“It’s not easy being green,” said the beloved Sesame Street Muppet, Kermit the Frog. It isn’t always easy to “go green,” but it certainly is worth it. The Johns Hopkins Hospital is making strides in implementing many sustainable measures. Learn how the hospital has already reduced its environmental footprint, and read a few sustainability tips to help you prepare for Earth Day on April 22.

In 2018, the hospital reduced the amount of paper it purchased and used by 10 percent. More than 178 tons of paper were shredded or recycled, preventing it from ending up in landfills.

Sustainability tips: Send meeting agendas and general information electronically. Set office printers to default as double-sided printing. And think before you print!

Last year, the nutrition department’s food digester, which reduces food waste by turning it into compost, digested 244 tons of food, which is roughly equivalent to the weight of 40 elephants. The department also recycled 19.4 tons of cooking oil—about the same as the weight of three elephants. The cafeteria provided alternatives to reduce meat consumption by promoting “meatless Mondays” and substituting with appropriately portioned seafood dishes. In July, the hospital eliminated plastic straws in favor of a biodegradable paper option.

Sustainability tips: BYOB! Use your own coffee mug, thermos, water bottle and reusable straw throughout the day. Avoid using K-Cups or other single-serve coffee packages if you can, or look into whether your K-Cups can be recycled.

By the end of 2018, 100 percent of Johns Hopkins Hospital operating rooms were equipped with LED lighting and energy-efficient heating, ventilation and air conditioning settings during unoccupied times, reducing energy used when the rooms are not in use.

Sustainability tips: Set computers to enable energy-saving mode when not in use or after a period of inactivity. Use power strips as central turn-off points for electronics to avoid “phantom” energy loss.

Many departments have set up collection stations where office supplies such as batteries and printer cartridges can be discarded appropriately. More than 5 tons of batteries were collected and recycled in 2018 alone. Employees also disposed of old or unused electronics through proper channels, such as e-recycling days at the farmers market, which collected 10.9 tons of electronics that could be reused or recycled rather than going to a landfill.

Sustainability tips: Look for 2019 e-recycling dates to be announced. Contact your local HP representative to find out how to recycle printer cartridges.

For more information and to find out how your office or department can reduce its environmental impact, visit sustainability.jhu.edu/campuses-and-contacts/johns-hopkins-hospital, or contact the Johns Hopkins Hospital Green Team at [email protected].