Eight years ago, 20 people at Chester County Hospital got together to form the "Green Team." Their mission is simply to reduce, reuse and recycle.
The mission is nothing innovative or out of the ordinary anymore. Global warming is constantly in the news, and you can rarely escape a recycling bin in today's society. What is innovative is the steps this team has taken over the years to support their earth-friendly mission and what they've achieved.
For years, the cafeteria team relied on a grill and fryer for hot food offerings. This method of food preparation was cost effective but created a large amount of cooking oil waste. This waste, when not disposed of properly, can cause devastating physical effects to animals, plants and the environment as a whole. The Green Team was recycling this waste but realized a more drastic measure was needed in order to make a real difference. "The grill and fryer are history!" Scott Greenley, Director of Nutrition Services said. They have been replaced with four induction ranges and a cook center that provides a benefit that is two-fold. "We're able to provide healthier meals for patients, visitors and employees while also reducing our cooking oil waste." Greenley adds that these efforts have diverted more than 13 tons of waste oil from landfills.
The Green Team is even working with the hospital's waste management partner to find a way to repurpose actual food waste. "We are required to feed patients 2,000 calories per day, whether they eat it all or not," says Greenley. "Often times, 2,000 calories is more than patients care to, or can, eat so that creates a lot of wasted food." Through the waste management partner, the hospital is looking to compost all of this wasted food. Composting has a variety of benefits for the environment. Most notably, it cuts down on landfill waste. Not having to transport this wasted food also reduces energy and fuel emissions.
The Green Team has also inspired the hospital to make changes outside of the kitchen. For starters, they've converted the heating source from oil to natural gas. Natural gas is the cleanest burning fossil fuel and emits very few chemical byproducts into the atmosphere. Conserving energy and water were also top priorities. As a result, motion-sensor lighting has been installed in common areas and utility rooms, all fluorescent bulbs have been switched out to T5 bulbs, which use half the energy of fluorescents and waterless medical air pumps were installed.
The most unique measure the Green Team has implemented to conserve energy and reduce emissions is to grow some of their own ingredients and buy local. Twenty-five percent of cars create 90% of the air pollution we face. "To ship a quart of strawberries in from Florida may be cost effective but it is causing severe harm to the environment," Greenley shares. Nutrition Services has implemented a buy local initiative to reduce this pollution as much as they can. In an effort to extend this effort to hospital employees, the Green Team and the hospital host local farmers' markets during peak growing seasons and participate in a farm share that employees can opt into. The Delaware Valley Farm Share delivers six to eight fresh, local ingredients to shareholders every two weeks. These goods are dependent on the time of the year but can range from fresh fruit and berries to squash and corn.
The Green Team also plants two raised garden beds each year. This supports healthy local eating in the spring, summer and fall. It also feeds those in need. "We support local food cupboards with our raised bed gardens and donate 70% of our harvest to collectively more than 70,000 people in Chester County who lack the funds to buy food," explains Greenley.
Recycling and repurposing materials are the Green Team's greatest, and most fun, achievements. Each year the hospital recycles nearly 175,000 tons of plastic, glass, metal, cardboard and paper. Today, Chester County Hospital diverts more recyclable waste from municipal landfills at an average monthly rate of 36 %. This is 3% higher than the average rate of other hospitals that are considered to be "green leaders."
Repurposing common items is one of Greenley's favorite pieces of the green initiative. "Some of the reuses for things are so innovative." Of these innovative solutions Greenley says the ideas people come up with for wood pallets are his favorite. Other items the hospital offers for reuse are 55-gallon drums from the laundry facility, cardboard boxes, plastic buckets and used coffee grounds.
The hospital's Green Team is winning the approval and recognition of its neighbors. West Chester Borough Leaders United for Emissions Reduction (BLUER) publicly acknowledged Chester County Hospital for its efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions just four years into their mission. The hospital has also spurred green awareness to partnering businesses. With the ongoing construction at the hospital, building contractors have not only been recycling construction waste, they also implemented green friendly designs into building plans. The addition of Lasko Tower resulted in a 1,600 square-foot vegetated roof with plants to reduce heat build-up. The hospital has also committed to replanting one tree for every tree that had to be removed during construction.
The Green Team plans to continue these initiatives and develop more. With the parking garage project under way and the front entrance redesign to follow, recycling of construction materials is in the forefront of their minds. The new construction will also include replanting lost greenery and even adding more landscaping when the project ends.
About Chester County Hospital
Chester County Hospital is an organization dedicated to the health and wellbeing of the people in Chester County and surrounding areas. Founded in 1892, the non-profit hospital has grown into a 243-bed acute care facility based in West Chester, plus it has a system of outpatient locations in Exton, West Goshen, New Garden, Jennersville, West Grove and Kennett Square. In 2013, Chester County Hospital became part of Penn Medicine that consists of the Raymond and Ruth Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania (founded in 1765 as the nation's first medical school) and the University of Pennsylvania Health System, which together form a $4.3 billion enterprise. In addition to quality-driven inpatient medical/surgical services, Chester County Hospital also offers home health, hospice and skilled nursing care; occupational medicine; outpatient laboratory, radiology and physical therapy services; an ob/gyn clinic for the underserved; wound care; and cardiopulmonary rehabilitation.