Children’s believes that green buildings are healthier environments for the occupants and building green is integral to the core mission of providing top-quality healthcare. In fact, the hospital recently won the 2008 Governor’s Award for Sustainable Practices.
Through thoughtful, sustainable facility master planning, Children’s future development will consider habitat, energy and water, which are essential to community design and reducing demand on the local infrastructure. These choices will contribute to a sustainable urban campus and, by extension, positively affect the community around it.
Children’s is also committed to following the principles and strategies in the Green Guide for Health CareTM. This program describes the best-practice methods for hospital facility design, construction, facilities management and operations.
Children’s will also make meaningful performance efficiencies in the following areas as they relate to new development for facilities design, construction and operations:
- Adopt 2030 Challenge reduction in greenhouse gas emissions for new construction,
- Reduce BTU per square foot energy use of new building area over existing.
- Generate renewable energy on-site.
- Supply building’s energy use purchased from off-site renewable green power sources.
- Use Green Roof Coverage.
- Purchase wood products used from certified sustainable forests.
- Increase the number of employees using alternatives to driving to work alone.
- Continue efforts to support visitors to use alternative transportation, e.g., transit, walking, shuttles, etc.
- Reduce construction waste; maintain high levels of demolition reuse and/or recycling.
- Employ operational recycling, solid waste diversion.
- Reduce potable water usage.
- Use locally sourced building materials.
- Purchase environmentally preferred, low V.O.C. products.