OHSU Receives 2004 City of Portland Award for Environmental Excellence
The City of Portland's Bureau of Environmental Services announced last week that Oregon Health & Science University has received its top Industrial Pretreatment Award for 2005. The award singles out OHSU from among 180 of Portland's largest businesses, including health care providers, manufacturers, food producers and others, to recognize its commitment to improving the health of Oregon's rivers and streams.

The Environmental Services Pollution Prevention Services Group works with industries, including OHSU, to reduce pollutants by pretreating wastewater prior to release.

The award received by OHSU not only honors its commitment to treating wastewater, but its nationally recognized comprehensive suite of environmental programs. OHSU has been very active in addressing the environmental impacts of health care, instituting facility-wide recycling, reuse and reduction programs and actively preventing potential pollutants from entering the environment, said Susan Keil, pollution prevention manager for Environmental Services. She notes OHSU's commitment to replacing mercury thermometers with environmentally friendly alternatives, and the extensive green building campaign OHSU is pursuing as part of its expansion.

Even their construction projects emphasize making maximum use of recycled, environmentally-friendly materials, added Environmental Services permit manager Ann O'Roke. They have restored open areas with ivy eradication and reintroduced native plants. OHSU is going beyond what's required, and that's why they've been honored with this award.

OHSU's environmental programs go back many years, but especially in the last decade the organization has ramped up efforts to serve as a leader among its peer institutions, said John Burnham, director of Environmental Health and Radiation Safety at OHSU.

Our recycling efforts in particular have grown, said Burnham. We are opening an expanded and enhanced recycling center on campus this spring, and our other programs, especially in the areas of managing and controlling wastewater and the release of toxic chemicals into the environment, have become even more effective. I give Donald Ludwig a great deal of credit for this.
Ludwig is the hazardous materials manager at OHSU, running programs to remove hazardous chemicals from health care facilities and labs and dispose of them properly. Ludwig also helps organize community-wide hazardous waste recycling events where not only the OHSU community, but also OHSU's neighbors have an opportunity to dispose of hazardous waste in ways that lessen environmental impact.

Environmental stewardship has grown tremendously at OHSU over the last few years, and it has become an institutional-wide effort, said Ludwig. From recycling to green building to managing storm water - it's clear to me that the level of commitment is there from all of our employees. I only see that increasing from here.