Healthy Interiors: If These Walls Could Talk

Janet Brown, Contributing Editor, Health Care Design Magazine

If you close your eyes and think of an interior where you felt relaxed and at peace, what comes to mind?

Jean Hansen, FIIDA, CID, AAHID, EDAC, LEED AP BD+C, sustainable interiors manager, senior professional associate, HDR Architecture, Inc.; Michelle Halle Stern, AIA, PE, MSPH, LEED Fellow, director, sustainable design services, HDR; and I pondered “healthy interiors” on a January 2012 conference call.

We talked about view; daylight; open space; quiet, pleasant colors; artwork; a calming culture; and a positive energy. We talked about a lack of the “hospital smell,” which we discussed could include food warming, soiled linen, cleaning chemicals, and exhaust. We discussed the patient experience, perception, and the visceral reaction one may have to noise, bright light, or odor.

We can’t always see, smell, or hear the presence of chemicals in building materials, furniture, and finishes. One may associate chemicals with cleaning solutions, disinfectants, mercury, and laboratory chemicals, but carcinogens, reproductive toxins, and asthmagens are frequently found in furniture, casework, fabrics, beds, and medical equipment.

Hospitals are increasingly looking to architects and designers for their expertise in creating healthier interiors free of known chemical hazards. Tools, resources, and experts like the featured “interior intelligence” can guide healthcare leaders towards safer choices in furniture, casework, fabrics, and finishes, so that material choices are in line with the goal of creating a healthy space for workers, patients, and visitors.

Hansen was inspired by sustainability when she heard a talk about green cleaning more than 15 years ago. As a designer and a healthcare planner, she looks through the lens of health to think about design, materials specification, and product and material evaluation.

“Sustainability and health are interconnected,” she says. Halle Stern worked in sustainability before she got her start in healthcare. But with healthcare, it all tied together. The two now work together at HDR, researching and specifying safer materials, and have seen a dramatic increase in requests.
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New Energy Efficiency Standards for Residential Clothes Washers and Dishwashers to Save Consumers Billions on Energy Bills

Source: Department of Energy

As part of the Obama Administration’s focus on taking sensible steps to save families money while also reducing energy consumption, the Department of Energy today announced common-sense energy efficiency standards for residential clothes washers and dishwashers that will save consumers $20 billion in energy and water costs. The new standards for both clothes washers and dishwashers were informed by important feedback from manufacturers, consumer groups, and environmental advocates, producing significant savings while retaining consumer choice. The clothes washers standard announced today will save households approximately $350 over the lifetime of the appliance, while offering consumers a variety of more efficient machine choices, and as a result of the standards for dishwashers, home dishwashers will use approximately 15% less energy and more than 20% less water, directly providing consumers with savings on monthly bills.

Full story

Effluent Limitations Guidelines and New Source Performance Standards for the Airport Deicing Category

SUMMARY

EPA is promulgating technology-based effluent limitations guidelines (ELGs) and new source performance standards (NSPS) under the Clean Water Act (CWA) for discharges from airport deicing operations. The requirements generally apply to wastewater associated with the deicing of airfield pavement at primary airports. The rule requires all such airports to comply with requirements based on substitution of less toxic pavement deicers that do not contain urea. The rule also establishes NSPS for wastewater discharges associated with aircraft deicing for a subset of new airports. These airports must also meet requirements based on collection of deicing fluid and treatment of the collected fluid. The ELGs and NSPS will be incorporated into National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permits issued by the permitting authority. EPA expects compliance with this regulation to reduce the discharge of deicing-related pollutants by 16 million pounds per year. EPA estimates the annual cost of the rule at $3.5 million.

Federal Register Notice

Greening the OR® Video Contest Winner

Practice Greenhealth Names Inova Health System Greening the OR^® Video Contest Winner

“The Recycle Mash” promotes sustainability in the operating room

(Reston, Virginia) The winning submission in the Practice Greenhealth Greening the OR^® Video Contest was announced at CleanMed, the leading conference for health care sustainability professionals. Inova Health System won the contest with “The Recycle Mash,” which received more than 1,800 views during the contest period.

“Inova Health System recognizes the efforts of our staff to safeguard public health and the environment,” said Knox Singleton, Chief Executive Officer. “We are honored to be recognized for our hard work and leadership—and we had a lot of fun making the video.”

To view the video visit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UrcKZjNI2_Y&feature=colike.

Operating rooms are some of the most resource-intensive and largest waste-generating areas of a hospital. A recent study estimated supply costs of operating rooms could eat up as much as 56 percent of total operating room budgets, and produce between 20 to 30 percent of a hospital’s total waste volume. In addition, most operating room supplies are thrown out after just one use (or no use at all if they are part of a surgical kit), even though re-use may be an option.

Greening the OR^® endorsers and sponsors were challenged to plan and produce their own Greening the OR^® videos, showcasing their creativity and talent, while illustrating how to reduce costs and also reduce waste, energy use, and worker and patient exposure to hazardous chemicals. The videos captured successes in all areas of green ORs and were geared to:

Promote sustainability in health care and hospital facilities
Entertain and interest viewers –industry peers and customers
Highlight the Greening the OR^® program

“We were excited by the enthusiasm we saw in all of the entries,” said Laura Wenger, RN, Executive Director. “It was a hard decision, as each hospital brings a great deal of experience and expertise in reducing operating room impacts and costs to the table. Inova’s video stood out because of the level of creativity, community involvement and number of strategies highlighted, as well as the number of views it received.”

“The Recycle Mash” was showcased May 1, 2012 in Denver, CO, at CleanMed, the premier national environmental conference for leaders in health care sustainability. At the event, Inova Health System also achieved System for Change; Inova Alexandria Hospital, Inova Fair Oaks Hospital, Inova Loudoun Hospital and Inova Mount Vernon Hospital achieved Partner for Change with Distinction, and Inova Fairfax Hospital achieved Partner for Change.

Places to Look for Energy Losses in Commercial Buildings

As reported on Environmental Leader

Data from millions of businesses, institutions and manufacturers show that sustainability issues fall into four main categories:rising energy costs, growing disposal costs, limited water supply and health concerns over the quality of indoor air.

Energy is often the largest line item in an operations facility management bill. So, monitoring and reducing excess energy use throughout your facility can lead to savings. We worked with one of our 3,000 supplier partners, Fluke Corporation, who identified these top places to look for energy losses in commercial buildings.

According to Fluke Corporation, a significant amount of energy loss is actually temperature related. Hot or cold air leaks from a building are obvious examples. It took energy to condition that air, and when it dissipates due to a leak, you’ve wasted that energy. Many other systems and pieces of equipment also manifest their energy in terms of heat. Motors, pumps and electrical boxes will generate heat and lose energy efficiency as they begin to fail.

Thermal imagers create pictures by measuring infrared energy or heat and then assigns colors based on the temperature differences it measures. Thermal imaging experts suggest that maintenance teams inspect the following systems to identify energy losses:

–HVAC System: The heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system is usually one of the biggest areas of energy consumption within a facility.

What to Scan

Ductwork and Registers. Even the highest-rated HVAC system wastes energy without a well-sealed duct system. With infrared technology, one can see the thermal pattern of air in ducting and monitor registers to determine whether heating or cooling output is optimal.
Fans and Blowers. In fans and blowers, mechanical imbalance will manifest itself in overheated bearings and other components. Thermal images of these systems can also identify shaft misalignment in couplings between the motor and fan.
Electrical Connections. A loose or corroded connection increases resistance at the connection, resulting in overheating.

–Motors and Generators: Electrical motors also use a significant amount of energy in a facility. Overheating and malfunctioning motors and generators tend to indicate mechanical or electrical inefficiencies that can lead to more energy use and ultimate failure.

What to Scan:

Read the complete article at Environmental Leader

Walmart Cuts Outdoor Water Use with WeatherTrak Devices; Three Products Launched

As reported on Environmental Leader

Walmart stores equipped with WeatherTRAK smart irrigation controllers have reduced outdoor water use an average of 39 percent since they were installed in 2008, the companies have announced.

HydroPoint Data Systems supplied 631 of its WeatherTRAK controllers at select Walmart stores. The systems, which are designed to eliminate landscape water waste, harmful run-off and costly hardscape damage, were added during new store construction and as retrofit projects.

The controllers use an online tool that gives Walmart remote access to the system, and provides water use data for property managers, landscape contractors and company executives.

Walmart has launched several efforts to cut water consumption at its stores in recent years. Walmart China, for instance, has reduced water use by 54.2 percent since 2005 through sensor faucets, pressure-reducing valves and wastewater reclaim systems, according to the company’s 2011 sustainability report.

Petaluma, Calif.,-based HydroPoint Data Systems has also just announced the release of three WeatherTRAK smart irrigation and central control products, including a mobile app that will be available in June 2012. WeatherTRAK Mobile gives users real-time alerts and the ability to control the irrigation system remotely, technology that aims to reduce the need for on-site troubleshooting and diagnostics.

The company also announced WeatherTRAK LC Central, a plug-and-play system equipped with two-way wireless communication. The system is designed for light commercial and high-end residential installations, including business parks, city medians and small retail centers.

HydroPoint also released WeatherTRAK WirelessFlow, a wireless sensing product that monitors and alerts property managers to leaks, station-based flow management and catastrophic mainline breaks without the high cost of hardscape trenching.

Supermarket’s On-Site Harvester Turns Food Waste Into Fertilizer

Reprint from Environmental Leader:

PCC Natural Markets, the nation’s largest member-owned grocery retailer, has selected its Issaquah, Wash., store for its first on-site food scrap “harvester.”

PCC is undertaking the pilot project in partnership with local clean technology firm WISErg Corporation, which developed the harvester. The overall system includes a sealed harvester that grinds food scraps, as well as a finishing process that results in an organic liquid fertilizer called WISErganic.

WISErganic is sourced from PCC’s own food scraps and available for sale to PCC customers in all nine of the market’s locations.

The harvester has been on site for six weeks and continuous digital monitoring and feedback confirms that the harvester performs well, PCC says. The base fertilizer has also been subject to early testing at Washington State University.

PCC says that its goal, of producing an organic fertilizer with bio-stimulatory effects that can compete with consumer-oriented synthetics, both in terms of cost and efficacy, appears within reach. The fertilizer also improves soil health, unlike petroleum derived synthetics, the company says.

The unit is the result of two years of research and development by WISErg. PCC says the technology offers the opportunity for grocery stores to lower their carbon footprint by significantly reducing the volume of food scrap waste transported offsite.

According to the EPA, about 100 billion pounds of food is wasted each year in the United States. Wasted food that gets thrown out accounts for almost 34 million tons of the solid waste generated in the United States. Less than three percent of that food waste is recovered, PCC says.

In February, UK grocery giant Tesco began trialing a packaging strip developed by It’sFresh! Ltd. in an effort to make food last longer and prevent waste. The supermarket giant will be the first retailer to test the packaging on tomatoes and avocados, which are the food items that go to waste most often. The company says the strips could save 1.6 million packs of tomatoes and 350,000 packs of avocados a year.

Also in February, food company Kraft announced that it now has 36 facilities in 13 countries that send zero waste to landfills. One Kraft plant in San Leandro and two in Fresno, California diverted more than 100 tons of food waste – such as corn skins – for use as animal feed, helping to cut waste to landfill about 26 percent since 2009. The Philadelphia cream cheese plant in Beaver Dam, Wisc., partnered with the city in 2010 and 2011 to build an anaerobic digester that turns whey waste into biogas.

Clinical sacks for transporting hazardous waste

Posted by Healthcare Packaging on April 25, 2012

Cromwell Polythene is re-launching its clinical waste sacks range, making extensive use of star seal technology to maximize carrying capacity, while optimizing leak resistance. The new range includes yellow sacks for transporting hazardous waste for incineration, orange sacks for waste that is disposed of by a licensed or permitted facility, and yellow sacks with a black stripe, also known as “Tiger” bags, for waste collection and disposal that is not subject to special requirements in order to prevent infection and which are disposed of by deep landfill.

Used by leading healthcare, clinical, and specialist waste collection companies, to help comply with European legislation for the collection, transport and disposal of appropriate wastes as detailed in the European Waste Catalogue (EWC) classification 18 01, the UN-approved yellow and orange LLDPE sacks come in 5 kgs, 8 kgs, and 10 kgs capacities and are supplied in rolls of 25, packed eight rolls/ carton.

CHSA-approved “Tiger” bags are available in 10 kgs capacity, and are supplied in either an LLDPE blend or 100% recycled LDPE blend, which features a standard gusseted bottom weld. All sacks make use of Cromwell Polythene’s LOWCP2T™ technology to reduce the weight of the bags, bringing about savings in CO2 and other emissions throughout the supply chain and the products’ lifecycle. ??

Star seal technology enables bags to be manufactured without gussets, eliminating gaps along the seals where leaks sometimes occur. It also leads to a less formed shape, allowing the sack more easily to mold itself to the contours of a container, in those instances where one is used, distributing the weight of the content evenly around the bag. Compact packaging means less space taken up in vehicles, which provides a further boost to the sustainability of these products.