Let's talk about green.
Health care begins with a healthy environment. At Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU), our commitment to health goes hand in hand with a commitment to protecting the environment. Two new buildings opened in 2006 as symbols of this commitment. Our new patient care and research facility, the Center for Health & Healing on Portland ’s South Waterfront, received a LEED Platinum certification making it one of the “greenest” of its kind in the world.
 At the Center for Health & Healing, wise use of natural resources also helps save on operating costs. For example, rainwater is reused in toilets and landscaping; daylight and the sun’s energy are fully leveraged for light and heat; chilled beams replace air conditioning; and an on-site micro-turbine plant generates a third of the building’s electricity.
The building is 61 percent more energy efficient than required by Oregon code; 56 percent less potable water is used than in a comparable conventional building; and 100 percent on-site sewage treatment reduces the amount of water reaching the city’s sewer system. |
With its LEED Silver certification, our state-of-the-art Biomedical Research Building on the Marquam Hill Campus is also one of the most environmentally friendly research facilities in the Pacific Northwest. This building also has energy-saving features; storm water management; erosion control; water-efficient appliances; construction waste recycling; and wide use of daylighting, sustainable wood products, and recycled and local materials. These all contribute to its green design. And when you think green, think also about the Portland Aerial Tram. The three-minute rides efficiently move riders from the top of Marquam Hill to South Waterfront. The tram eliminates 2 million vehicle miles annually, saving 93,000 gallons of gas per year and reducing greenhouse gases by more than 1,000 tons.
| It doesn't stop there. OHSU is working hard toward ever greater greenness throughout the university campus. The Green Team at OHSU recycles more than one million pounds of paper; 84,000 pounds of plastic; 144,000 pounds of food waste; and almost 600,000 pounds of cardboard annually. Through it free office supply re-use program the Green Team save OHSU more than $5,500 in 2006. In 2006, Hospitals for a Healthy Environment (H2E), a nonprofit group focused on improving health care’s environmental performance, gave OHSU its 2006 Partner for Change Award. The award is given annually to facilities for reducing, reusing and recycling waste; preventing pollution; and eliminating mercury. On September 17, 2007, OHSU became a tobacco-free environment. As a knowledge and health leader, OHSU is now helping other area hospitals and healthcare systems to institute similar tobacco-free initiatives. OHSU Food and Nutrition Services supports the local economy, cuts down on transportation costs and carbon emission and provides diners with healthy, better quality seasonal products by purchasing as much as possible from local producers. Annually OHSU Food and Nutrition Services purchases 500,000 half-pints of hormone free milk; 500 cases of locally grown apples, peaches and pears; 600 berry pies from local bakers; and 4,000 pounds of locally raised organic chicken. In April, 2008, OHSU made the switch to an entirely electronic medical records system. This change is predicted to save many tons of paper every year. During the forms round-up alone, 1.39 tons of paper forms were recycled.
 And we are working with the city to make Portland’s renowned quality of life even greener and formally adopting these principles in our planning processes. The university donated roughly 45 acres of forested land on Marquam Hill to the community by legally designating it as permanent open space. It is one of the largest donations of park land to the city in recent history. This area will be linked to other open spaces, recreation areas and the campus with trails and pedestrian networks. We also worked with local groups to remove five acres of ivy and other non-native invasive species within natural and forested areas surrounding OHSU. Increasingly, the quality of the environment determines where people want to live. By focusing on sustainability as we expand to serve our region’s 21st-century health care needs, we are making our community more livable and fulfilling our mission of improving the health and well-being of all Oregonians.
Healthy economy. Healthy environment. Healthy people. The next generation is depending on us.
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