Green Options

The U.S. Green Building Council is unveiling a new system for evaluating health care facilities that is less stringent than normal LEED ratings. Will it work?

I’m headed to the hospital in a couple of days for a minor thing, and it got me thinking about ways to reduce my impact while I’m there. Since I’ll be spending a couple of nights there, I thought I’d do a little research and pack some supplies!

The last time I visited a family member in hospital, I was struck by how many disposables they used. I know that it’s important to keep things sterile, but I’m talking about things like personal grooming. Rather than give her a sponge bath, for example, they gave her individually wrapped wipes that were pre-soaked in some sort of chemical. I was thrilled to learn that many new hospitals are focusing on sustainability. Maybe practices like those disposable wipes are on the way out? In the meantime, you can reduce your impact with just a bit of planning!