Green Healthcare: What Is Happening Now?

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Some members of the health industry in the United States are beginning to take steps to become greener. Change is mostly occurring in 2 areas – energy conservation and waste disposal.

More than 50% of the total energy consumption in healthcare is used for heating and cooling, with annual costs averaging $3.71 per square foot.[1] We need to reduce this by building more efficient workplaces using currently available architectural guidelines.[2] These promote environmentally friendly, energy-efficient buildings and renovations that incorporate such essentials as green building materials and reflective surfaces. It is clear that good initial building material choices reduce long-term energy costs. The traditional argument that green building is expensive no longer holds true.[3]

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates that 3.4 billion pounds of solid waste is produced each year by US hospitals,[4] with more than 50% in the form of paper and cardboard. The EPA has been enacting new regulations on waste disposal since its 1995 report that cited medical waste incinerators as a significant producer of airborne mercury emissions and carcinogenic dioxins,[4] and has created a national energy conservation program, Energy Star. A number of health-related green groups have emerged, notably, Health Care Without Harm[5] and Practice Green Health.[6] Their Web sites provide excellent resources and advice specifically for the healthcare industry, especially on green procurement practices for electronic equipment and plastics, and on environmentally responsible information technology practices.

Carrots, such as financial incentives from energy conservation, and sticks, the regulatory environment, are needed to drive change. We need more incentives to speed up the greening of healthcare. Hospitals should be financially rewarded by federal and state reimbursement programs for implementing environmentally responsible practices that improve future community health outcomes. Individual clinicians should take the lead by educating themselves on green healthcare[7] and promoting change.

That's my opinion. I'm Dr. Peter Yellowlees at the University of California, Davis.