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Compliance Assistance & Pollution Prevention in New England

Healthcare: Pollution Prevention & Best Management Practices

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Index of Topics

Best Management Practices

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Climate Change

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Energy

Energy Star

State Programs

Energy Efficiency Commitment (E2C) Program, American Society for Healthcare Engineering of the American Hospital Association

Advanced Energy Design Guide: Small Hospitals and Healthcare Facilities
For small hospitals and healthcare facilities up to 90,000 ft2 in size, which require a wide variety of heating and air-conditioning equipment. Options for daylighting, an important cost-saving measure, are included. These guides have been developed through the collaboration of ASHRAE, the American Institute of Architects (AIA), the Illuminating Engineering Society of North America (IES), and the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), with support from the Department of Energy (DOE), to help meet all of an owner's energy performance requirements. In an effort to promote building energy efficiency, ASHRAE and its partners have made these guides available for download (PDF) at no charge.

Large Hospital 50% Energy Savings: Technical Support Document (PDF) (188 pp, 4.8MB)
Details the technical analysis performed and the resulting design guidance that will enable large hospitals to achieve whole-building energy savings of at least 50% over the above standard. Report also documents the modeling methods used to demonstrate how the design recommendations will help institutions meet or exceed the 50% energy-savings goal.

Energy Department for 50% More Energy Efficient Hospitals, May 2012
This latest guide will help architects, engineers, and contractors design and build highly efficient hospital buildings, helping to save energy and cut facility operational costs. The 50% AEDG series provides a practical approach for designers and builders of large hospitals, and other major commercial building types, to achieve 50% energy savings compared to the building energy code used in many parts of the nation.

Combined Heat and Power (CHP)
Combined Heat and Power (CHP) is an efficient, clean, and reliable approach to generating power and thermal energy from a single fuel source. By installing a CHP system designed to meet the thermal and electrical base loads of a facility, CHP can increase operational efficiency and decrease energy costs, while reducing emissions of greenhouse gases that contribute to climate change.

Department of Energy – Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy – Industrial Technologies Program
The Industrial Technologies Program works with U.S. industry to improve industrial energy efficiency and environmental performance. Find software tools (pumps, motors, fans, steam systems, process heaters), training and other useful information.

DOE Guidelines for Selecting Cool Roofs, July 2010 (PDF) (23 pp, 830K)
DOE provides technical assistance on types of roofing materials and how to select the roof that will work best on a specific facility.

EnergyPlus Version 7.0
The US Department of Energy latest version of EnergyPlus.

Database of State Incentives for Renewables & Efficiency (DSIRE)
DSIRE is a comprehensive source of information on state, local, utility, and federal incentives that promote renewable energy and energy efficiency.

American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy (ACEEE) State Energy Efficiency Policy Web site
Online database of energy efficiency policies in the states, searchable by state or by policy. The database covers: 1) appliance standards; 2) building codes; 3) clean distributed generation policies, 4) tax incentives, 5) vehicle policies and 6) a host of utility-related energy efficiency information

Green Power Partnership

Heat Island Effect

Energy & New England's Environment

New England Wind Forum
Conceived in 2005 as a platform to provide a single, forum provides information on a broad array of wind-energy-related issues pertaining to New England.

Sustainability Roadmap for Hospitals: Energy

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Environmental Management Systems

Environmental Management Systems (EMS)

Health Care Guide to Pollution Prevention Implementation through Environmental Management Systems, Draft 2nd Edition, 2005, Kentucky Pollution Prevention Center
The KPPC has this document on CD-ROM and it can be obtained free by contacting KPPC toll-free at (800) 334-8635, extension 8520965, direct at (502) 852-0965 or by email to INFO@kppc.org

College & University Environmental Management System Guide

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Environmentally Preferable Purchasing (EPP)

EPA Environmentally Preferable Purchasing Program
Find a database of "green" procurement language, EPP publications, case studies, policy documents, tip sheets, and federal EPP links on the Internet.

Practice Greenhealth, EPP

Practice Greenhealth, Green Cleaning

ENERGY STAR Purchasing & Procurement
Find a database of energy efficient products, energy savings calculators, purchasing specifications, and a vendor locator.

Electronic Product Environmental Assessment Tool
"EPEAT" is a procurement tool to help institutional purchasers in the public and private sectors evaluate, compare and select desktop computers, notebooks and monitors based on their environmental attributes (including energy efficiency).

Guide to Choosing Safer Products and Chemicals – Implementing Chemicals Policy in Healthcare, May 2008 (PDF) (39 pp, 2.7MB)

Green Chemical Alternatives Wizard
This web-based tool provides information on chemical alternatives for some of the most commonly used hazardous solvents and substances in research laboratories.

Building for Environmental and Economic Sustainability (BEES), new web-based application

Pharos Project
Developing a framework for comparing products.

DfE Safer Product Labeling Program and Standard for Safer Products

EPP Case Studies in healthcare

Sustainable Biomaterials Collaborative
The Sustainable Biomaterials Collaborative (SBC) advances the introduction and use of biobased products that are sustainable throughout their lifecycle by creating strong sustainability guidelines, encouraging markets, and promoting policy initiatives

Sustainability Roadmap for Hospitals: Chemicals

Cleaning in Healthcare Facilities, April 2009 (PDF) (42 pp, 1.6MB)

Green Cleaning in Healthcare, September 2011 (PDF) (56 pp, 1.9MB)

Sustainable Resilient Flooring Choices for Hospitals, December 2010 (PDF) (56 pp, 1.8MB)

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Food

EPA's Food Waste Management Cost Calculator

Reducing Food Waste for Businesses

Composting – Practice Greenhealth

Health Care Without Harm Food site

Find a Composter
A data base for locating a composting facility in your area.

Reuse in New England: Donation Programs: Food

WasteWise Food Recovery Challenge
How much of your food and money are you literally throwing away? The WasteWise Food Recovery Challenge encourages participants to reduce, donate, and recycle as much of their food waste as possible saving money and helping protect the environment. Participants will conduct a food waste assessment, undertake three specific waste reduction activities, create a food waste recovery plan, and report progress using WasteWise ReTRAC. Participating organizations will receive recognition for their Challenge achievements. In addition, WasteWise will present a Food Recovery Challenge award for at least the next three years.

HUNGERPEDIA, launched by Rock and Wrap it up
Hungerpedia is a resource which matches agencies-in-need with donors of food and other assets.

LeanPath

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Green Buildings

Practice Greenhealth Green Design and Construction

Healthcare Without Harm Healthy Buildings page

Healthcare Environmental Resource Center Green Buildings page

EPA New England Green Buildings

Green Guide for Health Care
This toolkit provides guidance for integrating enhanced environmental health principles and practices into the planning, design, construction, operations and maintenance of healthcare facilities. The Green Guide for Health Care is available as a free download (registration required).

U.S. Green Building Council
This broad coalition from the construction industry, financial sector, government, and public interest organizations develops and promotes green building principles.

Healthy Building Network
Find information on green building topics specific to the healthcare sector

Center for Health Design
Through research, education, advocacy and technical assistance, the Center supports healthcare and design professionals in their efforts to improve the quality of healthcare through evidence-based building design.

Building Healthy Hospitals: Top 5 Green Building Strategies for Healthcare
EPA Region 9 collaborated with green building experts from across the United States as part of its "Building Healthy Hosptials" project. For an overview of the project and to access the case studies for each of the 5 Top Green Building Strategies for Healthcare: Energy Efficiency—Integrated Design and HVAC Systems, Process Water Efficiency, Sustainable Flooring Material Selection, Indoor Air Quality: Materials Selection, and Lighting Efficiency—Optimizing Artificial and Natural Lighting

The Business Case for the Greening the Health Care Sector (PDF) (36 pp, 1.4MB)

Healthcare Leadership Evidence-Based Design Resources for Healthcare Executives
A series of resources to help healthcare decision makers become familiar with Evidence Based Design (EBD) and begin to implement it into their building projects.

RIPPLE database
Global Health and Safety Initiative (GHSI)'s Built Environment Workgroup and the Center for Health Design launch the new beta version of the RIPPLE database for evidence-based design. RIPPLE is an open source, searchable database containing useable and relevant information to help users learn more about evidence-based design.

Clinic Design - Transforming Primary Care Environments
Many clinics and health centers across the country have the opportunity to venture out into new facility projects and renovations. This website serves as a resource for facilities undertaking a new health center project or renovation to provide information on evidence-based design, including easy-to-adopt design and operational strategies to improve clinic outcomes.

Sustainability Roadmap for Hospitals: Building Design and Construction

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Greening the Supply Chain

Practice Greenhealth Greening the Supply Chain

Practice Greenhealth Standardized Environmental Questions for Medical Products (PDF) (10 pp, 540K)

Sustainability Roadmap for Hospitals: Supply Chain

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GreenScapes

New England GreenScapes

Environmentally Beneficial Landscaping
GreenScaping can save you money and prevent pollution.

GreenScapes Tools
Find downloadable on-line calculators that allow you to compare costs (e.g. between environmentally preferable methods, using virgin materials). The calculators demonstrate that these activities are often cost competitive and provide numerous environmental benefits. They can aid in your decision making and implementation of more sustainable landscape design, construction, and operations and maintenance.

GreenScapes Activity List
An interactive, electronic document with simple, cost-effective, and sustainable solutions to increase resource efficiency-and try to integrate some of them into your site planning and management.

The Sustainable Sites Initiative (SITES)
Launched in November 2009, SITES is voluntary national guidelines and performance benchmarks for sustainable land design, construction and maintenance practices. The credits focus on protecting and restoring clean air and water, diverse microclimates, healthy ecosystems, and human health and well being. Credits ranging from stormwater management and hydrodynamics, soil health, air and water pollution reduction and abatement, and human wellbeing are designed to be applicable to a range of landscape based projects such as large campuses, public parks, conservation areas, recreation areas, and transportation and utility corridors.

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Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO)

Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) Environmental Compliance and Improvement Guide
Guide relates each JCAHO Element of Performance to specific federal regulations, to help facilities achieve compliance with both. The Guide also suggests steps that facilities can take to encourage environmental performance improvements.

Meeting JCAHO Standards with Pollution Prevention
Information on how health care facilities can use pollution prevention to meet JCAHO’s performance improvement standards.

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Mercury

Healthcare Environmental Resource Center Mercury in Healthcare page

EPA: Information for Healthcare Providers

Practice Greenhealth Mercury page

Information about the Making Mercury Medicine Free Award
Please note this is no longer an EPA award.

Mercury Product Fact Sheets, The Interstate Mercury Education & Reduction Clearinghouse (IMERC)
The Mercury Product Fact Sheets contain information about the amount of mercury used in products, why mercury has been or continues to be used in the product, manufacturers of these products, and other useful information.

Training Video on Mercury Waste in Hospitals from HCWH, 10/31/11

Mercury in Dental Amalgam and Resin-Based Alternatives: A Comparative Health Risk Evaluation, June 2012 (PDF) (71 pp, 2.6MB)

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Pesticides and Integrated Pest Management (IPM)

Pest Management, Practice Greenhealth

Pest Management Practice Greenhealth Key IPM Resources

Pesticides, Healthcare Environmental Resource Center (HERC)

Healthy Hospitals Controlling Pests Without Harmful Pesticides, Beyond Pesticides and Healthcare without Harm (PDF) (62 pp, 614K)

Taking Toxics out of Maryland's Health Care Sector (2008), Beyond Pesticides and Maryland Pesticide Network (PDF) (40 pp, 443K)

National Strategies for Health Care Providers: Pesticide Initiative
The Initiative, established in 1998 by EPA and the U.S. Departments of Health and Human Service, Agriculture, and Labor, is aimed at improving the training of health care providers in the recognition, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of pesticide poisonings among those who work with pesticides.

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Stormwater

Soak Up the Rain
EPA New England launched Soak up the Rain to raise awareness about stormwater and encourage citizens, businesses, and communities to take action to help soak up the rain and reduce the runoff that flows into streams, lakes, rivers and coastlines. Find extensive resources, connect to local organizations, and share pictures and stories at the Soak up the Rain flickr group.

Low Impact Development (LID)
National LID home page. Contains extensive EPA and Non-EPA resources and publications

Storm Water, EPA New England

Pollution Prevention Plans for Construction Activities

Green Infrastructure – Technologies and Approaches

Green Roofs

Rain Garden Design Templates

University of New Hampshire Stormwater Center

Guidance for Federal Agencies on Sustainable Practices for Designed Landscapes, 10/31/2011

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Sustainability

Sustainable Hospitals
Support for selecting products and work practices

Sustainability Roadmap for Hospitals

Hospital Environmental Sustainability
The Executive Primer on Hospital Environmental Sustainability is an American Hospital Association (AHA) leadership guide for hospital and health system leaders, developed by the AHA to help hospital and health system leaders learn about environmentally sustainable practices and how they help advance mission and performance excellence goals.

Healthcare: A Business & Ethical Case for Sustainability (PDF) (8 pp, 413K)
Healthcare systems recognize their responsibility to contribute to health - inside and outside -hospital walls.

Sustainability Guides for Facility Managers, International Facility Management Association
A series of free Sustainability Guides provide data and information associated with a wide range of sustainability subjects, share examples of successfully implemented sustainable practices, and help organizations develop a business case and Return on Investment analysis for facility sustainability.

Creating a Culture of Sustainability, 4/1/12 (PDF) (32 pp, 1.9MB)
Sustainability seeks to balance and simultaneously optimize environmental, social and financial concerns. Sustainability in healthcare represents a particularly challenging undertaking as it necessarily encompasses the wide variety of facilities, operations and activities in a typical healthcare organization. This exploratory study examines the organizational approaches of eight healthcare systems with relatively successful sustainability initiatives.

The Growing Importance of More Sustainable Products in the Global Health Care Industry, 2012 (PDF) (11 pp, 421K)
A research study commissioned by Johnson and Johnson

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Transportation

Best Workplace for Commuters

Diesel Emission Reductions

SmartWay Transport Partnership, US EPA
A voluntary partnership between various freight industry sectors and EPA that establishes incentives for fuel efficiency improvements and greenhouse gas emissions reductions

Diesel Cleanup Campaign: Local & State Diesel Clean-Up Advocacy page

Clean Construction Policies at Healthcare Facilities: Protecting Patient and Community Health, Fact sheet dated 1/12/12 (PDF) (2 pp, 471K)

Clean Construction Policy - University of Pittsburgh Medical Center - April 2011 (PDF) (8 pp, 234K)

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Waste Management

Practice Greenhealth Waste Reduction Website

Sustainability Roadmap for Hospitals: Waste

EPA WasteWise
Waste Wise is a free, voluntary partnership program sponsored by the EPA, through which organizations reduce municipal solid waste, benefiting their bottom line and the environment. Waste Wise is flexible, allowing partners to design waste reductions programs tailored to meet their needs. To join Waste Wise

Reuse in New England
A guide to donation opportunities for businesses, local governments, and residents to promote reuse over traditional solid waste disposal of materials that still have "use."

Northeast Recycling Council (NERC)
A multi-state non-profit organization committed to environmental and economic sustainability through responsible solid waste management, NERC programs emphasize source reduction, reuse, recycling, composting, environmentally preferable purchasing (EPP), and decreasing the toxicity of the solid waste stream in the 10-state region comprised of Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Vermont.

Call2Recycle
Call2Recycle is a free program for healthcare facilities to recycle used rechargeable batteries found in many cordless electronic devices, such as infusion pumps, crash carts, cordless surgical equipment, electric wheelchairs, laptop computers, cordless power tools, PDAs, two-way radios, and cell phones.


Computer and Electronics

EPA's eCycling
EPA is working to educate consumers and others on why it is important to reuse and recycle electronics and what the options are for safe reuse and recycling of these products. This website offers: basic information, information on where to donate, regulations/standards, frequently asked questions and resources.

Health Care Without Harm's Electronics and Computer Website

Construction & Demolition (C&D) Debris

C&D Debris
Construction and demolition (C&D) debris consists of waste that is generated during new construction, renovation, and demolition of buildings, roads, and bridges. C&D debris often contains bulky, heavy materials that include: concrete, wood, and asphalt (from roads and roofing shingles); gypsum (the main component of drywall); metals, bricks, glass, and plastics; and salvaged building components, such as doors, windows, and plumbing fixtures.

Use this site to access a range of resources from New England and beyond to help you reduce, reuse, and recycle waste during construction, renovation, deconstruction, and demolition, and to help you understand some of the environmental issues associated with C&D debris.

Recycling Construction and Demolition Wastes - A Guide for Architects and Contractors, April 2005 (PDF) (57 pp, 1.8MB)
The Institution Recycling Network wrote this guidance document as an introduction and "how to" for job site recycling.

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Water Conservation

Practice Greenhealth Water Conservation

Sustainability Roadmap for Hospitals: Water

Energy Star Water Tracking System
By tracking water use alongside energy use, you can better understand how these resources relate to one another, make integrated management decisions that increase overall efficiency, and verify savings from improvement projects in both energy and water systems. Organizations that manage water and energy performance together can take advantage of this relationship to create greener, more sustainable buildings.

Massachusetts Water Resources Authority Water Efficiency & Management for Hospitals

EPA's WaterSense Program

Waterwiser
A clearinghouse of resources on water conservation, efficiency and demand management for conservation professionals and the larger water supply community.

Water Efficiency Practices for Health Care Facilities, NH DES fact sheet (2010) (PDF) (4 pp, 70K)

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