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Composting landscape and food waste is a viable waste reduction strategy for many hospital and health systems. Long-term benefits of compost programs for hospitals might include:
Reduces incineration or landfill disposal costs for dense and heavy landscape and food scraps
Avoids costly extra water discharges from wastewater treatment due to food waste sludge created by industrial food disposal systems.
Saves landscaping budget by increasing water retention, aeration, and soil nutrients, which reduces mulch, fertilizers, and pesticide purchases.
Unneeded compost can potentially be sold or… Read More
Type: Basic page
Ruth coordinates waste work for the global team and contributes to projects on plastics, procurement, chemicals, and climate. She has worked in over 40 countries, investigating hazardous waste, fixing hospital waste systems, and advising on pollution prevention policies. Her background is in biochemistry and chemistry, followed by over 15 years in academia researching environmental pollution. When she is not traveling, she loves growing fruit, flowers, and vegetables.
Type: Staff
Christopher Bodkin, Data Coordinator Sector Performance and Recognition
Waste from the health care sector is significant:
255 Million lbs. of blue wrap is thrown away annually.
Businesses are turning blue wrap into products for hospitals.
Hospitals are creating blue wrap recycling programs.
Health care waste generation can be turned around to develop products promote environmental and economic health.
Historically, business success has been measured by making money, by boundless growth through linear consumption of resources and exploitation of environmental capital. Times are… Read More
Type: Press
Anesthetic gas is an operating room requirement that has big impacts on the outside world. Waste anesthetic gases – unused gas exhaled by the patient – are considered Scope 1 greenhouse gases and may make up 5 percent or more of a hospital’s entire carbon footprint.
With the leadership and engagement of an anesthesia clinical champion, it is possible to reduce the impacts of anesthetic gas in the operating room.
The American Society of Anesthesiologists offers guidance on environmental sustainability, including anesthetic choice and management, and the reduction, capture, and reuse of… Read More
Type: Basic page
Blog by Blair Sadler, Esq., Senior Fellow, Institute for Healthcare Improvement
Now is the time to make environmental sustainability part of your quality improvement work.
Years ago when I was a hospital CEO, I didn't have sustainability on my radar screen. I wasn't aware of the significant impact that the health care sector has on the environment – and on quality care. I didn't consider the amount of waste, energy and water that hospitals used – that chemicals of concern are found in medical products and furniture – that the food system is one of the biggest contributors to global… Read More
Type: Press
Reducing surplus food is at the top of the EPA food recovery hierarchy because it has the greatest financial, environmental, and social impacts.
Use our guidance to determine which source reduction strategies will work best for your facility and how to integrate them into your standard operating policies and procedures. Track your impact, and share results with leadership.
Assemble the team
In addition to your core team, you may want to include people with roles such as the executive chef, nutrition and dietetics, inventory manager, prep, line cooks, catering, and front of house servers… Read More
Type: Basic page
Utilize the suggested RFP/RFI questions for fluid management systems with reusable canisters to reduce a significant portion of waste from operating rooms. Disposal fluid suction canisters may contribute up to 40% of the waste in OR’s.
Type: Resources
“Not only does this project impact greenhouse gasses from keeping food waste out of the landfill, it is also about dollars saved, which is important to hospital administrators, and then there is the food rescue piece which is what is really important to our community.”
– Jack Breezee, Sutter Health regional director of food and nutrition services
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Sutter Health knew they were wasting food but didn’t know how much. They wanted to find a way to reduce food waste – and knew they could help their community at the same time.
Sutter Health partnered with our… Read More
Type: Basic page
Practice Greenhealth is excited to announce this year’s recipients of the Top 25 Environmental Excellence Awards, the most prestigious environmental achievement for health care. These facilities exemplify the highest standards for environmental sustainability practices in health care.
In addition to the Top 25, Practice Greenhealth will recognize 379 health care organizations across 10 different areas of sustainability through its annual Environmental Excellence Awards program.
“As more and more hospitals embed sustainability into their operations, the bar for environmental excellence… Read More
Type: Press
Practice Greenhealth announces winners of Top 25 Environmental Excellence Awards
[Washington, DC] Practice Greenhealth, the nation’s leading nonprofit membership and networking organization for sustainable health care, has announced the winners of its annual Top 25 Environmental Excellence Awards.
These health care facilities exemplify the best in environmental excellence, representing the highest standards for sustainability practices in health care.
“As more and more hospitals embed sustainability into their operations, the bar for environmental excellence increases every year,” said… 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.