The Green Practice News January 2025

The Green Practice News
January 2025

https://mailchi.mp/mygreendoctor/start-2025-as-an-environmentally-sustainable-healthcare-practice

In This Issue:

Accelerate environmental sustainability in 2025!
Make your public spaces more green
Are your vendors eco-friendly?
Let’s talk leadership!

Accelerate Environmental Sustainability in Your Practice with MGD in 2025

2025 presents the perfect opportunity to save money and strengthen your practice’s commitment to a greener future. With environmental health and climate resilience at the forefront of global concerns, working in an environmentally sustainable healthcare practice just makes sense. Whether you are one office or a network with 200 locations, My Green Doctor (MGD) is your trusted partner for this transition to be smooth and impactful. We have the team in place to provide one-on-one support to managers and clinician leaders.

Why Should Your Practice Go Green in 2025?

Financial Benefits: Sustainability doesn’t just benefit the environment—it can also reduce operating costs with actions like optimizing energy use, reducing purchases, implementing recycling, and conserving water.
Enhancing Patient Trust: Patients increasingly expect healthcare providers to align with their values, including environmental stewardship. By adopting greener practices, you demonstrate that your care extends beyond individual health to the well-being of the community.
Regulatory Preparedness: Many industries are moving toward stricter environmental regulations. My Green Doctor will keep you ahead of potential requirements.
Team Engagement: A sustainable workplace fosters a sense of purpose among your staff, increasing morale and teamwork. Employees take pride in working for an organization that cares about its environmental impact.

How My Green Doctor Can Help You Succeed
At MGD, we provide free, easy-to-use tools to help you accelerate your sustainable journey. We offer tailored solutions to fit your practice’s needs. Here’s what you can expect:

Step-by-Step Guidance: MGD breaks down sustainability into manageable steps. Our Meeting-by-Meeting guide makes it easy to achieve solid results.
Customizable Action Plans: Not all healthcare practices are the same, which is why we offer flexible templates. Whether you run a small clinic or dozens of locations, our team will have solutions that work for you.
Engaging Educational Materials: Our free presentations and teaching resources help you share wise money-saving concepts with colleagues and patients to make them climate resilient.
Recognition for Your Efforts: MGD offers certificates and public acknowledgment for practices that achieve significant milestones, helping you build your reputation as a green leader in healthcare.

Visit MyGreenDoctor.org to get started today. Or email Heather Massey, Sustainability Programs Manager, to schedule your private consultation: [email protected]

Spruce Up Your Public Spaces with Green

Winter can be gloomy, making it the best season to brighten up your public spaces. When you incorporate green elements, you create an appearance that promotes healing, reduces stress, and strengthens your connection to your patients and co-workers.

Why Green Spaces Matter in Healthcare

Improved Patient Outcomes: Studies consistently show that patients exposed to natural environments recover faster, experience less stress, and report higher satisfaction with their care. Even small green additions can make a big difference, such as adding potted plants, window gardens, or photographs of nature.
Enhanced Staff Wellness: Healthcare workers face high levels of stress, and access to green spaces has been proven to reduce burnout and to improve mood and focus.
Environmental Impact: Trees and plants in outdoor areas filter air pollutants, reduce urban heat, and provide habitats for local wildlife, contributing to a healthier neighborhood.

Your Green Makeover This Winter
Take advantage of the slower pace of winter to plan and prepare for spring planting and green-space updates. Here’s how:

Assess Your Current Spaces: Walk through your facility and identify areas that could benefit from greenery. Is there an unused corner in your waiting area? Could your outdoor spaces accommodate a small garden or seating area?
Focus on Native Plants: Native species require less maintenance, save water, and are more resilient for local weather patterns.
Consider Long-Term Maintenance: Engage your team and even local volunteers to help maintain the greenery. A sustainable maintenance plan ensures your investment thrives year-round.
Incorporate Patients and Staff: Encourage participation by inviting input on what kinds of plants or features they’d like to see. This engagement builds community pride and ownership.

Sprucing up your public spaces isn’t just about aesthetics—it’s about creating a space that nurtures health, fosters community, and demonstrates your commitment to sustainability. Visit MGD’s website for inspiration and practical guides to help you get started: https://www.mygreendoctor.org

Are Your Vendors Eco-Friendly?

At the start of the new year, it’s time to reflect on the partnerships that keep your healthcare practice running smoothly. Have you considered whether your vendors align with your sustainability goals? By choosing eco-friendly vendors, you can reduce your environmental impact, support ethical businesses, and inspire others in the healthcare community to do the same.

Why Eco-Friendly Vendors Matter

Minimize Environmental Impact: Vendors that prioritize sustainability are ones that reduce waste, pollution, and resource consumption in their operations.
Support Ethical Practices: Many green businesses emphasize fair labor practices, community engagement, and other positive values.
Enhance Your Reputation: Aligning with eco-conscious vendors demonstrates your commitment to sustainability, which can resonate with both patients and employees.
It’s About Health: There are many ways a vendor’s business model can be good for the health of your patients and co-workers. Examples include food services that bring to your office foods that are locally sourced, meat-free, and sustainably packaged; a delivery company that uses a fleet of zero or low-emission vehicles; and an office products supplier that offers only toxin-free products. My Green Doctor offers guidance on each of these topics.

Steps to Evaluate and Choose Green Vendors

Audit Your Current Suppliers: Review your existing vendor relationships. Do your vendors use sustainable materials? Do they prioritize energy efficiency or waste reduction?
Research Green Certifications: In 2024, My Green Doctor reviewed more than one hundred organizations that certify the environmental sustainability and climate change impacts of products. We have chosen the best of them, twenty-two certifying organizations. You can ask your vendors whether their products meet these standards .
Ask Questions: Don’t hesitate to reach out to your vendors directly. Ask about their environmental policies, packaging materials, and transportation practices.
Make a Gradual Transition: Switching vendors doesn’t have to happen overnight. Start with one or two key suppliers and expand your efforts over time.

Reviewing your vendor list may seem daunting, but the benefits to your practice and to the health of your patients are worthwhile. MGD offers tools to help you evaluate suppliers and make informed decisions. Visit our website to access these resources and start the new year with a greener supply chain.

Let’s talk leadership!
Clinicians and practice managers often tell us that they find it challenging to gain support from their CEOs or other managers. Please let us do the talking for you!

Whether you work at a single location, in a group practice, or medical center with dozens of clinics, we ask you to introduce us to your director by email. You might connect Dr. Sack ([email protected]) and your director with the following email:

“I would like to introduce Dr. Todd Sack and (your leader’s name). Dr. Sack is the Executive Director of the My Green Doctor Foundation. My Green Doctor is a well-established practice management program that specializes in offering easy ways for outpatient practices like ours to save money with environmental sustainability and climate resilience. I believe the two of you will enjoy meeting.”

Share the Green Practice News!
We encourage you to share this information with friends and colleagues. Forward the link with a message such: “Check out this great environmental sustainability newsletter for healthcare practices, My Green Doctor: https://mailchi.mp/mygreendoctor/start-2025-as-an-environmentally-sustainable-healthcare-practice .”

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