Since October 14th, Gundersen Health System and its network of hospitals, medical clinics, nursing homes and related facilities based in La Crosse, Wisconsin has become the first health system of its kind to become fully energy independent. The project began six years ago when Gundersen set a goal to simply reduce consumption and rely more on renewable energy. The concept was intended to “make the air better for our patients to breathe, control our rising energy costs and help our local economy” according to CEO, Jeff Thompson. The moves have saved the system about $2 million every year.
There are solar panels on the parking garage, but it doesn’t stop there. The health system has helped build two wind farms with enough energy for 2,600 homes. The main campus has an 800-horsepower biomass boiler, methane capture from a local landfill as well as methane from 2,000 cows on three dairy farms for its generators. The system sells extra electricity as well as manure that can be used as compost, bedding and fertilizer.
Gundersen has also been able to reduce its hazardous and pharmaceutical waste by 40% since 2010. Other waste streams are capped with a kitchen staff trained to use most every part of vegetables in their cooking and donating left-overs to the Salvation Army. The energy independence and waste management is remarkable, but especially when considering hospitals frequently use two and a half times the energy of commercial buildings because of their 24-hour high tech operations.
http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2014/11/11/3591150/green-hospital-system/