CitiesGoGreen -September 2008 - (Page 8) In Motion No Ice at the North Pole? Greener Hospitals Anticipating new standards and heeding recommendations from environmentally aware organizations, hospitals from California to New England are turning green. Kaiser Permanente’s medical center in Modesto, California has solar panels, permeable pavement, water-conserving toilets and natural rubber floors that don’t need toxic stripping and cleaning compounds. Massachusetts hospitals may soon be required to meet green building standards, but many are already incorporating vegetated roof tops, increased natural lighting and similar non-toxic floors. Studies show that such changes, specifically increased lighting and outdoor gardens, shorten a patient’s stay, decrease mental and physical stress, and diminish reliance on medication. Having fewer toxic chemicals in the air, also part of the trend, seems like a good idea as well. The extra cost, by one estimate 2 percent, will likely be made up and more in energy savings and lower staff turnover, with faster and better recoveries as an additional bonus. Utah is the first state to try a four day workweek. In August 2008 Governor Jon Hunstman has the state beginning a year long trial. Ten hour days will extend hours of service Monday through Thursday. By shutting down nearly 1,000 buildings and ending 17,000 Friday commutes, Working 4 Utah hopes to eliminate 3,000 metric tons of CO2 and save 20 percent on operating costs. Utah might find other benefits as well. According to Time magazine, Brevard Community College in Cocoa, Florida, adopted a four day week for the 2007 summer session. Results? $268,000 saved in energy costs, and surprisingly, sick leave went down 50 percent and turnover dropped 44 percent. 8 .com 4 Day Work Week in Utah Photo © NASA If scientists are right, higher temperatures will have left the North Pole without ice this summer for the first time in ages. Without the thick sea ice, nations are racing to claim newly available oil and mineral resources. A Russian submarine has planted a flag on the Arctic’s floor, among less dramatic actions by other nations. More important for the long term, the melting means more dark water absorbing the sun’s heat. Mark Serreze of the US National Snow and Ice Data Center in Colorado, quoted in The Independent, said, “From the viewpoint of science, the North Pole is just another point on the globe, but symbolically it is hugely important. There is supposed to be ice at the North Pole, not open water.” Massachusetts’ Green Pioneer Award-winning Glass Building at Taunton State Hospital uses biodiesel. Photo courtesy MA Department of Mental Health The Port of Los Angeles is using the world’s most powerful electric truck to move 60,000 pound containers. With one in use and 20 on order, the nearly silent truck costs 20 cents a mile to run, four to nine times less than the diesel rigs. With 16,000 trucks making 1.2 million trips a year, an all electric fleet would cut 35,600 tons of emissions annually. LA’s Port Authority developed the truck with the South Coast Air Quality Management District and local Balqon Corp. The company is planning an assembly plant near the port, generating 47 green collar jobs, according to the Los Angeles Times (with video). Photo courtesy the Port of Los Angeles BIG Electric Truck September 2008 http://nsidc.org/arcticseaicenews/index.html http://nsidc.org/arcticseaicenews/index.html http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/climatechange/exclusive-no-ice-at-the-north-pole-855406.html http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/climatechange/exclusive-no-ice-at-the-north-pole-855406.html http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061015/MONEY/610150301/0/A_BIZ08 http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061015/MONEY/610150301/0/A_BIZ08 http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/green/articles/2008/06/12/hospital_projects_may_need_green_seal/ http://www.utah.gov/governor/news_media/article.html?article=1724 http://www.utah.gov/governor/news_media/article.html?article=1724 http://www.time.com/time/specials/packages/article/0,28804,1819594_1819592_1819588,00.html http://www.balqon.com http://www.latimes.com/news/science/environment/la-me-truck26-2008jun26,0,1341931.story http://www.portoflosangeles.org/ http://CitiesGoGreen.com
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