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News release: Colorado - Denver/BoulderApril 3, 2006 For more information: Kaiser Permanente Colorado Wins National Environmental Leadership Award Denver - Since 2002, Kaiser Permanente Colorado has recycled enough paper and cardboard to save 323,000 trees and 13.3 million gallons of water, one effort of many that earned the organization the 2006 National Environmental Leadership award from Hospitals for a Healthy Environment (H2E). The Leadership Award is given each year to facilities or health care systems that are setting the standard for environmental programs and policies. H2E recognizes organizations for embracing safer building products, energy and water efficiency, safe working practices and a commitment to public health demonstrated through the reduction of waste. H2E recognized Kaiser Permanente Colorado’s efforts to drastically reduce waste and the use of hazardous chemicals in an effort to positively affect the communities we serve. In 1990, a team called The Eco Team was founded at Kaiser Permanente Colorado to create a regional environmental policy. Today, there are Eco Team members at each Kaiser Permanente Colorado location working to uphold the policy. Since 2002 Kaiser Permanente Colorado has: • Recycled more than 25,000 mercury-containing fluorescent lamps. • Recycled more than 1,900 tons of paper and cardboard and 52 tons of plastic. • Decreased the use and disposal of photo-processing chemicals by an estimated 70 percent by converting the Radiology Department to digital imaging in almost all cases. “The credit goes to our Eco Team and every staff member and physician who pitched in to make KP Colorado greener,” said Donna Lynne, regional president. “This award demonstrates that business practices can be successfully aligned with environmental protection practices to improve the health of the communities we serve.” The award letter acknowledges that "Kaiser Permanente Colorado Region is helping to change the culture of an industry. The region has set the highest standard of excellence in demonstrating the way health care can and should improve the environment while maintaining quality patient care. You have accomplished a tremendous community health initiative." About Kaiser Permanente Colorado Kaiser Permanente is a nonprofit health plan and the largest private health care provider in Colorado. More than 462,000 members in the Denver/Boulder and Colorado Springs areas have access to Kaiser Permanente care through our expanded suite of health care products. Kaiser Permanente physicians and care teams focus on prevention as well as curing disease, all in an effort to help patients live well and thrive. About Hospitals for a Healthy Environment The leading national force in helping hospitals with environmental improvement, H2E provides practical solutions though a website full of resources, regular teleconferences offering expert help for environmental challenges, and a listserv where colleagues across the country share best practices and strategies for pollution prevention. At CleanMed 2006, H2E honors nearly 200 facilities for environmental excellence through its annual awards program. To learn more, visit www.h2e-online.org.
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