Styrofoam Free Food Service
By Melanie Stewart
A few years ago, UNMC/Nebraska Medicine followed UNL’s resolution to become Styrofoam/polystyrene free in food service. Foam is cheap to produce/purchase and an effective insulator, which is why it gets used frequently. However, it contains hazardous chemicals that can cause cancer and other maladies to the end user, as well those individuals involved in production. These chemicals are also exhausted into the atmosphere and make foam difficult to break down in a natural environment, leading to more litter and contamination.
I’m sure you’re aware that Sodexo stopped using foam clamshells some time ago and phased out foam plates as well. After input from you a second, compostable clamshell is now being used in 42nd/Dewey food service locations.
After those changes were made, the most frequently requested change was the removal of foam cups from floor stock. Department budgets are set for the fiscal year so we waited at Nebraska Medicine, but that time is now and floor stock will be foam free (please be patient, the vendor needs time to scale up to our volume)!
To further reduce waste, reusable plates are being offered in the Nebraska Café for dine-in customers, and they are washed in the new, water-efficient dishwasher that was installed a little over a year ago.
Sodexo has been a great partner as we strive to meet our waste goals and have made changes that you may not have noticed. Did you know they:
- Have bio-plastic cups that are compostable?
- Cater food in recycled content boxes that are still recyclable?
- Cater and provide “grab and go” food items in recyclable (plastic) packaging?
- Provide vegetarian/vegan options at every meal.
- Have recycling bins at all locations, and recycle items on the tray return in Nebraska Café?
- Monitor sales which keep the items you want to use in stock, but also eliminates items you don’t want, which reduces waste, and in our case many glass bottles, as well.
All of these changes are helping us to meet our waste goal, but we still need your help. Please:
- Dump unconsumed food/liquid out of your container, recycle everything possible.
- Use plates when dining in.
- “Sort to save” when in Nebraska Café, don’t combine your waste before placing it on the tray return.
- Consume what you buy, take leftovers home.
- Choose fountain drinks over bottles when buying beverages.
Next up: composting both food prep and post-consumer food waste, and exploring reusable to-go clamshells.
Forest Bathing
By Tina Spencer
Forest bathing? If you’re like many, the visual picture that came to mind after reading the title included a person (hippie) standing naked and happily showering in a lush forest. Although forest bathing can be likened to cleaning one’s body, it is actually a research-based framework for supporting healing and wellness through immersion in forests and other natural environments, according to the Association of Nature & Forest Therapy Guides & Programs.
As we continue our efforts to be good Sustainability stewards, we explore yet another connection between healthcare and sustainability. Forest bathing began in Japan and translates to Shinrin-Yoku which means “taking in the forest atmosphere”. It provides relaxation from our often chaotic and sometimes too busy lives in a way that can be achieved pleasantly and much cheaper than some medications or other activities prescribed.
Forest bathing has many health benefits. The science proven benefits of forest bathing include decreased risk of heart attack, more energy and better sleep, decreased inflammation, protection against obesity and diabetes, mood-boosting effects, and experiencing a deeper/clearer intuition with an overall increase in one’s sense of happiness.
Forest bathing isn’t an exercise or burning calories. Instead, forest bathing should be a calming experience, without any hurriedness. It should be slow and focused on completely experiencing the quiet noise of nature. It can be as simple as a slow walk in a natural area like one of our local forests or one can take part in a dedicated forest therapy experience. Such programs are coordinated by certified guides and taught by the Association of Nature and Forest Therapy Guides and Programs.
To forest bathe simply, find a park trail or forest and while sitting still or walking slowly, try to be present and focused only on the moment. Leave thoughts of deadlines, errands, work, school, and other busy-ness of life behind. Once present and focused, thoughts can be given to the sights and sounds of nature. Pay attention to the snapping of twigs, the rustling of leaves or animals moving about, and the different shades of green around. All five senses can experience the surroundings in the forest, but be mindful when touching or tasting anything.
Looking for a way to reach a place of greater calm and wellness? Try losing yourself in the beauty of the outdoors and experience the healing power of trees and all that nature has to offer.
2018 Sustainability Report
Update shows 2018 successes, upcoming projects, and a new, interactive dashboard
By Melanie Stewart
When we updated our Sustainability Master Plan goals to be more ambitious and have an (earlier) 2030 deadline, we made a commitment to providing consistent, transparent data.
In the past we’ve had a ‘widget’ on our webpage, which allowed you to click on a topic, see the original goal, and the progress towards the goal in graph form. It also listed a few, key ways to reach the goals that were listed in the Sustainability Master Plan. Those strategies were not necessarily what had been working on, but were important to note.
We provided regular articles, like the one you are reading now, as well as a status report in 2015. It was good, but we thought we could do better.
I’m happy to share with you our brand new dashboard, with the annual report. This page is the (calendar year) 2018 annual report with a brief intro at the top and then the dashboard. The dashboard is in an easy to read format, with the goal distinctly visible, and the progress shown in red on the circle with numerical value in the middle. Once the circle is closed, we will have met our goal. The dashboard will be updated on the main page each quarter.
You can click on any goal area to get more information—the actions taken in 2018 to move forward on our goals, explanations of numbers, more detailed data, and upcoming initiatives for 2019. The main page will tell you what percentage of material we recycle/divert from the landfill, but the additional information can tell you exactly what is being recycled.
The report/dashboard can be viewed by clicking here.
I hope you will take a look. Everyone’s actions on campus help us to achieve our goals and knowing where we stand is an important piece.
Ever wondered why sustainability is important to the Med Center, or if it’s tied to our mission? It is directly tied to our mission of “creating a healthy future for all”. For an explanation, read this or this.
Composting for Beginners
by Victoria Boryca Smith
I am a novice gardener and decided to try composting. It’s frugal and beneficial while speaking to my interest in recycling, reducing waste, saving money and living greener.
- Composting saves money, there is no need to purchase fertilizers or extra soil.
- Composting saves resources, keeping waste out of the landfill.
- Composting improves the soil.
- Composting benefits the environment by reducing methane gas production.
Day 1
I started with a cardboard box with a hole in the top, as ventilation is needed and we wanted a box that would be moveable instead of just a pile in the backyard. I needed a way to collect the kitchen waste and transport it to my compost bin, so I went to a thrift store and found a metal container with a sealing lid and handle.
Day 2
No meat, dairy or animal waste should be composted, as the heat generated in backyard composting is not enough to kill pathogens. Empty egg shells, however, are compostable. I put old vegetables, scraps and coffee grounds in my pail and put it under the sink. I put my cardboard box outside in the backyard under the awning. (Shade is recommended so the compost doesn’t dry out.) I added a bit of newspaper on the bottom, as a mix of brown and green materials is needed for composting. Brown materials are dried leaves, twigs, sawdust, shredded paper and small pieces of cardboard. Green materials are used coffee grounds, egg shells, vegetables, fruits, bread and grass cuttings.
Day 3
I emptied my kitchen pail into my compost box. I added paper napkins from some takeout I had eaten. I trimmed some plants and put the trimmings in a bucket to dry out. They also will be added to the bin later. So far, no one in the family has noticed my composting efforts, though they seemed glad when I told them not to empty their plates in the garbage can. After everyone left the kitchen to avoid work, I added the scraps to my pail.
Day 4
I ordered Chinese food from the cafeteria for lunch. The box is compostable, so I after I ate I put my apple cores and old tea leaves in the box and took it home. I put it in the compost box — easy!
Composting is working — it’s affecting my cardboard box! We switched to heavy-duty milk crates and will go from there.
To be continued next month. . .
Energy Curtailment
Though summer hasn’t officially arrived, the heat and humidity have, which means we are in energy curtailment.
Energy curtailment allows us to control our maximum energy demand or “peak”. If we can reduce energy where it isn’t needed, we ensure that everything that needs energy is getting it. Lower energy means lower emissions, better air quality, and better health for our community–our mission. It also saves us money as our utility rates are based on peak use. The maximum of energy we use at any given time determines the rate we pay for the entire next year. I can think of many other things to spend money on, can’t you?
In the past many of you felt cold on curtailment days. It seemed backwards, that you would save energy by having it be colder in spaces when it was so hot out. It was an effective way to save energy and money—it’s inefficient to produce heat when it’s hot out, and that’s what we were doing. By not producing that heat, some spaces felt cold.
Updating technology has allowed us to control this process better. Beginning last years, spaces that were previously cold will be affected differently by energy curtailment. They will still be pre-cooled at night. {“Pre-cooling” is a literal term: spaces are cooled in the early morning, before people arrive. This is also when energy use is lower, and before the sun is beating down and temps get really hot. Spaces are often cooled below the temperature set on the thermostat, which makes it easier for the system to keep up, once the heat and humidity are in full effect.} However, these spaces will not need to be pre-cooled to such a cold temp to see the energy savings. This does mean that your space will likely get a little warmer in the afternoon.
Not only does this tend to mirror what happens in a residential situation, it is overwhelmingly what you, the building occupants, have requested and we are happy to report that this is now possible.
We need your help! When we are in energy curtailment, we’ll ask you to help ease the energy load:
- close shades, blinds and curtains whenever possible to reduce solar heat gain;
- lower lighting levels where possible, turn off lights in unoccupied areas and when leaving a room;
- turn off and unplug all electrical equipment not in use (computers, coffee makers, printers, chargers, etc.);
- shut fume hood sashes when not in use; and
- open doors manually instead of using the ADA buttons.
- take the stairs instead of the elevator
- tell others!
These easy steps combine to have a huge impact, on the hot days and for the year ahead.
Earth Month Success
Earth Month has come and gone, but not without some impressive milestones.
We asked you to come up with unique ways to repurpose the library periodical storage containers and you did not disappoint! While everyone provided us with unique ways to reuse, the winners are:
- Jenna Corsey, table
- Euem Osmera, haircare equipment organization/storage
- Laura Strong, diaper/baby care organization
Congratulations! If you missed the entries, check them out here.
To celebrate the 4 BCycle stations on campus we gave away hundreds of free, annual memberships, gave away helmets, and let people test out the new electric-assist BCycles coming soon to a station near you. If you missed the event but would still like a membership, please email LiveGreen@unmc.edu
We maintained our rain-streak during the personal document shredding and electronic/battery/techno trash recycling event, but it’s still our most popular event with hundreds of you dropping off items:
- 261 pounds of VHS tapes, DVDs, CDs, and floppy disks
- 14,142 pounds of electronics
- 4,192 pounds of paper for shredding
- 182 pounds of alkaline batteries
- 18,777 total pounds diverted from the landfill. That impact?*
- 24 trees saved
- 255 gallons of oil not used
- 572,686 hours of electricity saved
- 7,752 gallons of water
You also donated:
- 250lbs of food/toiletries and $1,450 to the Maverick Food Pantry
- 161 eyeglasses donated to the TEI clinic; ~2000 pop tabs to Ronald McDonald House
- 6 boxes of books for the Little Free Library!
Peter Pellerito gave a great talk on basic stretches you can do to prevent athletic and repetitive task injuries, and Melanie Stewart presented a zero waste lunch and learn with the COPH and a Re-Imagining U Course on sustainable living.
We celebrated our status as an Arbor Day Foundation’s Tree Campus USA for the 6th straight year by planting an Autumn Blaze Maple giving away Ponderosa Pines and wildflower seeds, and asking Master Gardner Susan Siebler lots of questions.
The Drawdown EcoChallenge allowed many of us to learn new information while having an impressive environmental and personal impact. We placed 77th out of 1,054 teams…and beat UNO’s team. Again!
We want to provide activities that are meaningful to you, both personally and professionally. If you have any additional comments, suggestions, or changes for next year please email us.
*Estimated impact; actual totals may vary slightly depending on the exact mix of electronics and type of paper turned in.
Virtual Water Use
Last week we talked about direct water use (water used to shower, make coffee, water the lawn/plant, etc.) that shows up on your bill. Have you ever thought about the water that is used for you? This “virtual” or indirect water is the amount of water that goes into the other aspects of your life: water used for food, material items, fuel and even electricity. This use doesn’t show up on the monthly bill so most don’t give it a second thought. But there’s a surprising amount of water that goes into everyday tasks, which dramatically impacts our water footprint.
Many of us think about fossil fuels for energy use, but not water. Power plants use water to create steam, which generates energy. We use a lot of energy, which means 41% of all water use went to power generation at a total of 133 billion gallons a day. Fuel for transportation isn’t much better–the U.S. uses up to 2 billion gallons of water a day to refine gasoline products; totaling 3-6 gallons of water used for every 1 gallon of gas (amount depends on fuel type).
Food production uses a lot of water, especially as related to meat. On average, a vegetarian/vegan diet uses half the virtual water as a meat eater. Why? Crops need to be irrigated, the crops grown are fed to animals, animals drink water, and the entire process (crop to your plate) uses a lot of transportation. A cup of coffee actually requires 34 gallons of water to ‘make’, while a serving of beef takes over 650 gallons to get to the table! Generally speaking, eating more plants/less meat reduces water use. Locally grown items use less transportation which also reduces water, making your neighbor’s chicken egg more water efficient than your Columbian coffee.
All of those ‘things’ we buy use water too—growing cotton is water-intensive as is manufacturing, making a common t-shirt/jeans outfit worth ~3,000 gallons of water. Automobiles contains many different materials, so it requires even more—14,000-22,000 gallons each.
We all need to eat and be clothed, so water will always need to be used, but virtual water use demonstrates how important it is to recycle, use active transportation, and eat a healthy diet.
Wondering what your water footprint is? Check out this fun calculator and associated resources, to see where you can have the most impact.
Direct Water Use
Have you checked out the Every Drop Counts page? You and your fellow colleagues have come up with some great ways to conserve water at home and at work. Everything from reporting drips to FMP to turning the faucet off while cleaning a dish to using water you would have dumped in the sink to water a plant. Check out the list, it’s divided into sections based on the type of work you do and home.
As you hopefully know, LiveGreen has been asking for your help conserving water with our spring campaign. The Med Center has set an ambitious goal to achieve a neutral water footprint by 2030. That means using the same amount of water (or less) than the annual amount that falls on campus as rain and snow. To achieve this goal, the Med Center needs to reduce water use to 104 million gallons per year. Currently we use about 188 million gallons per year. That sounds like a big reduction, but we’ve already made great strides with a 17% reduction from our 2010 baseline of 225 million gallons—and we did that while adding new buildings.
While our water goal was based on being good stewards, as clean water is critical for good heath, this campaign is timely since MUD recently announced rate increases of 19% for commercial water use and 7% for residential customers. Conserving water allows us to put resources to better things, and saves you money at home, too. The more people that conserve water, the bigger the effect, and the better for everyone. While conserving water is important, we will never compromise handwashing technique or other infection control practices.
Anytime you turn on a faucet, water a plant/lawn, or take a shower, you are accounting for your “direct” water use. This is the amount of water that will show on your utility bill at home (or at the med center). It’s the easiest to track and, generally speaking, the easiest way to see an impact. If everyone in your household starts taking a 5 minute shower and you only water your lawn when it needs it, you will see the amount of water used on your monthly water bill go down—along with your cost.
Your lifestyle choices use water in ways you don’t see on your bill. Stay tuned for next week’s article on indirect water use—it’ll shock you!
MyRide OMA Now Available
On Wednesday, Metro unveiled MyRide OMA, a bus tracking website that provides bus arrival information and an upgraded trip planner. Click on the link, select your route and you can see where your bus is in real time. The site will also let you see the bus identification number to make it easier to identify on the street, should your street have multiple routes on it. You can also click on a stop to see which corner of the intersection you need to be at and the time the next 3 buses will arrive, which is updated in real time as well.
Metro is testing website features and asking riders to provide feedback on their experience using it.
“This system will be great for Omaha and Metro alike. Our riders will have access to real-time information, and we will have valuable data at our fingertips, which will help us make our system more efficient,” said Curt Simon, Metro’s executive director.
There are more features to come, and a mobile app is in development, though the website is mobile-friendly.
“It’s been a long process as we upgrade our fleet, and we’re grateful for our community’s patience and input,” Simon said. “This system is the next step toward better transit in Omaha.”
MyRide OMA accompanies a variety of other improvements for Metro this year, including new buses and paratransit vans, new bus shelters, free onboard Wi-Fi, and ORBT, Omaha’s first rapid transit system.
Don’t forget, all UNMC, Nebraska Medicine, and Clarkson College students and colleagues at the 42nd/Dewey and ECCP locations can commute to and from work on the bus for free as part of TravelSmart. TravelSmart also provides a free emergency ride home if needed, and daily rate flexible parking should you choose to give up your parking permit, which is not required. If you have questions on a route, trip planning, or any aspect of TravelSmart, please email TravelSmart@unmc.edu
Friend of the Environment Award
Last Saturday at Earth Day Omaha, UNMC and Nebraska Medicine received the “Friend of the Environment, Business” award by Earth Day Omaha. We are exceedingly proud to accept this award, and thankful for the recognition of sustainability’s connection to health.
Here’s what they had to say about us:
While their work is energy intensive, they have made great strides reducing emissions and improving health by finding ways to dramatically reduce energy use. The reductions in energy from 2010-2017 resulted in more than 251,000,000 kwh not being consumed and not producing 237,338 MTCO2e. This reduction in pollution impacts all of us, but especially those with lung ailments, and can be tied to more than $20M in direct medical costs and associated societal costs and they just installed the largest rooftop solar array in Nebraska.
They created TravelSmart–an active transportation program that is free for all students and employees and removes approximately 700 cars a day from the streets, drastically reducing emissions,
and is being replicated by others in Omaha due to its success.
They are continuously working to reduce waste while increasing the amount that is recycled – diverting more than 12 million pounds away from the landfill in the last 9 years.
They have worked to reduce water use and have made reductions of more than 37 million gallons a year while maintaining quality green spaces, planting native plants, installing rain gardens, and being a Tree Campus USA with the Arbor Day Foundation for the 6th consecutive year.
An impressive feat given that they have added more than 1,000,000 sq ft of built space in the same time. They are recognized leaders in this region; not only helping to educate its thousands of students, staff, and visitors but is also driving change in other local businesses. Their impressive ‘2030 goals’ help to drive their success and by providing resources and opportunities to employees/students, it maximizes impact and helps our community in countless seen and unseen ways. They are the only medical center/hospital in the region with these goals and one of only 8 hospitals in the entire country with a Net Zero Emissions goal.
Thank you to the Earth Day Omaha Board for bestowing us with this honor, and to all of the students and colleagues who have changed a habit and helped us to achieve these goals.
Photo credit Rich Watson; from left to right Earth Day Omaha Board Member Sasha Forsen, UNMC/Nebraska Medicine Sustainability Manager Melanie Stewart, Earth Day Omaha Board Member Angie Remington.
