Providence St. Mary recognized for environmental stewardship

Providence St. Mary has received the Practice Greenhealth Champion Award for its environmental efforts.

 

Practice Greenhealth is the nation’s leading organization dedicated to environmental sustainability in health care. 

Providence St. Mary’s environmental work in recent years has included:

• Reducing energy use by replacing all the fluorescent lights at the hospital with LED lights.

• Replacing hot water storage tanks with an on-demand hot water system. The hospital now burns approximately 65,600,000 fewer BTUs a year. Additionally, the 16,000 pounds of steel comprising the tanks and 20,000 pounds of concrete from the replacement project were recycled.

• Eliminating the use of an anesthetic gas called desflurane, as well as a 95 percent reduction in the use of nitrous oxide, reducing greenhouse gas emissions from clinical operations.

• Installing occupancy sensors in some rooms so the lights turn off when the room is empty, saving an estimated 40,702 kilowatt hours per year.

Providence St. Mary’s environmental efforts are part of the larger Providence system’s pledge to be carbon negative by 2030. Providence this year received Practice Greenhealth’s Top Health System Award, the organization’s highest honor, and one of only two awarded in the nation.

“The organizations recognized this year are proving that sustainability is a strategic imperative for healthcare,” said Gwyneth Jones, Senior Director at Practice Greenhealth, Health Care Without Harm. “By reducing emissions, cutting waste, strengthening resilience, and generating millions in savings, they are showing that the future of high-quality healthcare is one that protects people, communities, and the planet at the same time.”