It's Earth Day and the University of Maryland Medical Center is getting in on the action with a "scrub swap," office-supply exchange and clean-up activities.
Officials at the center say these kinds of activities and other green initiatives are helping reduce energy consumption and eliminate waste. They are also saving the hospital tens of thousands of dollars a year.
Here are some of the elements included in the hospital's "Green on Greene Street" campaign (the hospital is on Greene Street):
+Recycling "sharps" containers, diverting 34 tons of plastic from the waste stream, which will save more than $100,000 this year;
+Using more environmentally friendly plastic IV tubing throughout the hospital, saving $8,000;
+Purchasing patient slippers made out of recycled cotton, saving another $6,000 annually;
+Starting a full-scale waste separation and single-stream recycling program for paper, plastic, glass and aluminum that has reduced the amount of waste in the first year by nearly 600,000 pounds and increased recycling by 210,000 pounds;
+Reducing energy consumption by 5 percent a year through better management techniques and equipment, despite an increase in the number of patients;
+Starting a weekly University Farmers' Market to increase the availability of locally grown foods, and making more local and organic foods available in the cafeteria.
As for that scrub swap, employees will donate their old scrubs and shop for "new" ones -- these aren't ones from the operating rooms, if you were wondering. Employees will also exchange office supplies to get rid of stuff they don't use and get stuff they need.
"We've had considerable success in reducing our environmental footprint since we first started this program in late 2007," said Denise Choiniere, the center's sustainability manager. "We need to dispel the myth that 'going green' is more expensive."
Photo courtesy of the University of Maryland Medical Center