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In tandem with Earth Day 2024, Crain’s Chicago Business highlighted Shirley Ryan AbilityLab’s ongoing sustainability efforts in an article based on a recent interview with the hospital’s executive director, Facilities, Lamar Davis.
Davis — described as Shirley Ryan AbilityLab’s “sustainability guru” in the article — discussed the hospital’s plan to apply for a new, voluntary Sustainability Certification from the Joint Commission, a national accreditation organization for hospitals and healthcare facilities.
"We'd already been doing this: recycling, energy savings, looking to reduce our waste stream. We should get credit,” he said. “We've been the No. 1 rehabilitation hospital in the world for 33 years running, we're a nursing Magnet hospital, we should go for national recognition in sustainability."
In the article, Davis described a few of Shirley Ryan AbilityLab’s environmental accomplishments and goals, encouraged in part by the new Joint Commission certification process:
- Use energy-efficient lighting and programs that automatically turn off lights.
- Recycle 10% to 15% of the waste stream.
- Reduce annual energy use by 2% to 5%.
- Use materials made without volatile organic compounds or mercury — helping both the environment and patients who are sensitive to these products.
- Qualify for energy-reduction rebates from utility companies.
"I've been doing this for a while now,” said Lamar. “I am just happy it's becoming more of a norm than a buzzword.”
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