Tools and resources

Composting: Frequently asked questions

• Waste
• Compost
• Composting
• food waste
• Frequently asked questions

What is composting? Compost is created from the decomposition of landscape and food wastes. In a finished product, it is a dark, crumbly and earthy-smelling material that appears similar to soil. Composting provides institutions with a method to dispose of a large portion of these waste streams in a way that benefits their bottom line and the environment. By composting, an institution avoids…

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Infection prevention and green cleaning

• Chemicals
• Green Cleaning
• Guide

Infection prevention and control in health care is of primary importance. Healthcare-associated infections (HAI) direct costs are between $35.75 billion annually and result in almost 100,000 deaths in the US. HAIs also hold implications for reimbursement, as CMS now requires that the occurrence of three HAI related Healthcare acquired Conditions (HACs) may result in lower reimbursement rates in…

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Leadership spotlight profiles

• Leadership
• Engaged Leadership

Transitioning grassroots or departmental greening initiatives towards a formalized sustainability plan requires an engaged leadership team. And it's no coincidence that the furthest-reaching health care facilities have firm leadership engagement. Engaged leaders help move sustainability initiatives beyond specific areas of success and reach across all departments and initiatives with a direct…

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Darthmouth-Hitchcock: Less waste poster

• Climate and Health
• Less Waste
• Poster

Sample poster from Dartmouth-Hitchcock made with a customizable template to raise awareness around less waste.    

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Typical categories of medical waste

• Waste
• Medical Waste

The typical categories of medical waste and details regarding state-regulated treatment.   

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Transportation infographic

• Transportation
• Toolkit
• Employee transportation
• Fleet Vehicles
• Suppliers and Deliveries
• Poster

(Transportation toolkit) This infographic illustrates the opportunities health care has to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through green transportation programs along with specific examples from leading facilities. 

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Transportation goals

• Transportation
• Goal
• Toolkit
• Employee transportation
• Fleet Vehicles
• Suppliers and Deliveries

(Transportation toolkit) The Practice Greenhealth transportation goals have been developed to help hospitals create a baseline of key transportation performance metrics, set targets, and identify strategies to improve environmental and human health impacts of transportation-related activities. The goals focus on three areas of hospital-related transportation activities critical in achieving…

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Sustainability and Employee Engagement Resource List

• Engaged Leadership
• Employees
• Employee engagement
• Guide

Empower your staff, gain support from leadership, and celebrate your successes. Here are additional resources to help lead your community to a healthier future through organization-wide environmental stewardship. Sustainability and Employee Engagement Resource List    

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Sustainability and employee engagement planning document

• Engaged Leadership
• Employees
• Employee engagement
• Tool
• Toolkit

(Employee engagement toolkit) As with any other sustainability initiatives, a diverse team is critical to success, and it's no different with employee engagement. The planning document helps identify key team members and to brainstorm the various opportunities that can be learned from the white paper and the case studies. Sustainability and employee engagement planning document…

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Safer hand hygiene how-to guide

• Chemicals
• Hand Hygiene
• Toolkit
• Guide
• Get Started Guide

Some commonly used antimicrobials in hand hygiene products can pose hazards for employees and the environment and may increase antimicrobial resistance The Practice Greenhealth Safer hand hygiene how-to guide provides guidance and resources for hospitals to eliminate the use of triclosan and triclocarban in hand hygiene products in non-critical areas.

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