Executive Housekeeping Today - July 2008 - (Page 13)

Healthcare Goes Green Hospitals and medical clinics create quite a giant carbon footprint across the USA. And why wouldn’t they? One in every seven dollars in our economy is spent on healthcare, one in every nine workers is employed in healthcare, and our facilities are among the most energy intensive because of their 24/7 climate-controlled, high-tech equipment-filled internal environments. Healthcare also has one of the most complex and regulated waste systems in America, with up to ten distinct streams—including hazardous, medical, radioactive, solid, and recyclable—which must be source-separated, monitored, and managed. While a hospital’s mission is to ensure the health and well-being of its patients, facilities also have the opportunity and obligation to protect the health of the surrounding community with pollution prevention controls and sustainable environmental practices. At the University of Washington Medical Center (UWMC), where I work, the entire staff takes its earth stewardship very seriously. This is actually not a hard sell in the Pacific Northwest, since we have a long-standing culture of environmental conservation. When all hospital staff pitches in, a medical center can quickly and effectively separate recyclable waste into paper, cardboard, aluminum, tin, plastic, glass, and even coffee grounds. UWMC’s total weight of collected recyclables recently doubled—from 324 to 667 tons over the past four years. This meant that last year, we avoided $78,718 in landfill costs and received a rebate of $32,261 for paper and cardboard recycling. On the h by Gary Butrymowicz R.E.H flip side, disposal of solid waste actually decreased from 1,616 tons in 2002 to 1,514 tons in 2006. This reduction came in spite of increased patients and new buildings, services, and staff. The medical center operates its own state-of-the-art steam sterilization equipment for sharps and contaminated waste. Disinfection of surgical instruments is now accomplished with a less hazardous chemical, or with a new generation sterilizer, which has reduced ethylene oxide usage from 643 pounds to 415 pounds in 2006—with more gains to come. UWMC has also made significant improvements in our utility purchasing and conservation efforts. The medical center spends approximately $2.2 million annually on electricity purchases. In 2006, we began buying 100 percent renewable energy. This purchase shift will significantly reduce our greenhouse gas emissions and encourage others to follow our lead. We are even looking at our dirty laundry, so to speak. A water reuse system implemented at our UW Consolidated Laundry has resulted in 12 million gallons of water and 77,000 therms saved. Savings from this system have been $140,000 in water and $79,000 in natural gas over the past 24 months. Our most recent energy conservation project was an upgrade to our chiller/cooling system. We have been able to expand our facility without proportionately increasing our consumption. UWMC is a member of H2E, Hospitals for a Healthy Environment, which provides resources, contacts, and a blueprint for healthcare environmental success. We have the support of and encouragement from Governor Christine Gregoire, our own UW Department of Ecology, and UW President Mark Emmert, who has clearly established our vision and leadership responsibility to the environment. In the past two years, UWMC has received five prestigious awards for its environmental sustainability and pollution prevention activities. In some waste management areas, we are considered a “best practice,” and as a teaching and research hospital, we share our policies, procedures, and waste management systems with other healthcare organizations around the country. Future “sustainable” projects for UWMC include pharmaceuticals, “recapturing” medical devices, implementing less wasteful food service systems, the use of Green cleaning chemicals and LEED energy conservation principles incorporated in future construction planning. On a personal environmental note, I am a big proponent of compact fluorescent bulbs and maximum use of insulation material. I reuse my “controversial” plastic water bottle by refilling with filtered tap water two to three times before recycling. My wife and I take the Metro bus to get back and forth to work. Every single thing we individually do can help save the environment and SAVE MONEY—another worthy motivation whether it’s in the workplace or at home. W Gary Butrymowicz R.E.H., CHESP, is Director of Environmental Services and Waste Management at the University of Washington Medical Center. He may be reached at garybutr@ u.washington.edu. July 2008/Executive Housekeeping Today 3

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Executive Housekeeping Today - July 2008

Executive Housekeeping Today - July 2008 Contents Executive Corner Inspecting a Different Way Quality in the 21st Century Frugal Housekeeper How Eliminating Nuisance Animals Can Increase Quality Healthcare Goes Green Feature Article IHW Product Information The Green Scene 2008 Call to Convention 2008 Convention Information Inside the Industry Product Highlights New Members Joint IEHA/ISSA Members CEH/REH Members Advertisers' Index Calendar of Events Inside I.E.H.A. What I.E.H.A. Has Done for Me

Executive Housekeeping Today - July 2008

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