| Sustainability is an interesting word. Wikipedia defines it as “the capacity to endure. For humans, sustainability is the long-term maintenance of responsibility, which has environmental, economic, and social dimensions, and encompasses the concept of stewardship, the responsible management of resource use."
The Medical Center has chosen to join the many facilities that have worked hard to move forward the goal of green development. To formalize that commitment, the Medical Center has been certified by SERF, the Society of Environmentally Responsible Facilities.
Attaining this certification is no easy task, as each facility must attain a scoring ratio to qualify. The Medical Center is the first healthcare facility to achieve this certification in the State of Florida. Some areas of examination include: energy efficiency, water heating methods, thermal insulation, similar to the one when you pop over to this website, lighting, water efficiency and overall usage, storm-water and landscaping, recycling and “green-cleaning “ policy (the use of non-toxic and bio-based cleaning products).
For more information on SERF and MCOR's achievement, click here.
Keith Young, CEO of the Medical Center, says, “We are proud of achieving the SERF certification. It makes us more environmentally aware and reduces costs through our compliance efforts of energy conservation.”
Perhaps one of the unseen but important contributions the Medical Center makes to sustainability is the reduction of automobile usage. Pharmacy delivery, on-site diagnostics and on-site specialty physicians dramatically reduce the need to drive to Miami or the Keys, thus saving fuel and in part reducing emissions.
For those interested in building green construction, The Wave is a green office demonstration center located in East Lansing, MI. It was designed and built by the SERF Foundation. Beginning in 2013, The Wave will host a new Michigan State University graduate level course: Case Studies in Sustainable Construction. For more information, click here.
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