Salt Lake City, UT -- (ReleaseWire) -- 10/24/2019 --Utah Business magazine has named Intermountain Healthcare a 2019 Green Business Award winner for the health system's initiatives to enhance sustainability efforts and numerous green projects.
The honor comes in the category of Green Business Leadership. Among the many sustainability projects Intermountain was recognized for by the magazine include: converting to LED lighting at the health system's 23 hospitals, reducing plastic waste, and implementing an innovative water conservation program.
Earlier this year Intermountain aimed to greatly reduce plastic waste by converting to strawless lids at all cafes and bistros. This alone is expected to eliminate the number of straws used by 2 million per year.
Sustainability has become a vital part of the organization's mission, according to Mikelle Moore, senior vice president and chief community health officer of Intermountain Healthcare.
"A part of helping people live the healthiest lives possible is making sure we create cleaner environments in the communities that we serve," said Moore. "It's an honor to have our efforts recognized with this award, and a tribute to our caregivers for their efforts to help us achieve our sustainability goals."
Over the past several years, Intermountain has increased its sustainability efforts significantly. The company recently finished converting all interior lighting to LED bulbs in all its hospitals across Utah and Idaho and at several clinics. This alone saves more than $600,000 annually, and enough electricity to power nearly 500 homes for a year, which in turn helps lower the cost of healthcare.
"At this point there's no slowing down when it comes to sustainability because in the end, we find it makes us a more efficient and more responsible community partner," said Steve Bergstrom, sustainability director for Intermountain Healthcare.
Utah Business also praised Intermountain's commitment to building LEED efficient buildings for all new construction while upgrading existing facilities. The LEED certification is a third-party verification process that rates buildings based on the sustainability included in the design.
Intermountain plans to continue leading the way in sustainability with a host of future green projects. This includes installing electric vehicle charging stations at every hospital by the end of 2020. Intermountain also plans to convert 80 percent of all company fleet vehicles to hybrids or electrics by 2025.
Intermountain leaders are also looking at every level of operation to find ways to reduce the use of plastic at our facilities. From supply chain to the cafeteria, Intermountain is working to cut back or eliminate unnecessary plastics which often end up in landfills.
"We're hoping to show everyone the important role sustainability plays in an organization's future and community stewardship," said Bergstrom.
Intermountain will receive the Green Business Award during a luncheon on October 24th at the Grand America Hotel. For a link to the Utah Business article click here.
Intermountain Healthcare Recognized as a Utah Business Leader in Sustainability