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Here is a list of greening initiatives that hospitals in North America have taken on.

Check with local suppliers and contractors to see if your hospital can be the next one to implement one of these waste reducing initiatives:

• eye glass recycling
• paper recycling
• cardboard recycling
• battery recycling
• donation projects
• sterile blue wrap recycling
• electronics recycling
• reusable sharps containers
• composting program for cafeteria and patient food
• reusable containers for pharmaceuticals
• green purchasing guidelines and contracts
• drape sheet recycling
• paper towel composting program

Here are some tips to share with your staff and volunteers.

Kitchen

• Use reusable containers, utensils and mugs (ceramic, glass or “travel”).
• Use a reusable coffee filter.
• If you have to use paper filters, make sure they are compostable.
• Buy milk, sugar and condiments in bulk containers.
• Drink tap water from a reusable water bottle or use the fountain.
• Clean up with reuseable wash cloths, tea towels and hand towels.
• Use environmentally safe, non-toxic, biodegradable cleaning products.
• Encourage litterless lunches.
• Think before you throw something in the garbage.

Meetings  

• Strive for paperless meetings.
• Tell meeting presenters to send out materials electronically.
• Use a projector to display meeting materials.
• Put out a jug of chilled tap water and glasses.
• Offer reusable mugs if you are providing coffee.
• Offer reusable containers and cutlery if you are providing food.
• Use erasable white boards instead of flip charts (then take a digital picture to save work).
• Promote your green meeting. For example, include text such as This is a green meeting! in your meeting invite.
• Record meeting minutes on a laptop and email them to all participants post-meeting.

Personal Workspaces

• Read and proof documents on the computer screen, “track changes” for editing and preview your document before printing.
• Think before you print – consider reviewing and sharing electronically.
• Make sure your printer settings default to double-sided printing.
• Include an environmental message in your email signature. For example: Please consider the environment before printing this email.
• Use scrap paper for note taking, or use computer programs, like “NoteWhen” for PCs or “Stickies” for Macs, to eliminate the need for sticky notes and notepads.
• Use a reusable/erasable calendar or computer calendar.
• Mount an erasable white board in your workspace.
• Keep computer files instead of paper files.
• Reuse interoffice mail envelopes.
• Designate an area in the office for reusable supplies.