Driving Health through Environmentally Preferable Purchasing - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Driving Health through Environmentally Preferable Purchasing Seema Wadhwa & Carolyn Billetdeaux Office of Sustainability

Taking A Step Back … “Everything that we need for our survival and well-being depends, either directly or indirectly, on our natural environment.” -Environmental Protection Agency

The Triple Bottom Line People ¡ + ¡ Planet ¡ + ¡ Profit ¡ Society ¡ + ¡ Ecology ¡ Economy ¡ + ¡ Triple Bottom Line In order for something to be truly sustainable, its economic, environmental and social impacts must be considered and reconciled. People Planet Profits • Goal: To maintain a viable • Goal: Provide sufficient natural environment • Goal: To provide a nurturing income, develop a strong capable of sustaining community that supports brand and build reliable human life businesses & workers relationships • Applies to: The natural • Applies to: Individuals, • Applies to: Individuals, environment society & future generations businesses & society • Includes: Use of • Includes: Basic human • Includes: Direct economic sustainable environmental rights, resource availability, value created (profit/loss), practices, reduction of fair wages, labor standards, and also any secondary environmental impact, social equality, fair trade preservation of natural economic benefits that resources support the community

The Quadruple Bottom Line People ¡ Planet ¡ Profit ¡ PATIENTS ¡ Patient Experience Patient Access Patient Outcomes Higher quality food No money, no mission: Optimal building design Every dollar saved is to impact healing time Air without irritating one invested back into (single-patient rooms, chemicals patient care, & research views of nature, access Unobtrusive cleaning to sunlight) Financial savings from practices susty used to expand Chemical avoidance in Availability of waste Inova’s care network medical products & containers and recycling building materials Costs significantly more Knowledgeable staff to get one new dollar of Healthy, nutritious foods income than to achieve Ease of transportation to Targeting antibiotic one dollar in savings and from facility resistance

Connecting Environment and Health Fundamental shift in thinking: What are we doing to our environment? What is our environment doing to us?

Chemical Exposure Used in our: “There are some 30,000 chemicals in • Buildings common use today, any one of which may • Medical products be released into the environment during • Cleaning supplies processing or use. • Food production system Fewer than 1% of these have been subject • Food packaging system to a detailed assessment in terms of their • Pharmaceuticals toxicity and health risks.” • Personal care products David Briggs, • Clothing/bedding/textiles Environmental Pollution and the • Electronics Global Burden of Disease ¡ • Water supplies ¡

Exposure Through Pollution Chemicals & Trash à à Air & Water • Even relatively low concentrations of air pollutants have been related to a range of adverse health effects. • The health effects of pollution impact more than 100 million people worldwide – more widespread than global pandemics such as AIDS. • In some of the world’s worst polluted places, babies are born with birth defects, children have lost 30 to 40 IQ points, and life expectancy may be as low as 45 years because of cancers and other diseases. • Forty percent of America’s rivers and 46% of America’s lakes are too polluted for fishing, swimming or aquatic life. • Inhaling traffic-related air particles has been linked to increased risk of stroke within 12-14 hours of breathing them. • Even low levels of ozone and particle pollutants increase the risk of hospital treatment for pneumonia and COPD. • A growing body of evidence suggests breathing pollution from heavy traffic may cause new cases of asthma in children. • Minorities and lower income groups are disproportionately affected by health issues related to air and traffic pollution.

Climate Risk #4: Air Quality Reduced Air Quality Warmer temperatures lead to more In 2013, the DMV ground-level ozone & high-ozone days region was ranked as Ground-level ozone damages lung the 9 th most polluted tissue, reduces lung function & city in America inflames airways in terms of Warmer temperatures also lead to ozone pollution. longer spring pollen season and more severe allergy symptoms

The Issue: Chemicals in Medical Products Medical products designed to heal contain harmful and sometimes toxic chemicals that patients, visitors & healthcare workers are then exposed to. The Worst Offenders Mercury DEHP/ Phthalates Flame Retardants BPA Can leach into patients, Build up in the body over A hormone-disrupting A potent neurotoxin leading to adverse effects time, toxic to humans, chemical that can have that can harm the brain, on the liver, reproductive linked to reproductive and health effects at extremely spinal cord, kidneys, and liver ¡ tract, kidneys, lungs and developmental health low exposure levels. heart impacts Used In Used In Used In Used In Medical products made IV pumps Hard plastics, including: Thermometers from soft PVC plastic, Televisions Food and Drink Packaging Sphygmomanometers including: Computers Compact Discs Dental Amalgam IV Bags and Tubing Hospital Beds Infant Bottles Lab Chemicals Catheter tubing Waiting Room Chairs Impact-Resistant Safety Preservatives Feeding sets Hospital Privacy Curtains ¡ Equipment Fluorescent Lamps Computer Equipment ¡ Respiration Equipment ¡ Medical Devices ¡

Chemical Exposure: The Body Burden Umbilical ¡cord ¡blood ¡analysis ¡finds ¡ average ¡of ¡200 ¡chemicals ¡in ¡each ¡ • Studies ¡ newborn: ¡ • ¡180 ¡cause ¡ cancer ¡ in ¡animals ¡or ¡humans ¡ • ¡217 ¡are ¡ toxic ¡ to ¡the ¡brain ¡and/or ¡ – Body ¡Burden ¡ nervous ¡system ¡ • ¡208 ¡cause ¡ birth ¡defects ¡ or ¡ abnormal ¡ development ¡ in ¡animals ¡ – Health ¡Care ¡ Workers ¡Study ¡ • Doctors ¡and ¡nurses ¡tested ¡for ¡62 ¡ chemicals ¡found ¡in ¡healthcare ¡se?ng ¡ – President’s ¡Panel ¡ ¡ • At ¡least ¡24 ¡found ¡in ¡each ¡parBcipant; ¡ on ¡Cancer ¡ connected ¡to: ¡ • Miscarriage ¡ • InferFlity ¡ – APA ¡ • Cancer ¡ • Obesity ¡ • Heart ¡Disease ¡ Recommended ¡that ¡ • Thyroid ¡dysfuncFon ¡ • Diabetes ¡ pediatricians ¡“familiarize ¡ “The ¡true ¡burden ¡of ¡ • Learning, ¡memory ¡& ¡behavior ¡disorders ¡ environmentally-­‑induced ¡ themselves ¡with ¡the ¡ • Hormone ¡& ¡immune ¡disrupFon ¡ cancer ¡has ¡been ¡grossly ¡ potenBal ¡adverse ¡health ¡ underesBmated.” ¡ effects ¡of ¡chemicals ¡in ¡the ¡ environment.” ¡

The Product Life Cycle TransportaBon ¡ TransportaBon ¡ Materials Manufacturing & Raw materials processing assembly extraction Recycle TransportaBon ¡ End of life Landfill Use disposal

Three Verticals for the Office of Sustainability Three ¡VerFcals ¡for ¡the ¡Office ¡of ¡Sustainability ¡ OperaFonal ¡ Strategic ¡ Stakeholder ¡ Focus ¡ Planning ¡ Engagement ¡ IntersecFons ¡Sustainability ¡Symposium ¡2013 ¡

Environmental Impact Areas

Healthier Hospitals Initiative Established ¡ Brand ¡ Data ¡ Driven ¡ • >50 ¡million ¡lbs ¡of ¡ Change ¡ recycling ¡ • $32 ¡M ¡in ¡savings ¡ from ¡reprocessing. ¡ • ~$9 ¡million ¡spent ¡ Framework ¡ on ¡local ¡sustainable ¡ Tools ¡and ¡ for ¡ food ¡ Resources ¡ Sustainability ¡ Ø 900 ¡Hospitals ¡ All ¡Major ¡ Ø 20% ¡Hospital ¡ Driving ¡the ¡ Stakeholders ¡ AssociaFons ¡ Engaged ¡ Market ¡ in ¡Food ¡Supply ¡ Ø 500 ¡Sponsoring ¡ Community ¡ Chain ¡ Hospitals ¡

Inova’s Energy Use Inova hospitals used 149,266,657 kilowatt hours of electricity and 72,053,300 therms of natural gas in 2013. That’s enough to power 44,243 single-family homes for a year (or a city more than three times the size of Manassas). It’s also the annual pollution equivalent to 102,087 vehicles .