration from experts on how to stay focused on sustainability while incorporating resilience strategies into all facets of health care – from the food you serve, to the trees you plant, the supplies you purchase, and the teams you assemble.
CleanMed is here to help you build resilient,… Read More
Type: Press
Impact starts with our partners — organizations that see a world where health care has a broader aim of healthy people, living in equitable and resilient communities, on a sustainable planet — taking action and creating lasting change.
Why join Practice Greenhealth?
Sustainability is a vital component of any health care organization’s strategic direction. When tied to business and mission-driven goals, sustainable programs have benefits for the financial bottom line, patient satisfaction and well-being, employee engagement, and the communities you serve.
The Practice Greenhealth network… Read More
Type: Basic page
Whether your facility is applying for the first time or has been for years, you will find the details on how to access the awards platform, critical awards cycle timelines, descriptions of the different applications, and how they are scored.
Where to find the applications
The Environmental Excellence Awards are hosted on a separate website that requires a unique username and password. You can access the awards platform at platform.practicegreenhealth.org. If you need help setting up an account, contact us at [email protected].
For your data's security, we use a two-factor… Read More
Type: Basic page
Beth Schenk (she/her) serves as Chief Environmental Stewardship Officer for Providence, one of the nation’s largest non-profit health systems, which is committed to decreasing greenhouse gases and other pollution from its operations. Dr. Schenk and team lead this effort through strategy and innovation, efficiency of practices and processes, research, education, and engagement, built on her experience decreasing the environmental impacts of health care for over 30 years.
Dr. Schenk is an assistant research professor at Washington State University College of Nursing. She led the development of… Read More
Type: Event Presenters
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
Hospitals are environments for healing but many of the products and materials that come into a hospital may be harmful to patients, staff and those in the community. Some products used in health care may contain or release (during production, use or disposal) carcinogens, reproductive toxins, or other hazardous materials. Many of the chemicals used in products have not been adequately tested for toxicity. Additionally, there are a growing number of disposable products in health care and large amounts of packaging creating significant waste, and a variety of products that are energy or water-… Read More
Type: Basic page
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
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
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.