According to the Environmental Protection Agency, the average hospital is responsible for close to 7,000 tons of garbage each day, in addition to using large amounts of water and electricity. However, for Spectrum Health, HR is on the front lines of the sustainability front, working and communicating with employees to help reduce waste.
"We have quite a few staff who are engaged in our sustainability program, and a lot of them are human resources staff," says Sarah Chartier, sustainability program manager at Spectrum Health, according to the article.
Strategies include:
- Reducing lighting in the operating rooms not in use
- Safely recycling materials from ORs
- Cutting down on wasted food
- Shopping local for food products
- Making mass transportation easy and affordable
Engaging employees in a dialogue and getting everyone working together is key, Chartier said. "The employees care a bit more about how we affect the community, and they feel empowered to make changes at work as well."