NewYork-Presbyterian Sets New Sustainable Standard

NEW YORK — The NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital has received two distinctions from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for their commitment to sustainability. The hospital was awarded the 2014 Energy Star Partner of the Year — Sustained Excellence Award for its long-term commitment to energy efficiency and the 2014 ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year — Climate Communications Awards for its outstanding efforts to raise awareness about climate change through its sustainability initiative, NYPgreen.

NewYork-Presbyterian is the only hospital to earn a Partner of the Year award for the 2014 year and is the only hospital to win the award nine times, according to hospital officials.

“NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital is deeply committed to promoting sustainability, and through our efforts to create an efficient infrastructure as well as engage staff and patients in the cause, we are making a difference,” said Dr. Steven Corwin, CEO of NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, in a statement.” Our green efforts not only benefit the environment, they also help to promote good health and well-being, an integral part of our patient care and community service mission as an academic medical center.”

The Energy Star Partner award is given to organizations that have exhibited outstanding leadership in the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and employing innovative energy-efficiency methods, according to the organization. The hospital has held firm to their long-term sustainability goals, and is aiming to reduce its energy intensity by 20 percent by 2020 and its greenhouse gas emissions by 30 percent by 2018 from a 2005 baseline.

The Energy Star Partner of the Year — Climate Communications Award was given to the hospital for its NYPgreen sustainability program, which promotes sustainable efforts to hospital employees, patients and the local community. The sustainability programs includes a green workspace program that rewards employees for saving energy, an external website with tips to reduce energy consumption and hospital-wide Earth Day celebrations.