Environmental Projects
 One of Hanover and District Hospital’s Values is to “support providing quality healthcare that has a positive impact on the environment”. We strive to be a proactive leader in Green Healthcare. Many new initiatives have been implemented to decrease our ecological footprint; while improving cost efficiencies at the same time.
A summary of each project can be accessed with the following links:
- Removal of Bottled Water from Cafeteria Vending
- New Cleaning Products in Housekeeping
- Addition of Composting Can in Cafeteria
- Earth Day Activities
- Fit-Trail Update - November 2009
- Green Health Care Award
- Fit-Trail Walk
- Passive solar collectors
- UV systems protect hospital water
- Preventative maintenance program
- Roofing retrofits and renovations
- Window blinds decrease energy consumption
- Recycling of materials
- Water Softeners
- New Trane Chiller
- Recycling
- Water collection from humidification process
- Fit-Trail
- Purchasing Policy
Removal of Bottled Water from Cafeteria Vending
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On March 9, 2009 the Hospital stopped selling bottled water in its cafeteria and vending machines. As part of its commitment to a green environment, the hospital is committed to reducing this type of waste going to landfill. Plastic bottles take a very long time to biodegrade (450 - 1000 years).
Hanover and District Hospital offers tap water, through drinking fountains and water dispensing machines, that is very safe and an environmentally friendly alternative. In addition to the strict regulations on the town water, the hospital also streams all water through an ultra violet treatment system for further purification. |
New Cleaning Products in Housekeeping
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In April 2009, Hanover and District Hospital's housekeeping department switched cleaning products from a Quat based cleaning product to a hydrogen peroxide based disinfectant for all general cleaning.
Not only does the new hydrogen based disinfectant have a better germ killing rate with less contact time, it is also more biodegradable than the Quat product, which will help our environment.
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Addition of Composting Can in Cafeteria
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May 2009, dietary staff placed a new composting receptacle in the hospital cafeteria.
This has resulted in approximately 10 more gallons of compostable materials being collected and diverted from our general garbage every week! The compost material will be used in the hospital's flower beds.
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Earth Day Activities
On April 29, 2009, Earth Day was celebrated at Hanover and District Hospital. Staff and volunteers participated in the planting of 30 additional trees and shrubs on the Fit-Trail. These new trees and shrubs will take in carbon dioxide and release rich oxygen into the atmosphere.
Fit-Trail Update - November 2009
Three years of hard work and planning ended in success for the Hanover and District Hospital Environmental Continuous Quality Improvement Team with the official Grand Opening of the Fit-Trail held on August 27, 2009. Over one thousand trees surround the one point five kilometer long trail, and that number is expected to grow. There are also ten fitness stations, each costing between $800 and $1500, that will help develop all exercise requirements and fundamentals.
All gardening and landscaping was completed by volunteers, and future Fitness Run-Walk-Rolls will be held to help fund maintenance and upkeep of the trail. The trail will have a significant effect on the environment, as it will reduce lawn mowing and provide new vegetation to help breathe fresh air back into the community of Hanover.
The Fit-Trail is now listed with the Ontario Trail Network by Land Information Ontario (LIO), and will have a widespread use from Hospital staff and patients to community members and local Fitness Clubs. It is wheelchair accessible, and will very positively promote healthy living for all. Come out and try it for yourself!
Green Health Care Award
On Tuesday November 4th, 2008 Hanover & District Hospital was the recipient of the Green Health Care Award for "Pollution Prevention" at the Health Achieve 2008 conference in Toronto. This award recognizes the environmental projects and initiatives that have taken place at Hanover & District Hospital.
Accepting the award on behalf of Hanover & District Hospital were John Broad - Environmental CQI team leader and Wes Reinhardt - Director of Environmental Services.
This is an outstanding achievement for our hospital. Some of the Environmental initiatives that contributed toward achieving this award were:
- the recycling program
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the composting program
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using solar power to preheat our water
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planting trees for the Fit-Trail
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reduction in grass cutting
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the new purchasing policy for more environmentally friendly products
This is a marvelous achievement for Hanover and District Hospital.
Fit Trail Walk
The Hanover Fitness Run, Walk or Roll was held on Sunday October 5, 2008. It was a cool fall day and there were 26 participants that were eager to take to the challenge. The pledges were tallied at $1466, along with Dr. Basilij generous donation of $1500 brings the grand total to $11,590.00 for the Fit Trail.
As part of the Green theme, trees were presented to participants who kindly donated them back to the Hospital for planting along the Fit-Trail.
A special thank-you to the following sponsors; Becker Shoes, North Wellington FS Co-operative, Grant’s Independent Grocer, Ideal Supply and Majestic Gardens and the volunteers; Sue Paterson, Dave Schade, Nancy Schmidt, Dave Haylow and the students who made this Fitness Day a success.
As well, the Environmental CQI team and John Broad deserve a huge thank-you for all their efforts in achieving a successful event!
THANK YOU to all who helped, ran, walked or rolled, we are closer to having a Fit-Trail.
Passive Solar Collectors
 Completed in July 2008, as part of energy conservation, passive solar collectors are being utilized to decrease fuel consumption for domestic hot water.
For every 10 degrees heat gain from the sun’s energy we can reduce our fuel and electrical consumption to pay for one complete installation of a Passive Solar System.
The best part is that it is inexpensive and the heat from the sun is free.
UV Systems Protect Hospital Water
 All drinking water, which includes fountains and ice machines, are being protected by a UV system designed to protect the hospital from water borne contaminants.
UV water systems went on-line July 2007. Our water is so good, initiatives have been implemented to stop the use of water from plastic bottles, which has had a major impact on reducing recyclables.
Preventative Maintenance Program
 The Engineering Department’s Preventative Maintenance Program was updated in March
2007 and is designed to make sure all equipment is running at optimum efficiency. Regular
testing and inspection along with the latest procedures and testing apparatus will assure the
quality of the program.
Original Manufacturer training on new equipment will allow staff to provide maximum
service and the addition of high tech diagnostic testing equipment will allow engineering staff
to continually optimize operating efficiencies through decreases in power consumption and
utility use.
The use of energy efficient motors on fans and pumps, along with
installation of Variable Frequency Drives are highly recommended
by Hydro One and Westario Power users. Engineering will be
adding additional VFD’s as time and budget permit. Energy
savings from the VFD’s will normally pay back the expenditure in
less than five years. Four major plant motors rated at over 40 to
50 Horsepower were retrofitted with VFD’s in August 2007 and
the efficiency was noted immediately. Cooling pumps have been
completely retrofitted with new impellors and gaskets as part of
ongoing preventative maintenance.
Retrofit is designed to increase energy efficiency. Variable
Frequency Drives are utilized on the cooling tower installation and installed on cooling
pumps to provide further energy reductions. The VFD’s will provide energy savings on
motor operation to the equivalent of $3.000.00 per year. VFD’s will be paid for in less than
five years of operation.
Roofing Renovations
 Recent roofing renovations have added additional insulation to increase building envelope efficiency.
This will guarantee future energy savings and the reduction of fossil fuels, not to mention increased comfort levels for staff and visitors.
Two more roof sections are targeted for completion in 2008 and 2009.
Window Blinds Decrease Energy Consumption
 New blinds were installed in Day Hospital in 2007 to decrease the amount of energy consumed for cooling and heating of the space.
During the summer, the solar heat gain will be cut to 1/3 the amount prior to installation. During the winter, heat loss will be minimized substantially.
The environment will be more comfortable for staff, visitors, and patients.
Recycling of Materials
 Hanover and District Hospital entered into a contract with fluorescent mercury lamp and battery recyclers in February of 2007. All fluorescent lamps used in our facility will be recycled through a certified recycling program. Lead from batteries will be 100% recycled.
Emphasis is now placed on the safe storage and handling of hazardous waste such as paints, oils and chemicals. Only required materials are kept on site and are stored utilizing approved containment procedures.
Currently over 700 kg. of lead batteries have been removed for recycling and over 400 mercury type lamps have been collected for recycling the glass and chemicals. This program is so successful we have offered to all our staff members to bring in lamps and batteries from their homes to double the environmental impact.
 Major clean up initiatives in 2007 included:
- Over 300 cubic yards of metal and waste sent to recyclers.
- 500 kg of what is now considered hazardous waste has been disposed of through approved Hazardous Waste Companies.
- As part of cleanup initiatives many hazardous waste products and chemicals stored at our facility have been disposed of through a registered/certified waste management program. Items will be either recycled or disposed of by the most environmentally responsible process.
Water Softeners
 New Kinetico Water Softeners were installed in April 2007. Without softened water the Dialysis Unit operation would have been in difficulty. As well, Engineering and Dietary services depend on soft quality water to maintain services.
The new equipment is designed to provide expanded service as well as energy efficiency. The equipment uses no electricity, reduces water consumption, and uses less salt in its regeneration cycle. This means less salt being sent to drain and back to the water source.
New softeners mean:
- Electricity reduction of 76.2 kilowatt hours
- Water reduction of 4,544 cubic meters
- 34,161 pounds less salt used and drained back to the environment.
- These reductions will mean a payback on the investment in less than five years and an even bigger investment in our environment.
New Trane Chiller
 In October 2005, a new Trane chiller was installed to replace the original 33 year old system. The new chiller uses the most environmentally friendly products available for its cooling operation. Refrigerant 123 is utilized with an automatic alarm device that shuts down all operations in the event of refrigerant leaks. The chiller is designed to use less electricity than the previous equipment and still provide the required cooling capacity.
New cooling towers use over 5,000 cubic meters less water per year and are manufactured with materials that require less hazardous chemicals in the water treatment program. The new tower installed at Hanover and District Hospital operates with one high efficiency fan motor instead of four, like the previous unit, providing huge energy savings. Further savings are generated using Variable Frequency Drives, optimizing motor efficiency.
Recycling
 As a responsible corporate citizen, Hanover and District Hospital is a model when it comes to recycling. All recyclables from plastics and glass, to cardboard and fine paper, are collected in our designated recycling centres and taken to our major recycling area.
All staff participate in the program which is maintained by Hanover and District Hospital Environmental Services. The program includes major composting initiatives and collection of styrofoam products. The collection of fine paper through shredding of confidential documents has saved over 50 mature trees since beginning the program in 2007.
Water Collection from Humidification Process
In June 2007, Environmental Services began the collection of water from the plant humidification process, where warm air that passes over air conditioning cooling coils condenses and falls to the bottom of air handling units. Rather than waste the water to drain, the water is collected and saved in holding tanks where it is reused for other processes and irrigation for flower gardens. This program has saved thousands of litres of wasted water. Plans are underway to expand on this program.
Fit-Trail
Progress is currently under way on the Fit-Trail, a project initiated by the Hanover and District Hospital Environmental Continuous Quality Improvement Team, which will include a 1.5 km running/walking trail on hospital property with 12 fitness stations designed to provide an exercise program for anyone using the Fit-Trail facility. The trail will be open to the public to promote good health in our community. Work is progressing on the trail design and development, funding is underway. As part of the trail development 1000 trees have been planted on the site. The 1000 trees and reduction in grass cutting will reduce our Carbon Footprint on the environment by just over 12 metric tons of carbon emissions or 12000 kilograms. One kilogram of carbon dioxide would fill a 2 meter balloon, 12000 balloons would fill a community centre.
Purchasing Policy
In April 2008 Environmental Continuous Quality Improvement Team initiated a Purchasing Policy to ensure that only the most environmentally safe products are used on and around Hanover and District Hospital facilities. Criteria for purchasing included consideration for the impact of products to the environment based on harm and quantity. Products are regularly assessed to make sure we are using only the safest products.
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