Highlights on U Health partners
Miller Herb and Food Garden | |
![]() |
How would you like to step out of your office or health care facility into the sunshine to find a food forest and herb garden awaiting you? Together with Dr. Christina Pozo-Kaderman, medical students, and dieticians, the Facilities and Operations Department and the Office of Sustainability have helped create an oasis of healing and support for the Cancer Support Services 'mission. Learn more |
Adam Levi, President of the Student Green Committee at Miller, presenting "THE ROLE OF COMMUNITY GARDENS ON MEDICAL CAMPUSES: AN INTEGRATIVE APPROACH TO DIET, HEALTH, AND ENGAGEMENT" at the Community Health Leadership Conference 2022. |
|
Freezer Challenge 2021 | |
![]() |
The University of Miami’s Office of Sustainability challenges you to participate in the Freezer Challenge 2021! The Freezer Challenge is a cold storage competition, on its fifth year, for laboratories run by the non-profit organizations My Green Lab and the International Institute for Sustainable Laboratories (I2SL). More detailed information at miami.edu/greenlabs |
Accelerating the Transition to Climate-Smart Health Care with Jessica Wolff, U.S. Director of Climate and Health, Health Care Without Harm and Practice Greenhealth. Friday, July 17 from 8:30-9:30 a.m. Recording of this Webinar is available HERE |
![]() |
Health care is on the frontlines of climate change, bearing the costs of increased diseases and more frequent, severe extreme weather events. It is critical that hospitals are able to care for people not only during and after extreme weather events, but also to address the social determinants of health to build resilient communities. Health care must also address its own footprint, which makes up nearly 10% of greenhouse gas emissions in the United States, with hospitals accounting for over one-third of those emissions. Health Care Without Harm works with hospitals across the country on climate solutions in a three-pillar framework of mitigation, resilience, and leadership. Come learn about how leading hospitals are implementing this approach and how you can support the transition to climate-smart health care. |
SUSTAINABILITY IN HEALTHCARE |
Thursday, Jan. 30 at 12 p.m. at the Sylvester Support building (former name: MTSL) in Auditorium 110 on the 1st floor. |
The healthcare industry—by reducing its environmental impact and promoting patients well-being—has become a full actor in the global movement for sustainability and environmental health in our communities. Join us on Thursday, Jan. 30 at 12 p.m. at the Sylvester Support building (former name: MTSL) in Auditorium 110 on the 1st floor. Jason Bell with Baptist Health Center for the Advancement of Learning, and Julie Moyle with Practice Green Health will be hosting the session. Julie will demonstrate "The value of sustainability in Health Care", and Jason will explore “Connecting Sustainability to Employee and Community Engagement” Food and beverages will be served. RSVP now! |
|
In the middle of our very urban medical campus, right in front of the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, Med students and staff have volunteered to plant a butterfly garden. Relaxation spaces are essential to staff moral and students awareness. Patients and family members can reconnect with nature while they come for their treatment.
"In recent years, the effects of the physical environment on the healing process and well-being have proved to be increasingly relevant for patients and their families as well as for healthcare staff." Healing Environment: A review of the impact of physical environmental factors on users - E.R.C.M. Huisman; E.Morales; J.Van. Hoof; H.S.M. Kort
The food service department has launched a new program to eliminate all the styrofoam from the entire hospital system, including styrofoam cups and styrofoam trays from the hospitals.
The new meditative butterfly garden at the Calder Library is growing and attracting biodiversity. It is one of the two pollinator havens on the Medical campus
If you are passionate about our environment and sustainability, if you want to join the team and bring your own expertise, please contact greenu@miami.edu
Our goal is to increase our rate of waste diversion from landfills: between our single stream recycling, shredded PHI paper and other recycling stream, we re reaching a 26% diversion rate.
Single Stream Recycling
Most of our buildings have recycling receptacles. Download our Recycle Often, Recycle Right sign.
Toner Cartridges Recycling Programs: Learn more
With our consultants, we thrive in reducing our impact on the environment and especially in reducing our volume of Bio Hazard waste we generate (Red Bags)- Uhealth2018
What waste that should go into Red Bags?
> Items dripping with or saturated with blood and/or *body fluid OR caked with dried human blood.
> Items such as, dressings, chest drainage tubes, IV tubes filled with blood, Suction Canisters treated with solidifier, and blood and blood product bags.
*Body fluids are defined as blood and blood components, cerebrospinal fluid, pleural, peritoneal, pericardial,
semen and vaginal secretions. Feces, Urine, Vomit, Sputum, Sweat, and Tears are not disposed of as red bag waste unless there is visible signs of blood.
REMEMBER: 1 Lbs. of red bag waste is SEVEN TIMES the price of 1 Lbs. of regular trash. NON-CONTAMINATED WASTE should be tossed in a regular trash bin.
Green Lab programIf you work in a lab, manage a lab, study in a lab, and you want to make it more sustainable, Green U is here to help! Learn more
Student Green Committee at Miller
If you are student in the School of Medicine, join our Green Team! In collaboration with Student Government, our group of
passionate students promote current programs like the Green Lab program and work on new initiatives. Learn more, visit our SGC at Miller page.
Green Receiving Areas
Primary shipping for UMH will progressively ask to phase out non-reusable, non-recyclable wooden pallets by plastic re-usable pallets. Primary Receiving is proceeding to the progressive elimination of cardboard outer boxes on all distributor shipments. Supply is being delivered through a system of reusable plastic totters.
ENERGY USE
University of Miami Dining Services have implemented numerous sustainable food initiatives on our Coral Gables campus. With its partner Morrison, we are thriving to integrate best practices through our Medical campus and healthcare facilities. Recently, U Health along with Jackson Memorial have decided to take the HEALTHIER FOOD CHALLENGE from the Healthier Hospital Initiative
- Healthy beverages Q4 2018: 64% of total expenses
- Better Meat FY 2018: 17% <> our goal is 20% better meat* by 2025
- Sustainable and Local Food FY 2018: 23% <> our goal is 20% sustainable and local food by 2025
- Less meat Q1 2018: 21% <> our goal is 20% less meat by 2025
*Certifications & Label Claims Used to Verify Antibiotic Usage: Raised without Antibiotics; HFAC Certified (Certified Human); CRAU Certified (Antibiotic free)
In the middle of our very urban medical campus, right in front of the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, Med students and staff have volunteered to plant a butterfly garden. Relaxation spaces are essential to staff moral and students awareness. Patients and family members can reconnect with nature while they come for their treatment.
"In recent years, the effects of the physical environment on the healing process and well-being have proved to be increasingly relevant for patients and their families as well as for healthcare staff." Healing Environment: A review of the impact of physical environmental factors on users - E.R.C.M. Huisman; E.Morales; J.Van. Hoof; H.S.M. Kort
*****
PAST EVENTS
In the News: Green U Hosted Sustainability Forum for South Florida Hospitals:
Among the featured speakers, Julie Moyle, M.S.N., R.N., an outreach specialist with the Healthier Hospitals Initiative of Practice Green Health, gave an extensive overview of the benefits of greening hospital operations and made a presentation on a free web tool that provides resources and sustainability challenges in areas of engaging leadership, energy savings, water conservation, food and wellness and greening purchasing.
HIGHLIGHTS on U Health partners:
|
Recycling Shredded Paper: Recycling paper is an important element in most business' sustainability plans, and when handled right, you’re not only helping the environment but also boosting security. A single ton of recycled paper can yield significant environmental benefits including reducing carbon emissions, saving trees, and cutting back on water use, resulting in an energy savings of around 65%, but have you ever wondered what it takes to securely recycle? Learn more |
GOOD WILL LAUNDRY AND LINENS GREEN INITIATIVES |
Goodwill Laundry and Linens is the newest state of the art commercial healthcare laundry in South Florida. By nature the processing, laundering and re using textiles as opposed to disposable linen is the major component in being green for the customer and the provider. |
Processing Equipment/ Energy Efficient Energy efficient laundry processing equipment was given the highest priority when selecting the laundering and finishing equipment for the new laundry. Tunnel Washers: This results in potentially over 1.6 million gallons of water not used from the Aquifer annually this year. The anticipated water savings with Jackson Health poundage will be over 5 million gallons saved annually.
Heat Reclamation: Goodwill Laundry and Linens captures the residual heat energy from the drain water from the washers and through a Kemco heat reclamation system and pre heats the incoming cold water thereby reducing the amount of (new) energy required to heat the water. In addition the high temperature exhaust air from the boilers are captured and used to make all the hot water required by the plant. No additional or (new) energy is required. Ironers: Chicago self -contained thermal fluid heated ironers are used to iron linen. The ironers have a self- contained burner which uses significantly less energy as opposed to steam generated from a boiler eliminating the line loss and increased energy required. Lighting: The Goodwill laundry facility uses the most up to date energy efficient lighting to illuminate the plant and work stations. The lighting is programmable using energy only in areas and times necessary. In addition LED lighting is used over work stations resulting in less energy consumption and improved linen quality control. Lighting in offices, rest rooms and break rooms are controlled by motion sensors and automatically turns on and off depending on whether the space is occupied or not. Recycling: Goodwill Laundry and Linens is committed to recycling as much as possible. All plastic especially plastic soiled linen bags are placed in a recycling compactor and sent to a recycling center where the bags are melted and repurposed to make new plastic products. The plastic recycling reduces the Goodwill’s trash flow to our landfills significantly. Goodwill has recycled over a quarter of a million pounds of plastic over the past 12 months. Linen that has reached its useful purpose is recycled into rags and other useful products and not sent to the landfill. Pallets received by the laundry for new linen shipments are re used by Goodwill’s main manufacturing facility for shipping. All cardboard is sent to a cardboard recycling center Used oils and greases are picked up by an oil recycling service and are reconstituted for additional use. Employee Awareness: Upon orientation staff is made aware of our commitment to energy efficiencies and recycling the items listed above. Key staff working in areas of items to be recycled is responsible for making certain that they are handled and staged appropriately. |