Hospitals' Environmental Sustainability Depends on HR

Hospitals and health systems can mitigate the effects of their copious energy consumption and waste generation by engaging with staff. Here's how one Michigan health system's sustainability efforts are boosted by its HR department.

The Hippocratic Oath is "first do no harm," but hospitals are among the greatest generators of waste and consumers of energy. Ironically, it's no secret that inefficient use of resources have a negative impact on everyone's health. 

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, the average hospital contributes approximately 7,000 tons of waste daily—an amount which includes hazardous, infectious, and solid waste. Hospitals consume large amounts of electricity and water for domestic use, heating, cooling, and landscaping purposes.

But as healthcare systems look for ways to reduce consumption and shrink waste, the HR department is often front and center of these efforts.

"We have quite a few staff who are engaged in our sustainability program, and a lot of them are human resources staff," says Sarah Chartier, sustainability program manager at Spectrum Health, a not-for-profit health system based in Grand Rapids, MI. "They are ambassadors for our sustainability program, and have worked to include our environment-friendly activities in the employee orientation that occurs with all of our new employees."

In honor of the 45th annual Earth Day on Wednesday, April 22, let's review some strategies HR executives can take to make their organizations more environmentally sustainable.

1. Move Beyond Standard OR Procedures
In 2007, Spectrum Health, which has 11 hospitals and 170 ambulatory and service sites, learned that 30% of hospital waste was generated in its operating rooms. Reducing OR waste became the first priority.

Spectrum OR recycling program focuses on recycling plastic, paper and cardboard, and recycles 75,000 pounds of blue wrap from its operating rooms yearly.

"Our program has evolved through collaboration with our recycling vendor," says Chartier. The two organizations have worked together to brainstorm new solutions for the hospital's waste—which can be tricky when the materials can carry biohazards. One safe use they found for blue wrap is to melt it down into plastic pallets, which are shipped for use around the country.

Another way Spectrum has reduced its OR carbon footprint is by simply turning off the lights. Keeping operating rooms ready at a moment's notice without exception was found to be unnecessary. Now when it is known that a specific OR will not be used over a period of time, the HVAC and lighting are turned off to conserve energy.

2. Reduce Food Waste
The cafeteria is another major waste center for hospitals, so Chartier worked with food service staff to find a solution.

All cafeterias within Spectrum's system now offer reusable cups for its more than 21,800 employees. Those who bring their own get a 10-cent discount. And one hospital within the system now composts vegetable waste from its kitchens, while another has gone Styrofoam-free within the last year.

To further reduce carbon emissions, Spectrum purchases locally sourced produce when possible. "We support several local businesses through purchasing bread, coffee, and other items we feature in our cafeterias from them, but here in Michigan our growing season isn't year round. It can be a challenge when attempting to locally source our produce," says Chartier. Spectrum attempts to feature locally sourced produce during the summer months, and uses Michigan apples year-round.

It also offers an agricultural pick-up service for their employees, allowing them to pick up farm-fresh, locally farmed and produced food at work during the summer months. "It helps with the need to support local farmers while encouraging our staff to eat healthy," she adds.

3. Offer Transportation Alternatives
Not only is it energy inefficient for each employee to drive to work alone every day, but parking lots take up a lot of space, explains Rick Redetzke, vice president of facilities and real estate at Spectrum Health. Public transportation and carpooling are much more efficient, but making them convenient or affordable for employees can be a challenge.

With that in mind, Spectrum's leadership team collaborated with the local transportation authority and was able to work out a program where its employees get bus passes monthly at no cost.

"It's key to have a strong partnership with your city and the transportation authority in town," explains Redetzke. "They want what we want—safe streets and a green solution that not any one organization can do on its own."

Currently, six percent of Spectrum's staff ride the bus to work at least once a month. About three percent of the staff ride it to work daily. While that might not sound like many, for a large system like Spectrum, it comes out to just over 1,300 employees who otherwise would be fighting for parking spaces.

Since public transportation isn't an option for everyone, employees are also offered an online tool that allows them to enter their working hours and address for a list of suggested coworkers with whom to carpool.

Employees who carpool are rewarded with prime parking spots right next to the hospital's back door, says Redetzke. There are currently seven daily scheduled carpooling groups and 250 employees using the tool.

4. Engage Your Employees
Both Chartier and Redetzke agree that the most important sustainable resource is a hospital's employees, and that sustainability is a topic it's easy to get employees passionate about.

"This is an opportunity to engage employees at work," says Chartier, who has helped coordinate environment-themed events such as an interdepartmental recycled art competition where teams created artwork from hospital garbage and then voted on which team had the best piece. "Employees got an opportunity to get to know each other a bit better and do some team-building exercises."

Bringing up the organization's sustainability related benefits, such as free bus passes and the agricultural pickup is also an opportunity to start a conversation with employees about other benefits offered, she says.

But what Chartier finds most compelling is the opportunity to help employees see the affect the hospital has on the world around it, both locally and globally. "The employees care a bit more about how we affect the community, and they feel empowered to make changes at work as well."