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10.07.15 by Beth Burmahl, Suzanna Hoppszallern Senior Editor, Jamie Morgan
Hospitals make fruitful progress toward sustainability as some take great strides and others stick to baby steps
When it comes to environmental sustainability, hospitals across the United States are making considerable strides in lopping off what industry experts call the low-hanging fruit — the less costly and labor-intensive measures that often show significant energy and cash savings.
But reaching the fruit nestled higher up in the tree — purchasing bigger-ticket items, securing adequate staffing and… Read More
Type: Press
(Anesthetic gas toolkit) Inhaled anesthetics containing environmentally deleterious greenhouse gases are used daily in the practice of anesthesia. The hypothesis is that a reduction in fresh gas flows would significantly decrease volatile agent consumption and resultant purchasing costs at UCSF. Total fresh gas flows utilized by anesthesia providers were analyzed and the data subsequently used to educate employees on the efficient use of inhaled anesthetics.
Type: Resources
By Sarah Dalton, HonorHealth administrative fellow
Pursuing organizational sustainability can seem daunting – it is complex, takes time, and the upfront costs can feel like a barrier to entry. As an administrative fellow at HonorHealth, I worked with and learned from the organization’s sustainability committee, which has set out to prove that with the right tools and mindset, health care organizations can achieve sustainability goals while uncovering significant cost savings and giving back to their communities.
HonorHealth’s sustainability committee includes leaders from various… 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
Recycling is one of the first ways our member hospitals look to implement or improve waste reduction. Many hospitals with active recycling programs have used Practice Greenhealth tools to recycle as much as 30 percent of their total waste across two main categories.
Solid waste recyclables
Confidential paper, mixed office paper, mixed plastics, corrugated boxes, glass and steel cans
Costs for this waste stream are often offset or completely covered by rebates and the sale of recycled materials.
Paper and corrugated cardboard recycling alone can reduce waste by 10 percent or more.… Read More
Type: Basic page
Natalie Baker is a medical student at Harvard Medical School (HMS). Born and raised in Northern California, she completed her undergraduate education at Stanford University, where she witnessed the devastating health impacts of wildfire and heat on Bay Area communities and began organizing around climate change and health equity. During medical school, Baker has taken on numerous leadership roles in climate and health advocacy, including spearheading the development of a four-year longitudinal, competency-based climate change, environmental, and health curriculum at HMS and serving as… Read More
Type: Staff
Many hospitals and health systems face transportation challenges, including:
Existing parking structures for employees and visitors are at maximum capacity and costly expansions aren’t feasible.
Idling ambulances and delivery trucks are wasting fuel, increasing hospital fuel costs and the overhead costs for supplies.
Excess emissions from idling vehicles and employee single-vehicle commuters flow into the surrounding environment, where employees, visitors, neighbors, and patients breathe them in – a huge health concern, as vehicle emissions contain particulates linked to lung damage,… Read More
Type: Basic page
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 rich in… Read More
Type: Press
Details health care sustainability trends across key areas: green purchasing, safer chemicals, climate change mitigation, energy and waste reduction, local and sustainable food
Washington, DC – Practice Greenhealth, the nation’s leading nonprofit membership and networking organization for sustainable health care, released today its eighth annual Sustainability Benchmark Report. The report analyzes data from leading hospitals and health systems across the country, giving a snapshot of trends in environmental performance and sustainability in energy, water, toxics, food and other categories.… 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 1,700 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.