Green Ideas Sprouting Around

Signs to remind colleagues to turn off the lights when they leave a conference room, or stepping up to be a “recycling champion” and make sure their departments are recycling more, are some of the staff-driven “Green Ideas” recently implemented at UMass Memorial Medical Center.

The people who came up with these ideas and got their departments to follow-through are honored on the medical school’s Sustainability Facebook page. Hit this link and see their smiling faces after getting a cool new reusable travel mug made from a biodegradable “plastic” derived from corn as a token of recognition for their great Green Idea. 

The Green Ideas initiative is co-sponsored by UMass Memorial Medical Center housekeeping, its Center for Innovation & Transformational Change (CITC), and UMass Chan Medical School’s Sustainability Office.

 “We are always looking for new ways to improve our processes,” said John Jepsen, regional manager at Crothall Healthcare Services who directs housekeeping services on campus. “We know people have a lot of good ideas, so we are asking them to share.”

If you have an idea, it to your department’s Idea Board. If the idea is implemented, tell us about it and any results so far in an email to growing.green@umassmed.edu. 

“Green ideas are seeds worth spreading,” said Lora Bouchard, CITC process improvement coordinator. “We hope this program will promote the adoption of good ideas and collaboration between departments.”