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16 Medical Construction & Design | J U LY/AUGUST 2017 | MCDM AG.COM Boston hospitals advance in greenhouse gas reductions Boston, Massachusetts-area hospitals advanced public health by cutting their energy greenhouse gas emissions by 29 percent between 2011 and 2015, and are on track to reduce 33 percent by 2020, according to a new report released by Health Care Without Harm. The report includes data from hospitals serving on the Boston Green Ribbon Commission's Health Care Working Group. Their tra- jectory delivers a 47 percent reduction in greenhouse gases compared to "business as usual" by 2020. Twenty percent of the hospital sec- tor greenhouse gas emission reductions come from signifi cant investments in renewable energy. For example, Partners HealthCare is purchasing low-impact hydropower, and will buy most of its electricity from a new wind turbine farm in New Hampshire, as it works to make its healthcare system net carbon positive for all energy by 2025. Boston Medical Center is slashing energy use and neutralizing its electricity emissions through a North Carolina solar energy farm, and expects all its energy to be climate neutral by 2018. The greenhouse gas reductions come while the hospitals are providing more patient care, doing more energy-intensive medical research, expanding facilities and coping with hotter summers, all of which should have pushed energy use and emis- sions upward, according to Health Care Without Harm's report, which analyzed more than 24,000 records covering 22 million square feet of hospitals. The report identifi es areas where Boston hospitals made notable progress between 2011-15 compared to business as usual in energy effi ciency, conservation and greenhouse gas reductions, including: > A reduction in total energy use of 9.4 percent > A reduction in electricity use of 13.1 percent > A reduction in natural gas of 26.1 percent > Generated enough cost savings to cover healthcare for 1,357 Massachusetts Medicare enrollees According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, a $15 million cost savings is the equivalent of the hospitals fi nding $300 million in new revenue every year. "To achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, we need radical changes in how we power, heat and cool our buildings," said John Cleveland, the Boston Green Ribbon Commission's executive director. "The remarkable achievements of Boston hospitals show this transforma- tion is doable even now. Boston health- care is setting the pace for our other sectors, other cities and, indeed, the entire country. We hope others rise to this friendly challenge." The report can be found at noharm.org/boston. Industry Leader of the 'Green' Pack SUSTAINABILITY news, awards, etc. CapitalNavigator, a new capital budgeting service from ECRI Institute, simplifies and expedites the decision-mak- ing process for planning medical technology purchases and projects at hospitals and health systems. ECRI Institute's technol- ogy experts examine capital requests, participate in budget committee meetings and offer unbiased insights and recommendations, enabling hospital leaders to prioritize and justify costly projects based on clinical and strategic objectives. CapitalNavigator budget reviews address clinical appropriateness and effectiveness, implementation needs, return on investment, standard of care and regula- tory issues, obsolescence and industry trends. Learn more at ecri.org. ECRI Institute Helps Hospitals Stretch Complex Medical Technology Budgets Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital in Charlestown, Massachusetts