Tools and resources

Suggested Environmental Considerations for Maintenance, Repair and Operations (MRO) Equipment and Supplies

• Supply Chain
• Guide
• Suppliers and Deliveries
• Purchasing

Green maintenance and operations products can improve indoor air quality, reduce the use of water and other natural resources and increase energy efficiency. Since there are thousands of products used in maintenance, repair and operations, it is important for purchasers to understand which types of environmental claims are credible. This guide contains some suggested environmental questions for…

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Environmental considerations for paint, sealants, and adhesives

• Sustainable procurement
• Buildings
• Green Building

The most important considerations for interior paints is occupant health and performance. It is critical to consider that paint has low volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions. There is no perfect test right now for emissions from wet-applied products, so the best bet is to make sure it has both low VOC content (under 50 g/L for flat paint), and has met California Section 01350 emissions…

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Palomar Health: Sustainable, local, and organic food purchasing

• Food and Beverage Purchasing
• Food Case Study
• Food
• Case Study
• Food Service

With its position in the community, 4,400 employees, and over 2 million meals prepared per year, Palomar Health has a significant opportunity to make a positive impact on human health and the environment by serving more sustainable, local, and organic produce. This case study highlights this California health system's efforts to leverage the supply chain, collaborate with other hospitals, educate…

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Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center: Reusable isolation gowns

• Case Study
• Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center
• Sustainable procurement
• Toolkit

(Less waste toolkit) Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center, located in West Los Angeles, began a reusable isolation gown pilot project in May 2012, starting with a liver transplant unit that was using 1,000 disposable isolation gowns per day. During a collaborative six-month trial period, the reusable isolation gown design was finalized and rolled out. The reusable gowns offer more comfort and better…

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RMW Reduction Clinical Plastics Recycling: Clinical Plastics Virginia Mason 2016

• Waste
• Reuse or Donate
• Textile Reuse
• Exemplary Document
• Virginia Mason
• Guide
• Policy

The Warm Toes Project at Virginia Mason donates PACU socks to the homeless. Virginia Mason has donated an average of 10 pounds of socks per week to Mary's Place Homeless Shelter, which would have otherwise gone in the trash, eliminating disposal costs and diverting 520 pounds per year from the landfill.

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Mayo Clinic Rochester: Medical plastics recycling study

• Exemplary Document
• Mayo Clinic
• Greening the Operating Room
• Medical Plastic Recycling
• Study

This life cycle assessment study conducted for Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. compared the overall environmental impact of disposable polypropylene blue sterilization wraps with that of reusable aluminum hard sterilization cases.  The study found that the reusable hard cases have roughly half the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions impact than the disposable polypropylene blue wraps annually.

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RMW Reduction Clinical Plastics Recycling: Clinical Plastics Spectrum 2016

• Recycling
• Exemplary Document
• Spectrum Health
• Poster

Spectrum Health provides a sample sign for the recycling of single use surgical instruments.

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Rethinking health care supply chain costs: Total cost of ownership project

• Cost of Ownership
• Presentation
• Supply Chain
• Sustainable procurement
• Toolkit

(Greenhealth cost of ownership toolkit)  For many medical devices and services, there are submerged costs that are not always reflected in the purchase price and may not be considered during purchasing decisions. Beyond acquisition, these costs include use, maintenance, and end of life costs, such as disposal. Practice Greenhealth tools bring these submerged costs to the surface during the…

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Environmental considerations for roofing

• Sustainable procurement
• Green Building
• Buildings
• Guide

According to Department of Energy, low-slope roofing—the kind most commonly used in commercial buildings—is one of the most environmentally damaging building materials. The following sample RFI/ RFP questions have been developed and listed in table format so they can be integrated easily into a pricing template or used in other formats. These questions address basic environmental and human…

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Reprocessing: Boston Medical Center 2016

• Greening the Operating Room
• Exemplary Document
• Boston Medical Center
• Policy

This resource provides a policy template for establishing and approving a reprocessing and remanufacturing program of single-use or disposable medical devices in accordance with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA),  the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO), and other federal, state and local agencies. It outlines definitions, requirements, and policy…

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