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Regulators Set Sights on Healthcare
Lenox Hill Hospital in metropolitan New York is working to reduce its environmental impact. It has recently voluntarily signed on to the New York City Mayoral Challenge, agreeing to reduce its carbon emissions by 30 percent in the next ten years. The New York City Mayoral Challenge hopes businesses from all industries will band together to reduce industrial emissions by 30 percent for the entire city by 2030.
While Lenox Hill and other forward-thinking organizations are making great strides to improve the environment, it appears that businesses, including hospitals, may not have long to make voluntary reductions. On June 26, 2009, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a carbon cap-and-trade bill that would place mandatory limits on carbon emissions. If the bill passes the Senate and becomes law, it will drastically change the way businesses are forced to measure their environmental impact and impose a fine for organizations that do not comply. Regulators are specifically targeting hospitals.
Manage What You Measure
The WHO describes the process of assessing a hospital’s carbon footprint: “In calculating their total carbon footprint, institutions such as hospitals must include indirect emissions through visitor, patient, and staff travel, and the carbon dioxide (CO2) emitted as a result of procurement of goods and services. This total footprint is expected to be two or three times higher than direct emissions alone, though more difficult to measure.” It is important to first perform an evaluation before recommending drastic changes to operations.
Crothall is being proactive to “take the temperature” of our healthcare client facilities. Through the Project Services Group of Crothall Facilities Management, we are undertaking an audit of all plant operations and maintenance customers, with two-thirds of the facilities assessed so far. The analysis will measure energy usage with respect to each utility—electric, gas, water and sewer. Each hospital will be measured and benchmarked against all other Crothall facilities to see where they stand compared to their own goals as well as the performance of other facilities. Although Crothall is not directly responsible for the management of energy costs at our client facilities, we can make a positive impact on these costs through more efficient management. These efforts represent not only a way to reduce our clients’ carbon footprint, but also to save money through reduced consumption in the long term.
As a forward-thinking partner, Crothall helps our clients develop plans to address the opportunities uncovered through our energy audits.
Sustainable Future
At Lenox Hill Hospital, Crothall’s energy audit involved a full assessment of the greenhouse gas emissions (CO2, NO2 and SO2) it is producing. This is only the first step in a process to identify opportunities, formulate an action plan, and take corrective measures. The Crothall facilities team has already made some initial adjustments to steam regulators and other electrical improvements. And the hospital is planning to engage in several more small incremental projects to realize some quick savings. Once the City of New York makes an emissions worksheet available, the hospital will begin to evaluate more elaborate large-scale projects.
Read the article in full:
http://www.crothall.com/celebrations/
Sources:
1 “Major Fuel Consumption (BTU) Intensities by End Use for All Buildings,” 2003. Revised December 2008.
2 Reuters, “WHO Urges Hospitals to Join Climate Change Battle.” 5/22/2009.
3 “Protecting Health from Climate Change.” World Health Day 2008. World Health Organization www.who.int/world-health-day.
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