Search Results
Displaying results 331 - 340 of 357
By Gary Cohen, president and founder of Health Care Without Harm
Imagine energy efficient hospitals that save money on energy bills to use for critical patient care, and that promote renewable energy as a community health and resilience strategy. Imagine hospitals that create healthy food environments to help address the epidemic of obesity and diabetes in our country. Imagine hospitals that lead society in reducing toxic chemical exposures, and that are reducing their waste, saving money and improving patient care at the same time. Imagine a health care system that redefines “community… Read More
Type: Press
Each year, Practice Greenhealth collects and reviews comprehensive sustainability data from hospitals that report through the Environmental Excellence Awards. We utilize this data to provide the sector’s best sustainability performance benchmarking data to hospitals and health systems working to build environmental stewardship into their mission, and to the greater health care supply chain partners that are integral to this work. This is the twelfth report in a series stretching back to 2009. This report lays out sustainability performance data for 2020.
The COVID-19 pandemic brought unique… Read More
Type: Resources
Rethinking Environmentally Preferred Purchasing: A Case Study in Implementation at Kaiser Permanente
By Vanessa Lochner, Kaiser Permanente's director for the Environmentally Preferred Purchasing program
Achieving an environmentally preferable purchasing program is simpler than many people realize. From the start, it’s important to determine the desired results.
At Kaiser Permanente, our decision to pursue a more rigorous EPP program was motivated by five environmental priorities: cleaner energy, safer chemicals, less waste, healthier and more sustainable food and water conservation. We’ve achieved multiple successes over the past several years. The EPP program delivers over $63 million… Read More
Type: Press
Julie Moyle, MSN, RN, outreach and engagement specialist
If your sustainability priorities don’t include a transportation program and strategies to reduce transportation-related emissions, you are missing a big opportunity to reduce greenhouse gas emissions (GHG). According to the Environmental Protection Agency, transportation as a sector is the fastest growing source of worldwide carbon pollution, and contributes 27 percent of annual U.S. GHGs, exceeded only by energy production/consumption, which comprises 29 percent of annual U.S. GHGs.
Coming soon: Transportation Goal and Toolkit… Read More
Type: Press
The Coolfood Pledge is a new platform to help hospitals offer diners more of what they want while slashing food-related greenhouse gas emissions, saving costs, and improving health.
The pledge is a cross-sector initiative championed by the World Resources Institute with the goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions from food purchasing by 25% by 2030. Practice Greenhealth supports the health care sector in meeting the goal. Health care is showing leadership with over 120 hospitals pledging, representing over 100 million (combined) meals annually.
The Coolfood Pledge is a free benefit… Read More
Type: Basic page
Healthier Hospitals (HH) was a great success due to the thousands of hospitals and health systems that committed to the six challenges to improve sustainability performance. It represented a shared leadership around healthier communities and provided hospitals of all sizes with free tools and resources that help focus sustainability efforts on the health care sector's biggest areas of opportunity and risk. Our success is due in large part to the strong partnerships we've formed with health care organizations and other nonprofit organizations.
In many cases, these challenges helped get… Read More
Type: Basic page
Health care access to renewable energy
Procuring renewable energy is a highly impactful step hospitals can take to reduce their carbon footprint and negative health impacts. As the cost of renewables falls, transitioning to renewables can reduce energy costs along with pollution. Practice Greenhealth urges health care facilities to set a goal of 100% renewable electricity by 2030. Renewable energy resources, availability, and policies vary significantly between markets, and every hospital has different needs. There is no one “right” approach to procuring renewable energy.
Most major buyers… Read More
Type: Resources
The Climate Excellence Standard for health sector suppliers defines superior performance in decarbonization on the part of individual suppliers – including manufacturers and distributors – to ensure the health care supply chain is aligned with achieving net-zero emissions by 2050, while improving resilience. Reducing the health care sector’s reliance on fossil fuels is critical for reducing deaths and diseases related to greenhouse gas emissions, and the time is now for deep engagement across the supply chain.
Purpose and use:
Use of the standard will include showcasing suppliers that… Read More
Type: Basic page
For 20 years, the Environmental Excellence Awards have recognized the U.S. health care sector’s top performers in sustainability. This program enables Practice Greenhealth to gather sustainability data nationwide, identify leaders, and empower health care facilities to continually improve their sustainability efforts. Participating facilities can compare their sustainability data with peers, share successes and best practices, and validate their work to contribute to the national health care sustainability movement. Facilities new to sustainability can use the application as a guide, finding… Read More
Type: Basic page
HealthPartners
HealthPartners celebrated Earth Day in lots of different ways in 2017 – from electronics recycling to shred events to bee-friendly plants, there was something for everyone to participate in! Events took place throughout the whole week leading up to Earth Day and all across the Twin Cities Metro area and into Western Wisconsin.
In partnership with a local non-profit organization, TechDump, the health system hosted electronic recycling events for the third year in a row.
In honor of Earth Day, and the end of tax season, HealthPartners encouraged employees to bring in their… 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 1,700 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.