The Finley Hospital – A Petal Ahead

The Finley Hospital – A Petal Ahead
July 22, 2010

Dubuque businesses are leading the sustainability movement in Eastern Iowa through their participation in the Petal Project, a green business certification program. The Petal Project consists of five areas: waste reduction, energy conservation, pollution prevention, staff education, and water conservation. Each area has required and optional criteria. Once the criterion for one area is completed, a business will receive one petal of the Petal Project logo and will continue to work toward full certification, or 5 petals.

The Finley Hospital has achieved success in three categories and is well on its way to a fourth; Finley has completed the water conservation, energy conservation and general education petals, leaving the waste reduction and pollution prevention petals to be accomplished. Finley has been a leader within the Iowa Health System serving as a role model for other hospitals in the state.

Finley incorporates employee education through a “Green Moment” during management team meetings and sustainability information disseminated in the employee newsletter.

“The environmental impact we have realized due to our sustainability initiatives has far exceeded our expectations. In the past 5 years, Finley water usage has dropped from 33, 406,500 gallons per year to 17, 077,500 gallons per year with an average savings per month of 1, 361, 000 gallons,” states Jack Ditmar, Finley Director of Materials Management and leader of the Green Team at Finley. “Finley has also decreased the use of natural gas over the past 5 years by 4,986 MMBTU per year and decreased electric usage over the past 5 years by 2,040 KWH per year despite an increase in the number of pieces of equipment that require electricity. A recent partnership with the Iowa Waste Exchange allowed Finley to recycle warehoused items that would otherwise have likely gone to a landfill or a scrap dealer, and additional opportunities with the Exchange will be utilized in the future. All these initiatives translate to substantial dollar savings.”

The Petal Project is a regional green business certification program created by the East Central Intergovernmental Association. The program provides a simple framework for businesses that are interested in saving money and resources while enhancing their brand and customer loyalty through sustainability initiatives. Some examples of criteria include: installing energy efficient lighting, using faucet aerators, installing high efficiency toilets, and recycling and using recycled products.

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