What will "Going Green" do for you?

▬ Smart Savings: Save money and the environment

▬ Public Relations: Be seen as a responsible community partner

▬ Recruitment and Retention: Staff will feel good about who they work for

▬ Innovation:  be a front-runner in your field

Providing healthcare  in an
environmentally- friendly fashion
not only benefits patients, but can
substantially reduce costs.

Cost Competitiveness

The Environmental Protection Agency reports U.S. hospitals use more than twice as much energy per square foot as office buildings. The story is no brighter in Canada, where hospitals consume 2.5 times more energy than their European counterparts.

Staff education and low cost capital improvements can save thousands every year. One U.S. hospital decreased their overall energy budget by 22%, saving $132,000 per year, every year. A Canadian region, through a staff education campaign, saved over $250,000 in the first year.

Facilities can also reduce costs by implementing waste management programs.

• An audit of Toronto’s Hospital for Sick Children identified 80% of the biomedical waste stream was composed of paper and other recyclables. Their comprehensive waste management plan provided savings of 58%.

• Beth Israel Medical Centre, N.Y. saves $600,000 every year, thanks to medical waste reduction. Fletcher-Allen Health Care System, Vermont reduced the volume of medical waste at one campus by 75% in a few months.

Better Patient Care

• Money and resources saved can be directed to patient care.

• Studies suggest that natural light helps patients heal faster, reduces hospital stays, and improves patient satisfaction.

• Healing gardens and green spaces foster a healthy, healing environment.

Improved Regulatory Compliance

• Green medical facilities are better equipped to comply with changing government regulations. In hospitals that have difficulty complying with environmental regulations, 60% of violations involve hazardous waste management.

• Federal regulations have also reduced the amount of mercury that may be discharged from municipal wastewater systems or by incineration and several state governments are banning mercury-containing products.

Increased Employee Morale/Staff Retention

• Doctors, nurses and other medical staff understand the connection between the environment and human health. Better air quality, quiet spaces, healthy food selection, safer work areas and clinical devices improve workplace satisfaction.

• Improved morale improves staff retention and reduces recruitment costs.

Reduced Environmental Risk Factors

• Environmental risk factors play a role in over 80% of diseases reported by the World Health Organization and 23% of all deaths may be attributed to environmental factors.

• 10% of cancers are attributable to environmental and occupational hazards.

• In the U.S.

• Air pollution accounts for at least 5,000 premature deaths annually.

• Asthma is responsible for 25% of all school absences.

• Up to one in 10 women carry enough mercury in their blood to pose a threat of neurological damage to their unborn children.

• In 2000 approximately 800,000 children were affected by lead exposure leading to lower IQ and potential mild retardation.

• 15% of Canadians may be affected by environmental sensitivities.

• Average dioxin levels are approaching levels that cause health effects such as cancer, birth defects, damage to immune, neurological and hormonal systems.

• Over 80% of waterways tested in the U.S. show traces of common medications such as acetaminophen, hormones, blood pressure medicine, codeine and antibiotics.

• Research shows a mixture of 13 common medications found in drinking water inhibited cell growth and had a negative effect on human embryonic cells.

Reduced Incineration and Land filling

• U.S. health care is the fourth-largest source of mercury air emissions, due to medical waste incinerators.

• Medical waste incinerators are the leading source of dioxin.

• Pathological waste (tissues and organs) is the only type of waste that requires incineration. Pathological waste comprises an average of only 2% of hospital waste, yet a much higher percentage is incinerated.

• Low-tech incinerators do not meet emission standards.

• Green teams and programs to reduce, reuse and recycle divert unnecessary waste from overflowing landfills.

Benefits from Partnerships

• Green health care practitioners share their experiences and knowledge with others in the industry helping to improve patient care and management of the facility.

• Partners encourage others to reduce, reuse and recycle.

• Partnerships increase buying power and may influence suppliers to provide safer alternatives for medical supplies and services.

• Buying local supports the local economy.

• Partnerships support producers of fresh, organic, and fair trade produce and products.

Acquire Awards & Recognition

• Environmental awards provide excellent public relations opportunities.

• Awards encourage staff to continue their green efforts.

• Awards strengthen credibility and raise the profile and reputation of health-care facilities/partners.

Sources available upon request