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Hometalk is where people share and help with everything home & garden

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SawHorse.net
SawHorse.net Professional Atlanta, GA
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Green Living Heating & Cooling Repurposing & Upcycling

Is your hospital/ home green?

Behind the food industry, the medical industry is the most wasteful when it comes to trash. I had the pleasure of spending the past week in the hospital with our newborn son (isn't he cute?) and in between naps- got to do a full green audit of the spaces that I was allowed to interact with. Here are some of the things that I noticed that we should be doing much better since it is now 2012. Note these all are things that either save money without an upfront investment- you don't have to spend money to "go green".

1. Waste management- Could not find a recycling bin in either the maternity ward, or the cafeteria.

2. Waste management- Did not get the option to use silver ware or plates. I had to use plastic and foam.

3. Health/ Waste management- McDonald's was the only food source that was available 24/7. Not healthy or green with all of the packaging.

4. Indoor Air Quality- I sneezed every time I had to use the soaps or hand sanitizing solutions since they had so much perfume in them. If I sneezed- imagine what the lungs of a 4 day old felt. ...»

5. Indoor air quality- The cleaners that they used in the room were not low-VOC. Not good for mothers, babies or the people working around them.

6. Energy Management- Did not see any occupancy sensors in any of the spaces that were not in use 24/7 so they could shut off to save power.

I could go on and on, however in a space with so many smart people working in it, why are we still so wasteful? There are many articles that I have read on this and have consulted other hospitals that were much worse. If you want to see a medical facility in Atlanta with a green business/ marketing plan- check out Emory- http://www.emoryhealthcare.org/about-us/sust...

It's not hard as long as you stick to the basics- Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. Bob the Builder and

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    First hug from baby Matthew
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    Our new marketing director!
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on Jan 16, 2012 | 822 Views
44 Comments Displaying 25 of 44 comments | See Previous
  • Donna Dixson Buford, GA
    I think the pillows are considered to be medical waste.

    Macrolide-Resistant Streptococcus Pneumoniae is primarily the reason.

    on Jan 17, 2012 · Like 1
  • ProCoat Painters, LLC Marietta, GA
    Welcome new hoots baby! Let me know if Heather or I can help or bring a dinner by for the family.
    on Jan 17, 2012 · Like 1
  • Flowerscapes Garden Desig... Suwanee, GA
    Wow! So precious, the miracle of babies and life. Congratulations!
    on Jan 18, 2012 · Like 1
  • Rose S Marietta, GA
    What a sweet baby. Congratulations, there is a new generation.
    on Jan 19, 2012 · Like 1
  • Bonnie B Shingle Springs, CA
    Now this is what I call "personally designed" ~~ it just dosen't get any cuter than this, your new son. Congrats!
    on Jan 21, 2012 · Like 1
  • SawHorse.net Atlanta, GA
    Thanks for all of the compliments! We are very pleased with baby Matthew and he has been great so far. Very minimal crying. Just likes a clean diaper.

    @Procoat- let's talk. Perhaps a lunch date!

    on Jan 21, 2012 · Like 0
  • Donna Dixson Buford, GA
    Recent visit to Athens Regional Hospital. There is hope :)

    oh...and twin boys (Josiah 3.12 and Gabriel 4.3 - both in nicu but doing well!)

    on Jan 23, 2012 · Like 3
  • SawHorse.net Atlanta, GA
    @Four Seasons- congratulations! We just have to train the next generation how to be good stewards of the economy and the environment.
    on Jan 23, 2012 · Like 0
  • KMS Woodworks Nederland, CO
    Education is KEY...Every time I see pallets of bottled water I cringe...Some people pay more for tap water then I pay for gasoline!!!...the big question is why?
    • I just don't see why they think its worth it.
    on Jan 23, 2012 · Like 0
  • SawHorse.net Atlanta, GA
    KMS- the education is out there. People need to think and ask questions. There needs to be a cultural mind shift in our country to stop being so wasteful. The only time people are more conservative is when there seems to be less of a resource or it the costs go up.

    When natural gas prices or gasoline prices go up, people think green. When they go back down, they forget quickly.

    on Jan 23, 2012 · Like 0
  • SawHorse.net Atlanta, GA
    @procoat - just sent you a direct message.
    on Jan 24, 2012 · Like 0
  • Garden Rebel / Sims Lands... Orlando, FL
    Sawhorse is so right, a new cultural shift needs to achieve critical mass. I too see waste everywhere but posts like this can help begin the change to streamline a new way of thinking.
    on Jan 25, 2012 · Like 0
  • Terri J York, PA
    Congratulations on the birth of your son, and yes, he is adorable. I just read your article on waste in the hospital. I know an architect who designs nursing homes, and I am going to pass on the information to him. Maybe he can figure out a way to make the nursing homes he designs more environmentally friendly.
    on Feb 20, 2012 · Like 0
  • SawHorse.net Atlanta, GA
    Terri- there are many architects doing is correctly, just not enough of them. Whenever I see new building going up that are not green, it makes me wonder if people have been paying attention to the cultural shift over the past few years.
    on Feb 20, 2012 · Like 0
  • Terri J York, PA
    Maybe, I should re-clearify a little bit. He already does a lot of green work, I was just going to send him the comments and ask him if he would like to join hometalk, as it is a fast resource for the latest developments in all this. He actually published books a few years ago, b/c there were none avialiable in his two states where he is licensed provinding all the current rules/regulaations/standards, etc in doing nursing homes. ...»

    I know he has a couple of bigger projects going on currently, so I was doing what I could to speed things along to him. Afterall, he is my brother-in-law!

    on Feb 23, 2012 · Like 0
  • SawHorse.net Atlanta, GA
    That is good to here. I am glad that he is supporting the movement. Lee Anne Culpepper and I are working on a green bathroom case study that will showcase some of these green features that should be considered for design.
    on Feb 24, 2012 · Like 1
  • Terri J York, PA
    Please keep me informed, as there are many contractors and developers, that I would like to share that news with.
    on Feb 24, 2012 · Like 0
  • Susan S Fredericksburg, VA
    Well Gee Whiz!! HOW did I miss all this excitement? That baby's half grown by now!!! Oh, I know, I didn't join HT until about early February so that's my story and I'm stickin to it!!

    Congratulations on another fine job by SawHorse - you and & your wife do really quality work!! Is he a Matt, Jr?? You'll have to post some recent pics for us now that he's 1/4 yr.old. Love the onsey advertisement!!

    on May 03, 2012 · Like 0
  • SawHorse.net Atlanta, GA
    @Susan- he is now 4 months old now. Here is a more recent picture with his older brother.
    on May 03, 2012 · Like 2
  • Susan S Fredericksburg, VA
    Oh thank you for sharing Matt. What handsome boys you have and clearly the baby takes after his father - your heads are shaped exactly alike!!! LOL

    You should be very proud!!!

    on May 03, 2012 · Like 1
  • SawHorse.net Atlanta, GA
    Thanks Susan- There is no question that I am the father. They start to look more like their mother once they grow out hair. LOL
    on May 04, 2012 · Like 3
  • Cooper S Ashland City, TN
    Nice Pics.I am All for Green Living, I agree that there are many things and areas of change necessary with in the Hospitals to Go Green or even improve the generaI enviroment. I work in the Health care field, my recent Hospital Job, I worked on the 2nd floor of a non smoking campus, unfortunately during the tobacco burning season I found it almost impossible to breath without aid of my inhalers. the building might as well not had doors and windows(not usually open). It can some time be ...»
    very difficult to manage waste effectively, given that Bio Hazzards and Infection controll are a great piority. Cleaning supplies are very caustic at times, some times I wounder how do we ever maximize health. personally I carried my own silverwear and food/utensils. Green is Good but I feel that there must be strict Federal Guidelines too adhere and effectively incooperate. This could take some time. Am All IN.

    Great Job!!! New construction might be a great place to start.

    on May 11, 2012 · Like 1
  • SawHorse.net Atlanta, GA
    @Cooper- there are natural cleaning supplies that perform better than most of the commercial products. When researching how to clean a cutting board, vinegar was shown to be the most effective cleaning supply when it can to killing microbes.
    on May 11, 2012 · Like 1
  • Susan S Fredericksburg, VA
    WOW - never thought of vinegar as a disinfectant per se! Who knew - well obviously you did!! Thanks for sharing that one.
    on May 14, 2012 · Like 0
  • KMS Woodworks Nederland, CO
    "pickled" food are preserved by the use of vinegar...drying and smoking, salt cured etc. These are "tricks" that have been in use for many hundreds of years...long before refrigeration was invented.
    on May 15, 2012 · Like 0

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