News-Leader - Hospital begins to 'Think Outside the Bottle'

St. John’s Hospital is going “green,” and kicking off its effort with an employee Energy Conservation Fair all day Thursday at the hospital.

St. John’s is also exploring and implementing environmentally friendly practices whenever possible.

The Energy Fair will highlight departments within St. John’s that are going “green,” and area organizations that have information on energy conservation tips for home and work places.

In 2007, St. John’s Energy Center Director Randy Scott accepted the Choose Environmental Excellence Award from the city of Springfield and Greene County in recognition of St. John's’ leadership for energy conservation practices.

Here are some ways St. John’s has adopted green efforts:

•St. John’s has replaced the common incandescent and reflector flood bulbs in facilities with energy-saving CFL bulbs and LED lighting since they became available, said electrical supervisor Bob Thompson.

“Compact fluorescent light bulbs (CFLs) save a significant amount of energy,” he said. “Although initially more expensive than incandescent bulbs, fluorescent bulbs offer considerable savings over the long run because they use a third of the electricity and last up to 10 times as long – as many as 10,000 hours.” He said light-emitting diode (LED) lighting, used for recessed, pendant, overhead and landscape lighting, lasts considerably longer than incandescent bulbs and are much more efficient.

•The hospital uses solar panels in its shuttle stops to provide the energy for the stops’ lighting.

•St. John’s also encourages staff to turn off lights in their work areas when not in use.

•Providers of soft drink vending machines were asked to turn off the panel lights on all machines to save energy.

•The cafeteria/dietary department upgraded its dishwasher to one that is more efficient, using less water and electricity to operate.

•The grounds department installed low-flow irrigation heads across the campus to save water.

•Water faucets in all public rest rooms in the main hospital have been replaced with hands-free faucets to save water when washing hands.

•The energy conservation task force is ready to launch the ‘Think Outside the Bottle’ campaign. Drinking cups printed with that slogan will encourage people to minimize the use of water bottles.

•The heating and air conditioning systems in most Springfield campus buildings have been modified to shut down in off hours when the building is closed. Off-campus buildings are now being modified.

•A $40,000 piece of equipment called a “blowdown heat exchanger” harnesses heat energy from the water exiting the Energy Center’s boilers and uses it to reheat water before entering other parts of the boilers.

Reducing the temperature of the “blowdown” water before it enters the city’s sewer system is a code requirement. Transferring this thermal energy instead of allowing it to be lost down the drain reduces costs and improves overall boiler efficiency. The return on investment on this equipment was achieved in a matter of a few months, St. John’s officials said.

•Electronic records has helped the hospital go more paperless.

• Last year, St. John’s recycled more that 1 million pounds of waste, including 638,000 pounds of paper.

•St. John’s housekeeping staff uses a collection of “green” bulk cleaning products that are centrally dispensed into refillable bottles thereby reducing packaging waste. With multiple crews in force, St. John’s is saving a lot of high density plastic from the landfill. In addition, the housekeepers use cloth towels instead of paper towels.

•Nurses in St. John’s Hospital’s Newborn Nursery use wet washcloths instead of disposable wipes during diaper changes on the 3,000 babies born at St. John’s every year.

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