The certification signifies the structure meets the resource and energy efficient code criteria that allows it to be signified “green.” The building now has an official LEED certification plaque.
Munson Healthcare Vice President of Facilities Steve Tongue said green efforts at the health system are always a consideration – especially when it comes to new construction. Stewardship is part of the system’s core values.
“Our sustainability and green efforts have to do with being good stewards of the environment we live in,” Tongue said. “A healthy environment is a fundamental building block of a healthy community.”
Some of the green features at the cancer center include: best management practices to deal with storm water runoff to protect Kids Creek water quality; a green roof; “smart commuting” elements such as covered bike racks, showers, lockers, and a bus stop; and state-of-the-art, high efficiency electrical and mechanical systems.
Green efforts at the cancer center site began prior to construction with work to restore Kids Creek through collaboration with the Watershed Center and Grand Traverse Conservation. In 2016, Munson Medical Center also installed a 3,900-square-foot green roof using succulent plants as another measure to reduce runoff into the creek.
Around the health care system, recent green efforts include:
- An energy project at Manistee Hospital that involved a new boiler plant, water conservation measures, and lighting upgrades. The project resulted in an annual energy cost savings in excess of $100,000 per year.
- At Paul Oliver Memorial Hospital, staff voted to pay 25 cents more for take-out items to be packaged in compostable containers made from corn. “We go through about 600 per month,” said Lynette Maxey, manager of Support Services. “Everyone agreed it was worth it.”
- Throughout the system, facility managers have implemented a specific purple container disposal program for pharmaceuticals, which ensures that active substances are disposed of properly and do not enter the environment and contaminate water and soil.
“These are just a few of the things that we’ve done to ensure that we continue to invest in the future and our environment through thoughtful and careful stewardship of our properties,” Tongue said.