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According to Physicians for Social Responsibility, The green hospital movement began a few years ago following the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC)’s release of their Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards for building construction. Although initial construction costs are higher, green hospitals have been shown to reduce long-term energy costs. In addition, there is a growing consensus among the health care profession that pollutants generated by medical facilities must be reduced. Moreover, green hospital design has been linked to better patient outcomes and staff retention. In the past few years, a number of newly constructed and renovated hospital buildings have strived for and received LEED certification.
A Green Hospital is defined according to Physicians for Social Responsibility as a hospital that has taken the initiative to do the one or more of the following: choose an environmentally friendly site, utilizes sustainable and efficient designs, uses green building materials and products, thinks green during construction and keeps the greening process going. A Green Hospital is constructed around a hospital that recycles, reuses materials, reduces waste, and produces cleaner air.
Green Hospital Intitive is ready to launch A Green Hospital “A global Approach” Conference through Hospital 2020 Partnership that will be held in January 2011 as part of an integrated campaign to promote the best practices in the future hospital .
The Purpose of the conference:
To accelerate the development, use, and diffusion of environmentally preferable products and practices, and the construction of green buildings in future hospital projects around the world by disseminating examples of best practices and convening health care professionals, university researchers, designers of professional buildings, and vendors of cleaner and safer products and services.
- To provide examples of best practices in environmentally preferable purchasing from the U.S., Canada, and Europe.
- To address environmentally sustainable design practices and construction materials in healthcare.
- To discuss and evaluate initiatives to incorporate environmentally preferable purchasing in health care and group purchasing organizations.
- To showcase environmentally preferable and occupationally safer products and practices.
- To evaluate alternatives to medical waste incineration.
Issues of concern and focus:
- Mercury
- Lead
- PVC & DEHP (Polyvinyl Chloride)
- Medical Waste
- Green hospital building
- Food
- BFRs (Brominated Flame Retardants)
- E-waste ( Electronic Waste)
- VOCs ( Volatile Organic Compounds)
- EPP (Environmentally Preferable Purchasing)
- Chemical policy
Interested parties or companies in the Conference:
- Sustainable building materials
- Products free of mercury, latex, PVC, and DEHP
- Energy and water conservation
- Tools and resources for environmentally preferable purchasing
- Greener cleaners
- Integrated pest management
- Waste Reduction and Recycling
- Green Electronics
- Managing pharmaceuticals
- Environmentally Preferable Medical Waste Treatment and Disposal
- Safer alternatives to PBDEs: products in health care settings
- Nutritious, Sustainable Foods and Food Systems
A Green Hospital Resources
BUILDING A GREEN HOSPITAL CHECKLIST
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