MONROE - Monroe Clinic hospital was recently awarded the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design silver certification.
Monroe Clinic representatives said their commitment to building a green hospital started from the ground up. When developing building plans, ideas and strategy, the organization ultimately chose certification instead of just going green.
LEED certification for health care is still relatively new; Monroe Clinic is only the second hospital in Wisconsin to achieve LEED-silver certification.
For the hospital to be LEED certified, the building must qualify under six key areas: Sustainable sites; water efficiency; energy and atmosphere; materials and resources; indoor environmental quality; innovation and design process. Some ways the clinic achieved points towards certification were incorporating roof-top gardens; drinking fountain water bottle fillers; landscaping of native plants; low-flow water fixtures; efficient boilers and chillers; energy-efficient lighting; and sourcing construction materials from within 500 miles of Monroe.
In 2010, the housekeeping staff started using green cleaning products and practices to protect the environment and provide better indoor air quality.
Monroe Clinic representatives said their commitment to building a green hospital started from the ground up. When developing building plans, ideas and strategy, the organization ultimately chose certification instead of just going green.
LEED certification for health care is still relatively new; Monroe Clinic is only the second hospital in Wisconsin to achieve LEED-silver certification.
For the hospital to be LEED certified, the building must qualify under six key areas: Sustainable sites; water efficiency; energy and atmosphere; materials and resources; indoor environmental quality; innovation and design process. Some ways the clinic achieved points towards certification were incorporating roof-top gardens; drinking fountain water bottle fillers; landscaping of native plants; low-flow water fixtures; efficient boilers and chillers; energy-efficient lighting; and sourcing construction materials from within 500 miles of Monroe.
In 2010, the housekeeping staff started using green cleaning products and practices to protect the environment and provide better indoor air quality.