09/28/2010 // Riverdale, NJ, USA // Camfil Farr // Lynne Laake
When it comes to sustainability — particularly within the healthcare industry — there is one point on which everyone agrees: hospital sustainability is a worthy goal. Indeed, what’s not to like? Sustainability lets hospitals do their work well, but with less impact on the environment; using less energy, creating less waste, all while saving money (less energy used, after all, means the energy you pay for is less).
But going green involves more than just setting a goal and forming a committee. Hospital sustainability is a major organizational change — and has to be treated as such. It requires a great deal of planning, strategy, and understanding of how systems work and what kind of impact they have on the world around them.
So what does a hospital need to do to become truly sustainable? For one thing, it needs to be committed, with green initiatives and strategy not just getting a blessing from C-level decision-makers, but becoming a core factor in the decisions they make. For hospital sustainability has a role — and an impact — in all facets of hospital life, from the construction of a healthcare facility, to the way it operates, the way systems are maintained, the amount of energy that is used and the quantity of waste that is created, and — not insignificantly — the money to run the place.
What many hospitals are finding is that sustainability is helped along — and efforts are more successful — when there is a champion within the organization, someone who doesn’t just spearhead green initiatives, but tracks their progress and results, and is accountable for their successes — and failures. A sustainability champion is always thinking big picture, looking at the long-term impact of a hospital’s systems and processes and making sure that the right products and methods are used to deliver optimal results.
Consider, for example, a hospital air filtration system. These products provide a critical function: they eliminate harmful air particles from the indoor environment and reduce the chances of infections — no small concern within a healthcare facility. But traditional hospital air filters increase quickly in resistance over time, meaning that more energy is needed to push the flow of air through them, driving up energy costs. It also means that the air filters need to be changed out frequently, creating waste that’s not just bad for the environment, but hard on the wallet (disposal, after all, doesn’t come cheap).
A sustainability champion, thinking long-term and big picture, will quickly realize a system that uses less energy and creates less waste, while maintaining top performance, is just the sort of ‘green’ air filtration solution the hospital needs.
Not surprisingly, then, many hospitals that have been serious, and proactive, in their sustainability efforts have turned to Camfil Farr air filters. Incorporating an innovative design — using fine fiber media — Camfil Farr air filtration systems operate at optimal efficiency throughout their service life. They also use less energy. Indeed, healthcare facilities using Camfil Farr clean air solutions have seen their HVAC energy costs drop by 25 to 50 percent. The novel design of the air filters also means they need to be changed out less frequently than traditional models, so the costs of waste, both to the environment and the hospital’s budget, are reduced.
The key to sustainability is to not just make it a goal, but a way of thinking. Hospitals that incorporate sustainability, and consider it, in every decision or design they make will find that they can save money — and help save the environment — while performing the top notch care patients depend on.
The world leader in air filtration systems and clean air solutions — for health care and other industries — Camfil Farr provides the tools to achieve sustainability, maintain high air quality, and reduce airborne infections; all while lowering total cost of ownership. We’ve helped hospitals, office buildings, hotels, and other facilities go green without ever sacrificing performance. For more information, visit our newsroom at http://breakingnews.green-air-filters.com, read about hospital sustainability and the Clean Air Solutions Company at http://green-air-filters.com, or call us at (toll free) 888.599.6620.
Media Information:
Address: 1 North Corporate Dr. Riverdale, NJ
Phone: 888.599.6620
Url: http://breakingnews.green-air-filters.com/hospital-sustainability-not-just-a-goal-but-a-way-of-thinking_2577.html
