On the initiative and with the encouragement of the ALYN Hospital Management, the “ALYN GOING GREEN” project is now in its initial stages of development.
The ALYN management has set up a special committee, coordinated by Tsaffy Hillel-Diamant RN MPA., Director of Nursing who together with an environmental engineer, is in the process of formulating practical plans on how to initiate more energy saving and other “green” activities throughout the Hospital.
A number of cost effective and environmentally-friendly changes have already been introduced which include:
• regulating the heating and cooling systems of the Hospital to energy-saving levels
• the filters in all the taps have been changed in order to save water
• all medical data is entered electronically thus saving paper
• printing only when absolutely necessary and all the Hospital’s printers have been automatically programmed to print on both sides of one sheet of paper
• collecting points for used batteries and their correct disposal
• purchasing only energy-saving electrical appliances
• recycling ink toner cartridges
During 2009 the Committee will continue their evaluation of the Hospital’s water and energy use with a view to introducing additional “green” improvements such as the possibility of increasing the use of solar energy for heating water and assessing “greener” methods of waste disposal, transportation and office systems.
Prof. Jeffrey Gordon of the Sde Boker Campus of Ben Gurion University, an expert in solar energy, has taken on as a project, together with two colleagues and his M.A. and Ph.D students, to advise ALYN Hospital in evaluating current energy use.
Prof. Gordon is a second-generation ALYN supporter. His late mother introduced him to ALYN and now the Hospital is extremely grateful to Prof. Gordon for so readily offering his services on a totally voluntary basis. He and his colleagues will advise ALYN on which commercial company will provide the most suitable solar energy system for the Hospital after having assessed its needs.
Recently Prof. Gordon and his students made a site visit to ALYN in order to begin the evaluation process which included:
- studying the Hospital’s electricity bills
- making a detailed tour of all the departments and offices
- recommending various ways in which energy can be saved
- recommending various companies who sell solar energy
equipment
ALYN HOSPITAL, NOW TAKING AN ACTIVE ROLE IN ADDRESSING ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES SUCH AS CONSERVATION AND RECYCLING, IS PROUD TO BE SETTING AN EXAMPLE NOT ONLY TO ITS STAFF, PATIENTS AND THEIR FAMILIES BUT ALSO TO THE COMMUNITY AT LARGE.
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