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VA New England Healthcare System

 

Veterans' Healthy Living, Summer 2014

Going Green in a BIG Way

Recycling newspaper, grass clippings, or aluminum and glass containers at home are great steps toward helping our planet's sustainability. So imagine the impact of adopting green initiatives on a much larger scale, such as throughout VISN 1 facilities.

Bill Kulas, VISN 1 Environmental Program Manager, says the VISN is making big strides toward meeting - indeed, exceeding - goals set for green initiatives.

The VISN encompasses 11 facilities, nearly 14,000 employees, and about 10 million square feet of space. Kulas says that accounts for a lot of waste. "Our solid waste recycling rates were at 10 percent in 2005, and we're now at about 45 percent."

"The Federal Green Challenge challenges federal agencies to lead by example in reducing the federal government's environmental impact. In 2013, Manchester Medical Center won the Region 1 Innovation Award, but we're doing great things in many areas."

For example, rain gardens have been established at four facilities to manage storm water in an environmentally safe manner. "These gardens harvest storm water that would otherwise go into public drains, potentially adding to erosion," Kulas says. "But the gardens also provide a place of healing and reflection for patients, and they provide meaningful work skills to our Veteran population."

Significant waste stream amounts recycled for fiscal year 2013 included:
  • 547 tons of cardboard
  • 220 tons of comingled glass, plastic, and paper
  • 124 tons of landscaping materials
  • 365 tons of metals
  • 850+ tons of paper
  • 402 tons of wood
  • 4.3 tons of reusable biomedical waste containers
  • 8 tons of batteries
  • 182 tons of waste oil
  • 3.5 tons of printer cartidges
Rain Garden at Brockton VA Medical Center
Rain garden at Brockton

Three facilities in the VISN now have pervious pavement as part of the green initiatives. Pervious pavement allows water to permeate through it,which reduces standing water and runoff, and ultimately reduces ice buildup.

The VISN is now planning and building combined heat/power plant units that burn natural gas to generate electricity, a process that also generates heat for facilities.

Kulas says management has been a huge factor in moving the green efforts forward. "Leaders put systems in place to get the word out to people, and they developed goals and measurement tools to see how we're progressing. Their communication and level of involvement was critical— making sure people knew their participation made an impact."