Tools and resources

Renewable energy: Imperative to act

The health care industry is the only sector with health as its core mission. Open 24/7 and buzzing with high-tech, life-saving equipment, hospitals are incredibly energy-intensive facilities, consuming roughly 2.5 times more energy per square foot than a typical commercial office space. While being used to save lives and improve patient health, this energy is often generated by the combustion of…

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Plant-Forward Future resources

• Toolkit

Plant-Forward Future is a curated set of resources from Practice Greenhealth, Health Care Without Harm, and our partners that will help health care facilities set a plant-forward goal, menu, and market plant-forward dishes, and track their progress. HOW-TO GUIDEWHY PLANT-FORWARD?RECIPE DATABASE The resources further below are divided into three categories: Implementation. There are multiple…

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2020 Sustainability Report

• Benchmark Report

Each year, Practice Greenhealth collects and compiles comprehensive sustainability data from hospitals that report through the Environmental Excellence Awards. Practice Greenhealth is then able to provide the sector’s best performance benchmarking data to hospitals and health systems working to build environmental stewardship into their mission. Sustainability initiatives can add value, reduce…

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Awards metrics list 2021

• Awards

This resource provides a list of the different metrics scored on the award applications.

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What’s new on the 2021 award applications?

• Awards

This resource is an at-a-glance snapshot of improvements or new questions on the current year award applications. The changes reflected in this document are to help applicants quickly identify any changes to the application as compared to previous years.

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Awards definitions

• Awards

This resource contains definitions related to the award application.

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Sample environmental commitment statement

• Exemplary Document

Environmental commitment statement from the University of Vermont Medical Center. The University of Vermont Medical Center's mission and vision are built on a foundation of values that includes a longstanding commitment to being prudent stewards of limited natural resources. We will continuously look for new ways to build upon on our long tradition of environmental responsibility. 

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Sample green team charter

• Exemplary Document

Charter for the UChicago Medicine Green Team. The objective of the Green Team is to coordinate efforts at UChicago Medicine around green initiatives, focused on sustainability best practices that promote patient satisfaction, employee engagement, and value to UCM and the communities they serve.

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Sample strategic sustainability plan

Seattle Children’s has long been a leader and a believer in sustainability, and is proud of the work they have already accomplished in many areas like recycling, transportation and green building. As one of the first medical centers in the country to apply the methods and scientific rigor of the Toyota Production System to healthcare, Children's has adapted the method as an organization-wide…

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A guide for going carbon neutral

Kaiser Permanente recently became the first health system to achieve carbon neutral status in the country. As the largest integrated, nonprofit health system in the United States, this achievement demonstrates its longstanding commitment to sustainability. Certified by the CarbonNeutral Protocol, the organization has eliminated or offset its 800,000-ton annual carbon footprint, the equivalent of…

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