Green Trends in Healthcare: What’s in Your Hospital?

Sustainability trends are gaining tremendous momentum in the healthcare industry. In addition to green building initiatives like building for maximum energy efficiency and reducing the use of potable water, eco-friendly work tools and furniture are integral in any effort to achieve maximum “green” in a healthcare environment. What’s more, eco-friendliness in the healthcare industry may cease to be an option – and instead, become a requirement – as environmental awareness and the benefits of green building spreads.

According to the Boston Globe, health authorities in Massachusetts are reportedly enthusiastic about a proposal that would make green construction standards mandatory for healthcare environments. If passed, the regulations would be the first of their kind in the United States requiring healthcare facilities to abide by practical green building standards when renovating or expanding.

The US Green Building Council leads the way in establishing green building standards and is the architect of the LEED – Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design – Green Building Rating System. LEED offers criteria and certification for the design, construction and operation of high-performance green buildings.

According to USGBC, when new construction meets stringent green standards, the benefits are widespread.

Environmental benefits:

• Enhance and protect ecosystems and biodiversity
• Improve air and water quality
• Reduce solid waste
• Conserve natural resources

Economic benefits:

• Reduce operating costs
• Enhance asset value and profits
• Improve employee productivity and satisfaction
• Optimize life-cycle economic performance

Health and community benefits:

• Improve air, thermal, and acoustic environments
• Enhance occupant comfort and health
• Minimize strain on local infrastructure
• Contribute to overall quality of life

In the healthcare industry, these benefits have far-reaching effects. Reducing environmental toxins, increasing natural light, and improving comfort overall can shorten patient recovery time and reduce costs associated with long hospital stays.

In conjunction with USGBC, the steering committee of the Green Guide for Health Care is currently working toward finalizing green building standards specific to the healthcare industry. The Green Guide is the healthcare sector's first quantifiable, sustainable design “toolkit” intended to integrate enhanced environmental and health principles and practices into the planning, design, construction, operations and maintenance of their facilities. The Guide offers best practices and benchmarks that designers, owners, and operators can use to guide and evaluate their progress towards high performance, healing environments.

Both LEED and the Green Guide recognize that green building doesn’t end with the construction or renovation of an empty building – it extends to the workday tools, equipment and furniture that complete a space. Employing truly eco-friendly products for a green healthcare build can be tricky. Some factors to consider when shopping for maximum sustainability include:

Product Weight
Products that weigh less require less raw material to create and consume fewer natural resources than comparable, heavier products. The energy and fuel required to transport products can also be reduced by lighter-weight products.

Number of Parts
Products designed for both maximum function and simplicity will, by their very nature, require as few parts as possible. Fewer parts mean fewer manufacturing processes, less shipping, and less packaging, all of which save energy and carbon emissions.

Recycled and Recyclable Content
While recyclability is often a hallmark of a green product, use of recycled materials is a better sign of an earth-conscious manufacturer. Select products that contain both recycled and recyclable content for maximum sustainability.

Ease of Disassembly and Upgradeability
Products designed for quick and simple disassembly are more likely to be recycled than those that are difficult to take apart. And products that can be easily upgraded in the field – for instance, the replacement of spent cushions on task seating – enable longer product life. This, in turn, limits the waste that could be generated by the disposal of used products as well as the resources that would be required to replace products in their entirety.

Aluminum Components
The use of lightweight aluminum signifies quality as well as green characteristics. Aluminum never degrades, so it can be recycled infinitely; and because recyclers are paid a premium for aluminum scrap, the likelihood that a product containing aluminum will be recycled is higher than products made of less valuable components like recyclable plastic.

Distribution Practices
Products and packaging designed to use the fewest and smallest boxes possible not only reduce waste, but also allow more items to fit on delivery trucks to cut back on emissions and fossil fuels. Packaging should be eliminated entirely whenever feasible.

Quality and Durability
Quality counts when it comes to sustainability. Long-lasting, high-performance products require replacement less frequently than lower quality choices, reducing the impact of disposal and replacement.

Additional Green Practices
Manufacturers can lead by example by utilizing green vendors themselves – such as using printers certified by the Forest Stewardship Council to create marketing materials – and by supporting environmental causes and reputable organizations.

The premier designer of tools for a more comfortable place to work, Humanscale leads the way in sustainable design. Abiding by a philosophy that good design achieves more with less, Humanscale develops products that consume as little of the Earth’s limited resources as possible, without compromising performance or aesthetics. The market leader in ergonomic design, Humanscale offers a wide range of work tools that keep office and healthcare employees comfortable and healthy, including a selection of healthcare-specific solutions designed to support computer technology.

In particular, Humanscale’s T5 Point-of-Care Technology Cart teams unmatched mobility and user comfort with a high-performance power system for both laptops and PCs. Available exclusively through EnovateIT, a leading provider of mobile wireless solutions and a premier global systems integrator for the healthcare industry, Humanscale’s T5 provides the first truly ergonomic healthcare technology cart solution, providing long-lasting power and comfort for a wide range of users. Its light weight and small footprint ensure mobility and effortless maneuverability in confined spaces. The T5 also contains more than 50% recycled materials and is itself 95% recyclable.

Humanscale also offers the V3 Wall Station – an articulating wall-mounted computer work station offering unparalleled adjustability for healthy, ergonomic work positions. Designed with eco-conscious aluminum castings and extrusions, the V3 contains 75% recycled and 95% recyclable content.

Humanscale also boasts an impressive range of award-winning high-performance seating, monitor arms, lighting, keyboard supports, and other ergonomic solutions to improve the health, efficiency and quality of work life in any environment.

Find out how Humanscale can contribute to green building solutions for your healthcare environment. Visit www.humanscale.com and www.humanscalehealthcare.com for more information.