Going green might not seem easy at first, but nurses who’ve spearheaded environmental efforts in their own facilities say you just need to start small. They offered the following tips for creating a green mindset — both for you and for your employer.

1. Start at home. Pack your lunch in a reusable container, use a refillable water bottle, recycle your trash and invest in reusable shopping bags. “It’s about changing your personal practice,” said Julie Teague, RN, St. Vincent Indianapolis Hospital. “It’s thinking about things differently and teaching your kids to think about things differently.”

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2. Seek out low-hanging fruit first. Sometimes little things make a big difference. St. Francis Hospital & Health Centers cut its electricity costs by placing “switch off” stickers on light switches in break rooms, conference rooms and storage areas, said spokesman Joe Stuteville. The hospital also expects to save $65,000 in electricity costs annually by installing a program that “snoozes” computers after 15 idle minutes.

3. Partner with your vendors. Product packaging is a major source of hospital waste, but vendors might make changes if you ask. “You have to approach your vendors and say, ‘We really need you to get on board with this,’ ” Teague said.

4. Seek out new vendors. If you think you can’t recycle it, you probably need to think again. With the appropriate vendor, hospitals can reuse or recycle everything from sharps to surgical equipment. This option often is less expensive than purchasing new materials.

5. Think differently about recycling. Donating unused supplies and equipment to a U.S. charity or to a health care facility abroad is another form of recycling. It’s simply a matter of matching your facility’s unused materials with another organization’s needs.

6. Involve every department. In the discussion about going green, every member of the staff has something to contribute. Perhaps the food services department could switch to eco-friendly containers or purchase local organic produce. Can the cleaning crews use green cleaning supplies in some areas? How can the maintenance and landscaping teams contribute?

7. Make environmental stewardship a priority. Environmental stewardship in everything from purchasing decisions to facility expansions can help make the world a cleaner, healthier place for everyone.

—By Ashley Petry, for Custom Publications

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