Tools and resources

Where to find sustainable products

• Sustainable procurement

Sample third-party labels, certifications, and databases for health care goods and services (Sustainable procurement guide) Finding sustainable products in health care is achievable through a number of resources. The list below provides links to sustainable products identified by Practice Greenhealth, Health Care Without Harm, and labels and certifications specific to the health care sector.…

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Standardized environmental criteria guidance

• Sustainable procurement
• Chemicals

Standardized environmental criteria technical details (Sustainable procurement guide) Practice Greenhealth’s standardized environmental criteria are explained in detail below in order for suppliers and health care organizations to understand the intent, rationale, and applications to products. General disclosure Responses to the following criteria are for information and may or may not be…

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Transition from single-use, disposables to reusables

• Sustainable procurement

Part of Purchasing Commitment: Getting started guides Over the years, many products in the operating room setting have transitioned to single-use, disposable products, due to convenience, low cost, and infection prevention concerns. The process has led to significant volumes of plastics and other waste, often with little or no available recycling markets. While the upfront price tag of a…

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Furniture and furnishings procurement

• Chemicals
• Sustainable procurement
• Healthy interiors

Part of Impact purchasing commitment: Getting started guides  Every day, patients and employees are exposed to a wide array of chemicals in hospitals and health care facilities, and the priority chemicals of concern have been shown to have a lasting negative impact on individual health, public health, and the environment. Furnishings can be a significant contributor to poor health in interior…

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Environmental Excellence Awards sample news items

• Awards

Here are two sample news stories as well as a brief description for each of Practice Greenhealth’s Environmental Excellence Awards. Feel free to use some or all of this content as you promote your win internally and externally. You can find additional resources, including award logos, on our website. If you have questions, please reach out to press@practicegreenhealth.org. Sample news story 1…

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2018 sustainability data

Practice Greenhealth’s data, collected from hospitals across the country, will assist hospitals in identifying key sustainability program opportunities by benchmarking their own program’s performance. The data is divided into 10 components of health care environmental stewardship programs: leadership, waste, chemicals, greening the operating room, food, environmentally preferable purchasing,…

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Circles of Excellence overview

• Awards

The Circles of Excellence recognize up to 10 of the highest performing hospitals for each individual category of environmental performance including Leadership, Waste, Chemicals, Greening the OR, Food, Environmentally Preferable Purchasing, Energy, Water, Climate, Green Building. Winners are selected based on the highest scores within that category while also meeting a set of threshold criteria.…

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Webinar: Recycling pharmaceutical agents used for anesthesia

• Anesthetic Gas
• Greenhouse Gas
• Greening the Operating Room
• Webinar
• Clinician engagement

(Anesthetic gas toolkit) The pharmaceutical agents used for anesthesia and analgesia have environmental impacts on air, water, and climate. Learn about environmental impacts and specific examples of waste drugs in water supplies, as well as regulatory issues and a new process that recovers and reuses pharmaceutical agents. 

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Environmental considerations for ice machines and water coolers

• Sustainable procurement
• Sustainable food service operations
• Guide

These environmental considerations for ice machines and water coolers will help facilitate the purchasing process. 

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Best practices for disposal of controlled substances

• Pharmaceuticals

There is increased concern over pharmaceuticals in waterways. There are “no drugs down the drain” rules in certain states. And harm can come from unauthorized access to controlled substances and the resulting wastage. Health care facilities must address these issues and ensure alignment with Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulations as well as…

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