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Hospitals are the second most energy-intensive buildings in the United States. They're also significant consumers of water and generators of waste. But that's only part of their environmental footprint. According to the Healthier Hospitals Initiative (HHI), America's health care sector is the nation's single largest user of chemicals. That's why HHI, a coalition of major health systems, is advancing its Healthier Hospitals Agenda to promote environmental sustainability and reduce pollution.
Hospitals that sign the HHI pledge commit their institutions to a three-point program of improving environmental health and patient safety, reducing resource consumption and waste generation, and institutionalizing hospital sustainability and safety. In practice, this means selecting green building materials, using clean energy, requiring suppliers to disclose chemical ingredients, switching from radiological imaging equipment to digital imaging equipment, and changing hospital menus to eliminate sugar-based soft drinks.
To date, 14 major hospitals and health care systems have signed the HHI pledge. As the health care industry continues to struggle with rising costs, however, should making hospitals sustainable be a priority?
Source: Healthier Hospitals Agenda
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Re: Is Your Hospital Sustainable?
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