Gundersen Health System, a network of hospitals, medical clinics, and nursing homes in Wisconsin, announced that it is producing more energy than it consumes, making it the first net-zero energy health system in the U.S.
Gundersen is using biogas from three local farms, methane from a local landfill, wood chips from local suppliers, solar panels installed on a parking lot, geothermal systems, and wind from two local projects. Energy consumption has been reduced by 40%, saving $2 million a year. The network also earns $2 million by selling surplus electricity and manure byproducts of biogas production.
"We did not set out to be the greenest health system, we set out to make the air better for our patients to breathe, control our rising energy costs, and help our local economy,” according to CEO Jeff Thompson. The accomplishment is particularly noteworthy given the industry and the climate, Thompson says.
He notes that hospitals typically consume 2.5 times more energy than commercial buildings, and Wisconsin’s harsh winters make it one of the most energy-intensive climates in the nation. Gundersen has also made great strides in waste reduction. Hazardous and pharmaceutical waste has been reduced by 40%, food waste by 70%, and styrofoam waste has been eliminated.
(http://www.sustainablebusiness.com/index.cfm/go/news.display/id/26068)
Related Stories
| Jan 25, 2013
AISC 206-13 standard for structural steel erectors available for review
AISC 206-13, a quality management system standard for structural steel erectors, is now available for public review.
| Jan 25, 2013
Builders Hardware Manufacturers Assn. revises five ANSI hardware standards
The Builders Hardware Manufacturers Association (BHMA) has released five revisions to ANSI/BHMA standards recently been approved by ANSI (American National Standards Institute).
| Jan 16, 2013
Pentagon plans huge spending cuts, including construction funds, amid budget deadlock fears
Defense Secretary Leon Panetta has ordered cuts to military spending as a precaution in case the White House and Congress fail to agree to avert $52 billion in cuts to the Pentagon budget this year.
| Jan 16, 2013
GSA's Green Proving Ground program pushes energy efficiency
The General Services Administration, which manages a portfolio of almost 10,000 buildings, is using the Green Proving Ground program to test technological advances in energy efficiency.
| Jan 16, 2013
Standards that include reflective roofs must take into account local climate
Roofs painted white can reflect heat and reduce warm-weather energy use, but in cooler regions like Minneapolis or Chicago, the issue of energy-efficiency is less straightforward.
| Jan 16, 2013
New standard for geothermal heat pump systems piping to be included in 2015 International Mechanical Code
NSF International, an independent global organization that writes standards, and tests and certifies products, has published the first in a series of American National Standards for Ground-Source Geothermal Piping Systems – NSF/ANSI 358-1.
| Jan 16, 2013
ANSI passes new safety standards for reinforcing steel and post-tensioning
The ANSI A10 Accredited Standards Committee for Construction and Demolition Operations recently approved amendments to the ANSI A10.9 Concrete and Masonry Standard.
| Jan 8, 2013
Congress passes Drywall Safety Act
Congress recently passed the Drywall Safety Act; President Barack Obama is expected to sign it soon.
| Jan 8, 2013
Building-integrated PVs could help boost green standards over the next few years
A developing technology could begin to have an impact on sustainable standards over the next few years.
| Jan 8, 2013
Revamp of codes among nine low tech steps to raise community resiliency
Updating of local zoning and building codes is one of nine low-tech steps that can boost sustainability and storm resiliency, according to this article.
