2014 Sustainability Report T HE ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT

Transcription

1 2014 Sustainability Report T HE ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT

2 Energy Award-winning energy management 2014 was an extraordinarily successful year for Montefiore s energy management program. In June 2014, Montefiore s Engineering Team received the Corporate Energy Management Award from the Association of Energy Engineers NYC Chapter. This award speaks not only to our recent accomplishments, but also to the commitment to energy-efficiency and resiliency that Montefiore has displayed over the past two decades. Moving forward, the general focus of the energy management team will be to increase the efficiency of each Montefiore campus, resulting in decreased energy consumption and increased energy resiliency. PlaNYC Greenhouse Gas Reductions Montefiore has been a part of the New York City Carbon Challenge since Through the carbon challenge, Montefiore has committed to a 30 percent carbon reduction by 2018 and, to date, the network has experienced at percent reduction versus the 2007 baseline. Getting to the current reduction percentage has been the result of a multitude of projects, including employee education, energy-efficient lighting, the Moses campus Combined Heat and Power (CHP) plant, and an aggressive preventative maintenance program on all major mechanical systems across the network. To reach the 30 percent reduction goal, the energy management team plans to upgrade a portion of the Moses CHP plant, continue the installation of efficient lighting, and expand employee education programs to ensure all associates understand the importance of energy conservation. The greenhouse gas reductions realized since 2005 is equal to taking 350 cars off the road.

3 Energy (2 of 4) Modeling energy-efficient facilities Moses Campus Cogeneration As the first adopter of CHP in New York City s healthcare sector, Montefiore has always been a leader in CHP operations. Because of our history, experience, and successes, the New York City Mayor s Office of Long-Term Planning and Sustainability has asked Montefiore to be the case study for successful cogeneration in an energy management best practices handbook to be distributed through PlaNYC. Cogeneration is quickly becoming standard practice in the healthcare industry, due to the added resiliency that it provides a facility. Montefiore has set the gold standard for other NYC area hospitals looking to install their own plant did not bring any significant changes to Montefiore s CHP plant, but the benefits of onsite power generation are experienced by all Montefiore associates daily. Going forward, a main goal for Montefiore s Energy Management team is to pursue funding to expand the capacity of our Fairbanks Morse plant. Expanding our plant capacity will make the Moses Campus more resilient, more redundant, and better equipped to handle the continuously changing power needs of this facility.

4 Energy (3 of 4) Provide a safe, state-of-theart facility LED Fixture Installation Fluorescent Fixture LED Fixture Continuing a program that began more than a decade ago, in 2014, the Engineering Department installed over 1,500 LED lighting fixtures, resulting in a savings of 850,000 kwhs, which is enough electricity to power 80 homes for a year. The LED fixtures and bulbs installed throughout our hospitals require significantly less energy than their fluorescent counterparts and provide a better quality of light (The difference can be seen in images to the left). LEDs also have a much longer lifespan, which allows for fewer lights to be purchased and less bulbs being discarded. One additional benefit provided by the LED lights is the lack of mercury within the fixture. Fluorescent lights and compact fluorescent lights (CFL) both contain mercury, which can be released if the bulbs are broken. Moving forward, the Engineering Department plans to continue upgrading lighting throughout all Montefiore properties, where it makes economical, environmental, and operational sense. Throughout 2014, the Engineering Department installed more than 1,500 LED lighting fixtures, resulting in a savings of 850,000 kwhs, which is enough electricity to power 80 homes for a year.

5 Energy (4 of 4) Demand Response For nearly a decade, Montefiore has participated in the New York Independent System Operator s (NYISO) Demand Response (DR) Programs, helping to alleviate strain on the electric grid on the hottest days of the year. When a DR event is called, the energy management team takes measures to temporarily reduce our electric consumption from the grid. This is accomplished through various means, such as running of emergency generators or adjusting the temperature in certain spaces by a few degrees, all while not impacting health system s operations. In 2014 Montefiore s Engineering Department generated nearly $140,000 in revenue. Provide a safe state-of-theart facility Major Equipment Replacement Montefiore Mount Vernon s Engineering Department successfully installed two new energy-efficient chillers (image to left) that will provide cooling to the hospital. The chillers and associated controls will help to provide our patients and staff with a comfortable environment during the warmer summer months. Montefiore was able to take advantage of an incentive program created by the New York State Energy Research and Development Administration (NYSERDA) because these pieces of equipment were so efficient. Upon project completion, NYSERDA gave Montefiore a $45,000 check. Significant energy savings can be expected beginning in the summer of 2015, with the start of the cooling season.

6 Waste Reduce waste by engaging high volume generators Beginning in 2014, Montefiore began examining and addressing inefficiencies in our waste streams. This comprehensive process has involved an exhaustive review of initiatives including LDPE (clear plastic wrap) recycling at the primary shipping and receiving warehouse, installation of an anaerobic bio-digester at Montefiore New Rochelle, conversion of all compactors to single stream recycling, and plastic badge recycling. Additionally, in collaboration with Practice Greenhealth s Greening the OR initiative, all operating rooms began the process of adopting environmentally friendly practices, beginning with the recycling of medical plastics and packaging generated during OR cases. Greening the Operating Room Operating rooms typically account for between 30% and 40 percent of the waste produced by a hospital. When your hospital generates several tons of waste on a daily basis, this can translate to a significant amount of garbage. To help address this issue, Montefiore rolled out a Greening the OR initiative across the health system. The main focus of this campaign is to increase recycling rates and to reduce the amount of medical waste that is generated within the OR department. A successful Greening the OR program can help reduce the amount of landfilled or treated hospital waste and save real dollars on disposal costs. This program was implemented towards the end of 2014, with more dramatic changes projected for Other efforts to Green Montefiore s OR operations include the introduction of a Fluid Management System, enhanced medical device reprocessing and energyefficient surgical lighting.

7 Waste (2 of 3) Reduce waste by investing in infrastructure Single Stream Recycling Biodigesting All of Montefiore s campuses have converted to single stream recycling, more commonly referred to as comingled recycling. Single stream recycling provides large facilities with the ability to collect all recyclable materials in an efficient way. All of the paper, plastic, cardboard, and aluminum generated within the hospital can now be discarded in one recycling bin. This saves space and time for the associates discarding items, as well as the associates handling our waste. The ability to prevent organic waste from ending up in a landfill is becoming an increasing concern in NYC. A proposed change to NYC s recycling law may force businesses to address this issue as soon as this summer. To address this, the facilities team installed a biodigester at Montefiore New Rochelle at the end of The biodigester was able to prevent between 300 and 500 lbs. daily from entering our waste stream. Because this machine was so successful and well received by Food Services associates, plans are currently underway to expand this program to the Wakefield campus.

8 Waste (3 of 3) Improving processes one opportunity at a time I Got My Shot Badge Recycling Stretch Wrap Recycling Program Every year, healthcare workers are required to receive the flu shot. Montefiore distributed a pink I Got my Shot badge to all associates who received the shot in This year, the sustainability team provided recycling bins to Occupational Health Services departments at each Montefiore campus to collect the pink badges. The results of this initiative will be presented to associates after the close of the flu season. Low-Density Polyethylene (LDPE) is a number four plastic and can be found at each Montefiore campus, most commonly wrapping the pallets delivered to each hospital on a daily basis. Since the program s inception, nearly 15,000 lbs. of plastic have been collected and recycled. The sustainability team expects continued success for this program in 2015, with the ultimate goal of collecting 25,000 lbs. of plastic.

9 Additional Projects (2 of 3) The following will discuss additional projects related to or managed by Montefiore s Energy and Sustainability team. Enhancing facilites through state-of-the-art design Green Roofs Through the Green Infrastructure Grant Program offered by the New York City Department of Environmental Protection, Montefiore has been awarded two separate grants to complete green roof projects. The projects will be located at Montefiore s Wakefield Campus and one of Montefiore s Real Estate properties located at 3450 Wayne Avenue. Significant progress has been made throughout 2014 in terms of design and selecting materials for these projects. The green roofs are expected to be completed in 2015 and will help to alleviate any flooding in the areas surrounding each hospital.

10 Additional Projects (3 of 3) Enhancing community partnerships Community Gardens Montefiore s Sustainability Team partnered with the Children s Hospital at Montefiore (CHAM) B N Fit program and Manhattan College s Center for Urban Resiliency and Environmental Sustainability (CURES) to create an urban garden on the Montefiore Campus. The garden is located near the corner of Kossuth Avenue and East Gun Hill Road and was developed in years prior by Montefiore House Staff, the CHAM B N Fit program, and the Moses Engineering Department. In early spring, the B N Fit team along with the students from CURES planted fruits, vegetables, herbs and flowers in the six raised beds located throughout the garden space. As you can see in the pictures above, the garden flourished into a lush, green oasis for the students and teens to nurture. Towards the end of the summer, the B N Fit teens were able to harvest vegetables and herbs from the garden to create and cook their own healthy meals. The aim of this program is to teach kids and the community that even in a dense, urban community, gardens can flourish and provide you healthy, local foods.

11 2015 Sustainability Goals Energy Continue efforts aimed at achieving a 30 percent carbon emission reduction Expand the usage of LED fixtures and lighting control technology throughout the hospitals Investigate options for increasing the generational capacity of the Moses Combined Heat & Power Plant Waste Increase recycling rates within Montefiore s ORs and throughout other hospital departments Expand the OR reprocessing program of Single Use Devices to decrease landfilled waste Continue efforts to reduce the overall amount of medical waste generated by the health system Other Construct the green roof at the Wakefield Campus Continue to educate staff and the communities that we serve about sustainability issues in healthcare Obtain recognition through Practice Greenhealth and the Westchester Green Business Challenge for efforts related to sustainability