Baystate Earns National Environmental Award
SPRINGFIELD — Baystate Health recently received a 2007 Environmental Leadership Award from Hospitals for a Healthy Environment (H2E), a not-for-profit organization affiliated with the American Hospital Association. Baystate received the national award for developing programs that set industry-wide benchmarks for environmental stewardship.
Baystate, which has received awards from Hospitals for a Healthy Environment for six years in a row, was also inducted into H2E’s Environmental Leadership Circle in recognition of its sustained commitment to environmental excellence.
In 2006, Baystate recycled 25{06cf2b9696b159f874511d23dbc893eb1ac83014175ed30550cfff22781411e5} of its solid waste. It recycled 3.4 tons of rechargeable batteries, 12 tons of X-ray film, and 680 tons of paper; reclaimed 75 tons of steel, 2,000 tons of brick debris, and 3,500 tons of concrete from a demolition project; and donated medical equipment to Springfield Technical Community College and to a relief effort in Guatemala. It also recycled and reused 6.5 tons of solvents, and avoided 2,860 gallons of liquid waste by using distillation units.
“Baystate is at the forefront of the trend toward a health care system that recognizes the fundamental link between healthy people and a healthy environment,” said Laura Brannen, executive director of Hospitals for a Healthy Environment. “H2E’s vision of a healthy health care system is steadily becoming a reality in part because of the remarkable achievements of organizations like Baystate Health.”
“Being inducted into the Environmental Leadership Circle is outstanding recognition of our organization’s efforts thus far and encourages us to set the bar even higher,” said Mark Tolosky, president and CEO of Baystate Health. “We are committed to being a national leader in environmentally responsible health care and to making our hospitals safer and healthier for our patients, our employees, and the communities we serve.”
Baystate’s Green Team, a cross-functional team of employees formed in 2005, brings together the various environmental initiatives being pursued throughout the organization.
The team is committed to managing and minimizing the use of hazardous materials; using renewable natural resources and conserving non-renewable sources; practicing pollution prevention; minimizing waste through source reduction, re-use, and recycling programs; conserving energy and water; ensuring the health and safety of employees by promoting safe work practices and safe technologies; training and educating employees about best practices; and monitoring and evaluating practices that impact environmental sustainability.
