Growing green, inside and out

Oregon┬á Health┬á &┬á Science┬á UniversityOregon Health & Science University hired its first manager of sustainable operations in 2007 but, as Keith Regan learns, that was just the beginning of a larger effort to be on the forefront of the green movement. When Oregon Health & Science University in Portland set out to design its Center for Health & Healing more than two years ago, the institution wanted to treat the project as more than just another building on its multi-site campus.  ÔÇ£It was really the first sustainability project that happened to be a building,ÔÇØ says Roger Cole, manager of sustainable operations at OHSU. ÔÇ£Because it was introduced at the front end, it allows for real discussions about how to tackle green issues. It brings in a high level discussion.ÔÇØThe result is a 400,000-square-foot building that is one of the largest everÔÇöand the first medical facilityÔÇöto earn the Green Building CouncilÔÇÖs LEED Platinum designation, the highest possible rating. The 16-story building is 61 percent more energy efficient than required by state code, uses almost 60 percent less potable water than a comparably sized building, and 100 percent of the wastewater is treated on site to the same criteria as municipal plants. Rainwater and wastewater are harvested and used to irrigate landscaping, keeping 15,000 gallons a day on average from reaching the cityÔÇÖs sewer system. The south-facing side of the facility includes a glass-encased Trombe wall that in effect creates a solar air heater, with the glass used to heat air that can be pumped through the rest of the building. And even though it houses doctorsÔÇÖ offices, the building was designed to include no space for storing medical records, a move meant to aid the transition to digital record keeping. Other buildings at OHSU have been built green as well, including the Biomedical Research Building, which was granted a LEED Silver rating and the Kohler Pavilion, which was designed as a pilot project meant to aid in the development of standards for the Green Guide for Health Care. Such building projects are often the most attention-grabbing parts of the sustainability efforts at many institutions, while equally meaningful changes are effected by addressing the way existing operations are carried out, says Cole. Cole became the universityÔÇÖs first manager of sustainability in the summer of 2007 and quickly took leadership of an extensive existing green team that had formally launched in 2004 and brings together 120 members from across department lines to discuss and exchange ideas for growing greener practices. The groupÔÇÖs work includes raising awareness, with an event each fall focused on how individuals can be more green in their daily work and home lives, and an Earth Day event each spring that looks at the universityÔÇÖs sustainability programs. The group also produces an annual sustainability report that seeks to capture data on the progress being made to reduce waste and use resources more efficiently. Healthcare is a notoriously energy- and resource-intensive field, but Cole believes that is an opportunity, not a hindrance. ÔÇ£ItÔÇÖs a matter of what you do with those resources and how efficiently you use them,ÔÇØ he says. Even though Cole believes the sustainability efforts are in their early days still, progress already is being reported on a number of fronts. For instance: ÔÇó The Food and Nutrition Group, which runs the hospitalÔÇÖs cafeterias, has begun to source more local foods. It also purchased a pulping machine used to reclaim food waste so it can be composted. That program has diverted 88 tons of waste away from landfills. ÔÇó The energy department is actively purchasing green tagsÔÇöpower produced by wind turbines in the state.┬á ÔÇó Major progress has been made in reducing solid waste. In 2007 the campus recycling center diverted some 1,091 tons of waste from landfills by recycling everything from paper and plastics to aluminum, batteries and cardboard. The center has also opened a reuse store, where items that might normally have been disposed of can be shelved and taken for free by others on campus who might need them. ÔÇ£We have more than 12,000 employees, and we generate a lot of waste,ÔÇØ says Cole. ÔÇ£A lot of it can be reused or reduced.ÔÇØ Cole believes the next step in the process is to create policies that promote sustainability and to begin to encourage interdepartmental cooperation. ÔÇ£When we start to set goals based on the data weÔÇÖre collecting, that starts to spur those conversations across department lines, and thatÔÇÖs where it really starts gelling and people can start to realize the opportunities they have out there.ÔÇØThe next big sustainability project at OHSU is truly big in scope: The entire master planning process for the Schnitzer Campus, to be built on a 19-acre brownfield in the South Waterfront part of the city, is aiming to be 100 percent carbon neutral. ÔÇ£We know thatÔÇÖs a pretty big undertaking, and weÔÇÖre taking a real look at how we can reach that,ÔÇØ says Cole. The site, which will eventually include as much as 1 million square feet of buildings, was the subject of an eco-design charrette process that looked at everything from regional power plants that run on biomass to creative transportation solutions. The long-range planÔÇöthe campus will likely be built over a 30-year periodÔÇöalso calls for all buildings on the site to be LEED Platinum certified. ÔÇ£We know there are some ambitious undertakings in what weÔÇÖve put out there, but we also feel like weÔÇÖre in a position to be in a leadership role,ÔÇØ Cole says. ÔÇ£Being in Portland, we feel like we have a responsibility to take sustainability seriously and do whatÔÇÖs good for the people, the planet and the institution.ÔÇØ┬á