Brigham Health Eco-Green Team promotes environmentally and financially sustainable habits

With members based at both Brigham and Women’s Faulkner Hospital and Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Brigham Health’s new Eco-Green Team is working to educate, identify, collaborate and support initiatives that are environmentally and, when attainable, financially sustainable habits.

Here at BWFH, Executive Director of Facilities and Support Services Ed Pitts, CHFM, CLSS-HC, Director of Food and Nutrition Susan Langill, RD, LDN, and Manager of Materials Management Jorge Villanueva all sit on the committee.

“As a hospital, it’s our mission to improve the lives of our patients,” says Pitts. “To do that, we must do everything we can to ensure we are also doing the best we can for our environment.”

To achieve their mission, the Eco-Green Team is focusing on goals outlined by Practice Greenhealth’s Healthier Hospital Program: 

• Engaged Leadership: support an organizational commitment to environmental stewardship through systematic communication and stakeholder engagement
• Healthier Food: encourage healthy food consumption to improve the health of patients, staff and communities
• Leaner Energy: empower facilities to conserve energy, decrease energy costs, reduce emissions, and obtain energy from more sustainable sources
• Less Waste: reduce the amount of waste generated and increase recycling
• Safer Chemicals: eliminate the use of products containing hazardous chemicals and switch to safer alternatives
• Smarter Purchasing: choose environmentally preferred medical products and equipment, generating demand for healthier and safer products and services

To make a significant change, the Eco-Green Team is asking for your help! If you have an idea on how we can be more environmentally friendly, submit it here.

For additional information about the Eco-Green Team, contact us at ecogreen@bwh.harvard.edu.