As a part of the "Sustainability Valued Added Team (VAT)", I thought you would appreciate some of the happenings and initiatives under review and/or well on their way and some even completed.

Firstly, I want to share that it is such a pleasure attending these meetings chaired by Susan Sample. Many of the participants are from the previous group known as the "CRMC Green Team". There are also some new faces, now that it is an official VAT.

Items under consideration: recycling the sterile pack towels, participating in an "adopt a highway" clean up event (probably around Earth Day activities), pen recycling, mitigating reams of paper spitting out daily for reports, water bottle conservation, blue wrap recycling, water conservation, and a more robust recycling program in general.

Things to celebrate: CMC has officially become a part of "Healthier Hospitals Initiative" (a collaborative of numerous hospitals across the nation serious about sustainability, sharing best practices and hard-wiring practices towards that end-healthy food, leaner energy, less waste, safer chemicals, smarter purchasing, engaged leadership), facilitating the option to order refills for B2P pens versus purchasing new, recycling laser toners, 34,000 batteries/1,700 pounds saved from the landfill due to an equipment buy change, and adopting "green guidelines" throughout the organization. Good stuff!

If you have ideas or want to get involved, let us know! It's really a way to take good care of the resources given to us and hopefully provide a better future for the planet and it's inhabitants!