“Geting It” continued

Maybe defining “getting it” would be easiest through the use of examples.

Here is the first.  From The Washington Post:

Is it ironic that the industry we trust to protect our health is releasing substances that may be tied to cancer, diabetes and other illnesses? Many health-care professionals think so.

In recent years, some have begun to think greener. Most efforts focus on reducing toxic waste from hospitals and medical offices as well as cutting back on water and energy use. But some doctors and health workers are also considering changes in their practices that could enhance environmental and patient health.

Read about Inova Fairfax Hospital is doing to make their operations greener.  Oh yeah, it’s saving money at a time when margins are being squeezed, too.  From the article:

“There are major parts of the building that never shut down,” said Cindy Kilgore, assistant vice president of materials management at Inova Fairfax Hospital. “We have to have a certain airflow, have to stay at a certain temperature, so there are unique things that make [cutting energy use] more complicated.”

Still, Inova has come up with some cost-saving answers. After its five hospitals completed energy audits last month, they turned off the lights in their vending machines. Kilgore said that simple change will save about $15,000 a year. More changes will come once Inova has had a chance to analyze the audit’s findings, she said.

Inova is also exploring the feasibility of a system that would shut down nonessential computers each night. And before the summer landscaping season ends, Kilgore said, Inova Fairfax hopes to use leftover oil from its cafeteria fryers to make biodiesel for its lawn mowers.