Hospitals commit to a healthy planet
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Green building has been growing exponentially in the last few years at government facilities, hotels and college campuses as well as residential and commercial properties. So it’s no surprise to see the movement has finally reached religious and health care facilities.
It seems only logical to consider the health of the planet at places where we care for the health of our souls and bodies.
But when the people of Newburg, Oregon needed a new hospital, there were financial considerations as well. Luckily when they decided to build green, they actually saved a little green while doing it.
Providence Newberg’s new hospital, the first in the US to receive LEED Gold (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification through the U.S. Green Building Council, secured almost $400,000 in green grants and expects at least $141,000 in tax breaks from the State of Oregon.
Canadian hospitals are also starting to go green. The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) in Toronto has been installing the largest hospital-based solar thermal energy site. Mondial Energy Inc., recently recognized as a 2007 top-ten Canadian clean tech company, will build the solar roofs on the SickKids’ atrium.
Looks like the greening of the health care industry will be a top sustainability trend to watch in 2008.
By Stefan Deeran at The Element Agency in New York