North Shore-Long Island Hospitals to Improve Sustainability
The North Shore-Long Island Jewish Health System will incorporate a number of environmentally sound practices into daily operations at the 12 hospitals it manages across Long Island and in New York City, under an agreement signed April 21 with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The hospital system has pledged to conserve water and energy, reduce air pollution, increase recycling and use environmentally preferable materials at all of its facilities.
Under the agreement, the system will:
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join the Energy Star program with the goal of reducing energy usage by at least 10 percent. North Shore-Long Island Jewish Health System already completed a $15 million energy and water conservation project and plans to spend an additional $30 million to cut energy usage.
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join the WasteWise program, which reduces waste and increases recycling, with the goals of improving recycling, establishing a food composting program, and minimizing construction waste that goes to landfills.
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join Clean Construction USA program, which will reduce air pollution from vehicles and construction. The health system will work with contractors to ensure that emission-reducing equipment is used during construction projects.
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build green buildings by continuing to work with the U.S. Green Building Council-Long Island to earn the council’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating for eight construction projects.
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install water fixtures certified by the WaterSense program, which use at least 10 percent less water than conventional products. The system’s new facilities will use water efficient toilets, urinals, showers and faucets.
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incorporate the use of environmentally preferable landscaping materials and consider practices like collecting rainwater for reuse, using porous pavement in parking lots, and installing green roofs and those that reflect the sun, using EPA’s GreenScapes landscaping program as its guide.
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apply for membership in the Coal Combustion Products Partnership Program with the goal of increasing the use of coal combustion products, which require less energy to produce than typical concrete and cement.
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improve the efficiency of the Long Island Jewish Medical Center’s 2.8 megawatt combined heat and power plant, making it an even cleaner and more efficient power source.
North Shore-Long Island Jewish Health System will submit a status report to EPA every six months, and the federal agency will use the report to determine the environmental benefits associated with system’s activities. The agreement covers North Shore University Hospital, Long Island Jewish Medical Center, Franklin Hospital, Forest Hills Hospital, Glen Cove Hospital, Huntington Hospital, Plainview Hospital, Cohen Children’s Medical Center, Southside Hospital, Syosset Hospital and Zucker Hillside Hospital on Long Island and Staten Island University Hospital in New York City.