“Sustainability is no longer about doing less harm. It’s about doing more good.” – Jochen Zeitz
Persistence and hard work pays off … Stony Brook University Hospital is the recipient of the 2021 Practice Greenhealth Environmental Excellence Award. This award reinforces our continued commitment to sustainability, even as we have experienced challenging times during the past year.
Thanks to those dedicated to these efforts, their leadership, ingenuity and hard work have led to this well-established recognition for Stony Brook University Hospital’s continued “commitment to improve environmental performance and build sustainability into the operations of our institution.” As a result of the Sustainability Task Force’s efforts, our hospital is recognized for “the impactful sustainability work pursued” as we executed our sustainability plan over the past 12 months.
Stony Brook University Hospital has enjoyed a long history of recognition for its sustainability efforts. You may recall that the hospital has been the recipient of multiple awards, including the Practice Greenhealth Top 25 Hospitals Award, Greening the OR and Chemical Excellence Awards. We were the first hospital to establish an environmental pledge with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and have continued to honor this commitment through 2021.
Every year, the Sustainability Task Force identifies goals and objectives in the areas of leadership, reducing waste, reducing chemical use, greening the operating room and energy reduction. There are also healthy food initiatives to encourage a healthier lifestyle for our patients, staff and within the community. Many of these goals have translated into great successes, including a reduction in energy use intensity by 20 percent, eliminating the use of ethylene oxide (ETO) in the Central Sterile Department, reducing meat purchases by 10 percent and converting to 100 percent LED surgical lighting in the operating rooms. During the pandemic, I was extremely proud of the resourceful efforts that led to our collaborations with Stony Brook University to create 3D face shields and with companies on the East End to create plastic gown patterns to make our own personal protective equipment.
As we continue to improve participation and incorporate clinical champions onto the task force, focus on house-wide paper reduction by 10 percent, continue to increase the purchase of recycled processed and “green” products, develop water reduction plans and develop/implement a New Clean Energy Master Plan, there is no doubt that Stony Brook University Hospital will continue on its trajectory to even greater sustainability heights for a cleaner, brighter future.
As a beacon for healthcare sustainability efforts, Stony Brook University Hospital has been featured on multiple occasions on the Practice Greenhealth website. And I recently received an invitation to present our hospital’s efforts at an upcoming American College of Healthcare Executives conference next year in Chicago to share our best practices with other academic medical centers.
Congratulations to each and every one of you for your contributions to serve as a role model for the healthcare sector. I’m truly proud of the positive and lasting impact that you’ve made as we continue our commitment to achieve a cleaner, safer and more sustainable environment for all.
Congratulations to all of us! But it is your leadership that has kept these vital goals front and center in all we do.
It is now common, in our daily practices, to recycle all batteries, recycle office paper, turn off lights. For me, it adds tremendously to being glad I work here.