Tools and resources

Procuring renewable energy for health care facilities

• Energy Efficiency

Health care access to renewable energy Procuring renewable energy is a highly impactful step hospitals can take to reduce their carbon footprint and negative health impacts. As the cost of renewables falls, transitioning to renewables can reduce energy costs along with pollution. Practice Greenhealth urges health care facilities to set a goal of 100% renewable electricity by 2030. Renewable…

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Renewable energy sources for hospitals

• Energy

Hospitals and health systems around the world are investing in clean, renewable energy to protect the health of their patients and communities, attract and retain top-tier talent, increase the resilience of their operations to disasters, and reduce energy costs and price volatility. Combining renewable energy with electricity storage can help hospitals remain operational during extreme weather or…

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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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2020 sustainability data

• 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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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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