Environmental Stewardship
At HSHS our focus is, and has always been, on the conservation and preservation of the earth’s resources. St. Francis, the patron saint of ecology, taught us to Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle these precious resources so that generations for years to come may continue to enjoy them. By developing “Reverence for the Earth” green teams in each of our local ministries and across the system, HSHS has positioned itself as a national leader for environmental initiatives in healthcare.
A few of the initiatives we have in place across the system are:
- Utilizing reusable sharps containers to reduce plastics entering the waste stream
- Retro-commissioning our buildings to reduce energy consumption
- Recycling single-use medical devices to reduce waste stream pounds
- Utilizing centralized copier/printer processing to reduce paper and energy use
- Purchasing local food to reduce the carbon footprint and support our local economies
- Recycling ink cartridges to reduce plastics in landfills
- Composting food waste to reduce water and waste stream pounds
Additionally, HSHS holds many recycling events at each of our ministries. These recycling events are held both internally and for the local communities to increase environmental awareness.
At HSHS we truly understand that Reverence for the Earth begins with the process in which things are used, and lasts for the life of such products.